Philipp von Hutten facts for kids
Philipp von Hutten (born December 18, 1505 – died May 17, 1546) was a German explorer and adventurer. He was one of the first Europeans to explore parts of Venezuela. He played an important role during the time of Klein-Venedig, which means "Little Venice." This was when the Welser banking family from Germany was given control of the Venezuela Province by Emperor Charles V, who was also the King of Spain.
Contents
Early Life and Journeys
Philipp von Hutten was born in a place called Königshofen in Germany. When he was young, he spent some time at the court of Emperor Charles V. This Emperor was the one who later gave the Welser family control over Venezuela.
Exploring Venezuela: 1535-1538
In 1535, Hutten joined a group of about 600 adventurers. They sailed to Venezuela with a leader named Georg von Speyer. Their goal was to explore and manage the land for the Welser family. They landed in a city called Coro in February 1535.
Hutten went with Georg von Speyer on a long and tough journey into the land. They were looking for treasure, especially the legendary city of El Dorado. From 1536 to 1538, Hutten continued to explore with Speyer. They traveled far and reached the upper parts of the Japurá River, which is close to the equator.
Journey to the Llanos: 1541-1546
After Georg von Speyer died in 1540, Philipp von Hutten became the new governor of Venezuela in December. On August 1, 1541, he left Coro with about 150 men, mostly on horseback. He followed Speyer's old path but then crossed the Rio Bermejo. With a smaller group of about 40 horsemen, he went into the Llanos, which are wide plains. There, he had a battle with many Omaguas people and was badly hurt.
Capture and Death
In late 1544, after being weak from hunger and sickness, Hutten and his remaining followers returned towards Coro. But about 100 miles from the city, he was captured. This happened just before Easter in 1546. He was captured by a Spanish man named Juan de Carvajal.
Carvajal had been made Captain-General of Venezuela in 1545. He was worried that he would lose his job when Hutten returned. Since years had passed with no news of Hutten, Carvajal felt safe in his position. He was not happy to see the explorers come back.
Carvajal tried to make Hutten and his group accept his authority, but he failed. He then tried to capture them, but this also went wrong. Bartholomeus VI. Welser (the younger), who was traveling with Hutten, even wounded Carvajal.
Carvajal was forced to promise the Germans safe travel. However, as they continued their journey to the coast, Hutten and his group were not careful. Carvajal easily captured them in April 1546. After keeping Hutten and Welser in chains for a while, he had them killed. Eight years after Hutten's death, the Welser family lost their control over Venezuela, and German rule there ended.
Writings
Philipp von Hutten left behind some letters and a story about his adventures from 1535 to 1546. This handwritten story was brought to Germany. It was kept in a library for so long that it became very hard to read. Finally, it was published in 1785 in a collection called Literary and Historical Magazine. The story is titled "News from the Indies from Junker Philipp Hutten" (German: Zeitung aus India Junkher Philipps von Hutten). It shares details about the events he was part of and describes the places he traveled through.
Family Connections
Philipp von Hutten was related to another famous person, Ulrich von Hutten.
Stories and Books
In 1983, a Venezuelan writer named Francisco Herrera-Luque wrote a novel called La Luna de Fausto (Faust's Moon). This book tells the story of von Hutten's adventures, from Europe to the wild lands of America in the 1500s. It describes how he was eventually killed by Juan de Carvajal because of a power struggle. A legend says that his death was predicted by Dr. Faust himself, who said Hutten would die under a "red moon."
Images for kids
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In Spanish: Felipe de Utre para niños
