Montezuma+II

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Brief Bio of Montezuma: The last independent Aztec ruler, Montezuma II ruled most of what is now Mexico on the eve of the Spanish conquest. When he came to power, the Aztec Empire was made up of semi-independent city-states. Montezuma spent most of his reign strengthening his authority over the city-states and enforcing a more centralized government. Fearing betrayal by those nobles who had served his predecessor, Montezuma replaced many of them with his own men and reformed his administration. He made it more difficult for commoners to attain high office and further distinguished the nobility by giving them new privileges, thus creating a rich and lavish court whose ritual and ceremony emphasized his semidivine status. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico in 1519, Montezuma failed to recognize their true intentions. Bewildered by their strange appearance and cunning in battle - they defeated towns that had long resisted the Aztecs - Montezuma adopted a placatary stance that led to his own capture and death, as well as the end of the empire.

__**The invasion and death of Montezuma:**__ Many Indians welcomed Cortés as a deliverer from Aztec control. Montezuma himself refused to fight Quetzalcoatl emissaries and invited Cortés into the capital. Fearful that the Aztecs might rebel against the Spanish presence, Cortés seized Montezuma, thus becoming the master of the Aztec empire without a struggle. Using Montezuma as his mouthpiece, he governed from behind the throne. Montezuma summoned all his //caciques// (chiefs), ordering them to obey the Spaniards and to collect tribute and gold for the Spanish monarch. Cortés and his men remained in Tenochtitlán for several months. By then a new Spanish expedition from Cuba had reached the Mexican shores with orders to limit Cortés's power. Leaving one of his lieutenants in command, Cortés marched to the coast and persuaded his compatriots to join him. In the meantime an Indian uprising occurred in Tenochtitlán as a result of the ruthless policies followed by Cortés's lieutenants. Cortés hastened back only to find his men barricaded in the palace and threatened by starvation. He ordered Montezuma to arrange for supplies, but the Emperor refused. Cortés then released one of the Aztec chiefs, Cuitlahuac, with orders to open the markets and bring back food. Instead, Cuitlahuac assumed the leadership of the revolt. There was furious fighting in the capital. Cortés finally convinced Montezuma to address his people and to order them to obey the Spaniards. The angry Indians, however, refused to listen to their captive emperor and showered him with stones. Montezuma died several days later, in June 1520, either from wounds inflicted by the mob or at the hands of the Spaniards.

Other Information:

Montezuma was born in Tenochtitlán, capital of the Aztec empire, and the present site of Mexico City. He received a thorough education in religion, science, and art and was especially devoted to his religion, becoming a priest in the temple of the war god Huitzilopochtli. He also distinguished himself in the numerous Aztec wars. In 1502 Montezuma succeeded his uncle Ahuitzotl to the throne and became known for his pride and superstition. He lacked the harsh realism of his predecessors and was very much influenced by omens and prophecies. He dismissed all plebeians from his court and increased taxation of the merchants. Although his advisers warned him that his measures would weaken the empire, he requested heavier tribute from conquered tribes and launched numerous expeditions to obtain sacrificial victims. His actions led to revolts and to wars between Tenochtitlán and several tribes. Under these circumstances Montezuma learned of the arrival of the Spaniards in 1519. Fearing that they were emissaries of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, whose return was believed to be imminent , and following the decisions of the Supreme Council of the Indian Confederation, Montezuma tried to appease the conquistadores by sending gifts and offering homage. This only whetted the appetite of the Spaniards. Their leader, Hernán Cortés, allied himself with the Tlaxcalan Indians, who had remained independent from the Aztecs, and marched toward Tenochtitlán.

Work Citation:
 * Answers.com, Results for Montezuma II. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from Answers.com Web site: http://www.answers.com/topic/montezuma-ii
 * Gale, T (2005-2006). Bookrags.com. Retrieved October 1, 2008, Web site: http://www.bookrags.com/biography/montezuma-ii/
 * The Columbia Encyclopedia, (2008). //The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition//. Columbia University Press.
 * (2008). Famous.y2u.co.uk. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from Famous: Montezuma II Biography Web site: http://famous.y2u.co.uk/F_Montezuma.htm

Script: Montezuma was born in the city of Tenochtitlan, which is now present day Mexico City. As Montezuma was growing up he took his studies and school work very seriously. Something else that Montezuma took seriously as he was growing up was his strong belief in religion. After his schooling and studies where over he decided that he wanted to be a priest in the temple which was dedicated to the god of war. In 1502 after his uncles Ahuizol's death Montezuma became the next reightful successor to the throne. Montezuma was noted for his great pride and superstion. Although Montezuma was strong in his sence of pride he lacked harsh realism of his predecessors. One thing Montezuma did to support his weekness was to dismiss all plebians from his court and also increase taxation of the merchant class. Many of Montezumas advisors warned him that these actions would weeken the empire, but Montezuma refused. His actions then led to revolts and war between tribes in his city of Tenochtitlan. When Hernan Cortes, a Spaniard seeking the land and possessions of Montezumas people, saw that the tribes where diminishing each other, he found this as a greater oppertunity to seek what he wanted. When Cortes and his soldiers arrived, many Natives greated them and showed respect towards them. Montezuma did not want to fight Cortes' army, so he invited Cortes into the capital one day, where Cortes' and his troops easily overthrough Montezuma, and conquered. One of the reasons that the Spaniards had such an easy time defeating and conquering was because of newer weapondry, and fighting tactics, tactics that where new to the Aztecs and other tribes in this area. Cortes did not kill Montezuma imediatly because he used Montezuma as a speaker to order his people to pay all they had to Cortes. After Cortes ordered Montezuma to ask his people for so much, people started to get angry and question Montezuma. Montezuma did not want to do these thing for Cortes any more, but was forced to. After Montezumas people were fet up with these demands, they decided to shower Montezuma with rocks, which lead to his death in 1520. He either died from the woonds of the ocks, or he was killed by one of Cirtes' men. In my oppinion I think that if Montezuma would have been able to be a little more stricter when he came to the throne he would have been a little better off. If Montezuma wouldnt have let the tribes destroy each other than he might have been able to rebel agains Cortes. Also if Montezuma wouldnt have been such light ruler, Cortes might not have been able to push him around, and demand so much from his own people. Finally if Cortes was nicer to his citizens then they might not have been so cruel in stoning him to death. But instead he demanded more from the mercahant or middle class. In return the middle class remembered this when he was still demanding things from them, but just under Cortes' control.