DeSoto

Hernando De Soto was born in 1496 in Extremadura, Spain.

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De Soto died in 1542.

=__**De Soto's early life.**__= Hernando's mother, and father were of royal blood. His older brother decided to follow a spanish custom of the time and use both of his parents names: Juan Mendez de Soto. De Soto decided to be different and took the Mendez out of his name. There is a legend that when Hernando was nine years old, a neighbor stopped him one day and and showed him flakes of gold and said " If you don't have this, you don't have anything". When De Soto was 13 years old, Balboa led an exploring party from Darien across the isthmus of Panama. During tthe journey Balboa discovered a great body of water that he named the South Sea. Today the South Sea is known as the Pacific Ocean. In 1514 De Soto left Extremadura for the important city of Seville. There he joined the service of Pedro Arias Davila. When Davila was appointed governor, of the Darien colony,De Soto got his chance to sail to the New World. As a soldier for Davila he quickly earned a reputation for bravery and stubbornness. He often led the soldiers of Darien in bold raids against the natives of Central America. He earned gold and Indian slaves for his role in successful attacks.

=__**De Soto's journey.**__=



After a few months of living in Seville he asked King Charles for permission to conquer another area of South America. The king asked him instead to explore an enormous unexplored land north of Cuba. He was supposed to establish a colony and look for gold and silver. If De Soto was successful the king would give him hundreds of acres of land along with a rich annual salary. he also placed De Soto in charge of Spain's colony in cuba. The region that the king wanted explored had been named //La Florida// by Juan ponce De Leon in 1513. it stretched North as far as the carolinas, and as far west as the river that separates present day Texas and Mexico. Many people wanted to join de Soto's expedition. They felt sure he would find gold in Florida. De Soto selected about 700 to join his expedition. Most were soldiers, but the party also included several priests and friars, tailors, shoemakers a swordsmith and a farrier who could make shoes for the spaniards horses. In April 1538, de Soto's fleet of eight ships left Spain. The fleet reached Havana,Cuba by the end of May. There they purchased food, weapons, tools and items they could use to trade with the natives. De Soto's journey was so important because he was supposed to find gold and claim some land for Spain.

=__**Fun Facts.**__=


 * 1.**Hernando de Soto was born to parents who were hidalgos.
 * 2.**De Soto was a conquistador.
 * 3.**He gained much of his wealth by trafficing slaves and come to win large areas of land.
 * 4.**In May 1539, Hernando de Soto landed with 600 to 700 men,20 priests,9 ships,220 horses,pigs,and fierce war dogs on the west coast of Florida.
 * 5.**//K//ing Charles V made Hernando de Soto governor of Cuba.
 * 6.**De Soto' s Birthday is on June 8,1496
 * 7.**Hernando de Soto died on May 21, 1542 and died from a fever and his aide Luis de Moscoso, sank De Soto's body in the Mississippi River to keep De Soto's death a secret, and De Soto's army did not know he was dead until his coffin was washed up to shore.
 * 8.**When De Soto left Spain in 1538, he was heavily in debt and believed, however, that he would regain his fortune by finding gold in La Florida.

=__**Resources we Used.**__=
 * [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto]**
 * Hernando de Soto and the exploration of Florida.**
 * United States history: beginnings.**