Francisco Pizarro (c. 1478-1541) was a conquistador who led the Spanish conquest of the Inca civilization from 1532. With only a small group of men, Pizarro took advantage of his superior weapons and the fact that the Incas were weakened by civil war and the arrival of European diseases to take over the largest empire in the world.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1478 - 1541Life of the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro.
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c. 1478The conquistador Francisco Pizarro is born in Trujillo, Extramadura, Spain.
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1502Francisco Pizarro sails with Nicolás de Ovando to Hispaniola.
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1509Francisco Pizarro joins the expedition led by Alonso de Ojeda to the Gulf of Uraba.
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1513Francisco Pizarro joins the expedition of Vasco Nuñez de Balboa to cross the Isthmus of Panama.
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1524 - 1525Francisco Pizarro leads his first voyage of exploration to South America.
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1526Francisco Pizarro leads his second voyage of exploration to South America.
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Jul 1529Francisco Pizarro receives royal backing to explore South America.
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Dec 1530Francisco Pizarro leaves Panama for his thrid voyage of exploration to South America.
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Feb 1531Francisco Pizarro awaits reinforcements at Coaque (Ecuador).
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Feb 1532Francisco Pizarro attacks Tumbes.
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16 Nov 1532Battle of Cajamarca where the Inca leader Atahualpa is captured and held for ransom by Spanish forces led by Francisco Pizarro.
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26 Jul 1533The Inca leader Atahualpa is executed.
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Nov 1533Francsico Pizarro crowns Manco Inca Yupanqui (Manqo Inka) as his puppet ruler.
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15 Nov 1533Francisco Pizarro takes the Inca capital of Cuzco.
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18 Jan 1535Francsico Pizarro founds Lima (Ciudad de Los Reyes) as the capital of Spanish Peru.
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6 May 1536An Inca army led by Manco Inca attackes the Spanish conquistadors in Cusco.
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Sep 1536Francisco Pizarro defeates an Inca army led by Quizo Yupanqui which attacks Lima.
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Apr 1537Relief forces arrive and ensure the Spanish conquistadors keep control of Cusco.
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Apr 1538Battle of Las Salinas outside Cusco between rival factions of Spanish conquistadors.
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Jun 1541Francisco Pizarro is stabbed to death in his home by a rival faction of conquistadors.
