Media, News, Publishing: News update 16/09/2020 (450)

The discovery of the New World led to a conquista (in Spanish conquista - conquest), called the Peruvian explorer Maryategi "the last crusade." The cross and the sword became symbols of the conquest, and cruelty, greed, hypocrisy and hypocrisy became integral features of most conquerors. Conquista marked the beginning of the destruction of the unique cultures of the American Indians, the unique civilizations of the Incas, Maya, Aztecs, Chibcha Muisca. At the end of the XV century. mirages of overseas riches captivated the imagination of thousands of Spaniards, rushing along the beaten path by Columbus. Who are they?

After the expulsion of the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula, those for whom military armor served as the main source of livelihood were left out of work. But suddenly a fabulous prospect opened up: across the ocean, a world unknown in Europe turned out to be “homeless”. And yesterday's soldiers, monks, ruined hidalgos were pulled into the New World. From the Inquisition, those who could not come to terms with religious oppression fled across the Atlantic; poverty drove there those who only there hoped for the favor of fortune. Hopes and rumors gave rise to more and more new legends: about the country of the Amazons, and about unique cities where houses are made of pure silver, and about the source of eternal youth, and, of course, about Eldorado - the land of countless treasures and "gilded" people.

“Gold” is the magic word that made the Spanish kings, in a relatively short historical period, conquer a huge continent remote for thousands of kilometers with a population significantly exceeding the population of Nepania. Describing the new "crusaders", a contemporary of the events, the Spanish humanist Bartolome de Las Casas wrote: "They walked with a cross in their hand and with an insatiable thirst for gold in their hearts."

This unprecedented campaign was characterized by three main components: territorial expansion, the spirit of profit and missionary and educational motives associated with the conversion of natives to Christianity. The so-called "adelan-tado" played a specific, important role in the conquest. The king gave this title to those who, having organized an armed expedition at their own expense or with someone else's help, headed it to the New World to conquer territories, which they had to govern in the future on behalf of the king.

The state treasury was used only to subsidize the travels of Columbus, the circumnavigation of Magellan and the expeditions of Pedrarias Davila to Central America. Royal saddles (decrees) determined the minimum composition of the conquest expedition - 320 people: 100 infantrymen, 40 knights, 50 farmers, 30 sailors, 20 gold washers, 20 officers, 30 women, etc. The greatest difficulties were with the recruitment of women: they usually could not be recruited in the required number.

Estimates of the conquistadors by historians are very different, but invariably they are derived from their greed, vanity, indomitable rage and desperate courage. These are, as a rule, bad politicians and failed administrators, people who, in the words of the French poet José Maria de Eredia, "tired of wearing leaky caftans ... sailed to conquer that fabulous metal."

The first blow of the Europeans was experienced by the natives of the islands of the Caribbean. Columbus actually conquered Hispaniola and Jamaica (see article "Christopher Columbus"). Then came the turn of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Subsequently, the islands became the permanent base of the Spanish conquest; conquering expeditions were sent from them to various regions of the Western Hemisphere.

The lands of the Caribbean were not rich in precious metals, and the "gold rush" excited the imagination of the conquistadors and drove them in search of treasures in previously unknown latitudes. The conquest of Mexico with its enormous wealth became a decisive impetus for the further development of the conquest campaign. A peculiar standard of the conquistador appeared - Hernan Cortes (1485-1547).

Wealthy parents have identified 14-year-old Hernan in the most famous Spanish university in the city of Salamanca. However, jurisprudence bored him after two years. All Spain raved about the mysterious Indies found by Columbus, and the sense of adventure took over. In 1504 he arrived on the island of Hispaniola, where his dizzying career began.

Biographers of Cortes did not skimp on praises, claiming that he, like ancient heroes, was forged from steel, they called him Caesar with the soul of Virgil. Behind every epithet was some grain of truth. Of course, this was an outstanding personality: he was not afraid of either the immensity of the ocean, or the arrows of the Indians, or the multiple numerical superiority of the enemy. A subtle psychologist and a skilled diplomat, Cortés possessed the gift of eloquence and had an elegant writing style. All this manifested itself when he conquered the Aztec empire, which he told about in his famous letters to the Spanish king Charles V. Five letters of the conquistador, rather reminiscent of multi-page treatises, became a valuable source for researchers of the conquest of Mexico,

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среда, 16 сентября 2020 г.

News update 16/09/2020 (450)

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среда, 16 сентября 2020 г.

News update 16/09/2020 (450)

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среда, 16 сентября 2020 г.