Moctezuma II | James Monroe | Notable Biographies

(Unknown - 1520/06/29)

Moctezuma Xocoyotzin
Moctezuma II
Emperor of the Aztec Empire

He was born in 1466 in Tenochtitlan, Aztec Empire (Aztec).
Son of Axayacatl and Izelcoatzin, daughter of Nezahualcóyotl; successor of his uncle Ahuizotl (1486-1502).
A sovereign with despotic tendencies in caused instability and discontent in his Kingdom (1502-1520). It submitted the Mesoamerican area of Honduras and Nicaragua, but domain cravings disintegrated the Aztec Confederation and encouraged internal rebellions. It achieves a higher boom of his Kingdom, increasing the collection of taxes and extending trade and the exchange of goods with other countries in the region.
He ruled during the Spanish conquest. Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico in 1519 and Moctezuma, dominated by superstition, believed that the Aztec God King was Quetzalcoatl, so it will give present rich of gold and silver. Cuts, fearing that the Aztecs could attack Spanish troops, took Moctezuma as a hostage. In June 1520 the Aztecs rebelled. Cortés asked that gassed, brutalized the rebellion, but the leader was stoned when addressing his subjects.
It seems that he died three days later on June 29, 1520 victim of one of the stones.
Was succeeded by his brother strong > Cuitlahuac, and 80 days after his nephew Cuauhtémoc took power, as the last Aztec ruler.