History UsefulNotes / FranciscoPizarro

Unlike the highly cultured Cortés, and unusually for a man of his rank, it's unclear whether Pizarro ever learned to read and write, which didn't impede him from becoming a SimpleYetOpulent ManOfWealthAndTaste, as he always made sure to surround himself with skilled consultants. It might be a strike of irony, considering that the Inca culture never developed an alphabetic writing system either (although they had the ''quipu'', a system of recording strings so artful that, contrary to popular belief, the Spanish Empire kept it for more than a century until writing caught on). Pizarro also turned out to be a surprisingly skilled diplomat and governor for someone with so little formation and political experience -- despite being a complete foreigner supported by disassembled native factions with their own agendas each, it could be cynically said he still did a better job ruling the Inca Empire than its two previous emperors, which is how he ended up in the seat in the first place.

Pizarro might have it even harder to get an objective portrayal than Cortés in historiography, though, as his enmity with Diego de Almagro meant he started being a target of propaganda in his own camp. Writers partisan to Almagro who desired to discredit Pizarro (and later, Cortesian chroniclers who wanted to undermine Pizarro's aura in order not to overshadow their own favorite) drew an intensely negative portrayal where Pizarro and his brothers were vicious [[TheCaligula Caligulas]] who threw RapePillageAndBurn parties in the Inca court, an image not entirely sensical yet which pervived over the years and remains hard to extricate from his real career.[[note]]It should go without saying that, had the Pizarros been so ''undiplomatic'', every native tribe in the whole empire would have turned against them.[[/note]]

* Pedro Pizarro (1515-1602): A cousin to the Pizarros (though some claim he wasn't related to them by blood), he became Francisco's page-boy and accompanied him through his exploits, and after the patriarch's death, fought against the Almagrists and Gonzalo's revolt. He kept a detailed chronicle of the events that later sent to Spain. Reportedly had many children with many women, both legitimate and not.
* Inés Muñoz de Ribera (1510-1594): Pizarro's sister-in-law by a maternal half-brother of his, Martín de Alcántara. The IronLady of his entourage, she stood out by her long and influential life even after her husband was killed along with Francisco, eventually becoming herself one of the richest people in Perú. She was a known philantropist who bankrolled farmlands, schools and monasteries, as well as the education of many orphans of the wars, including Francisco's children. Also introduced several kinds of western crops in South America, most notably wheat, olive and European fruits, and in turn wrote a memoir of her career and her experiences with native customs, food and herbs. Tradition has that she died at the spectacular age of 105, although modern research shows she rather died in her mid-eighties, still impressive for her time.

* José Maya (ironic surname) plays Pizarro in his cameo in ''Carlos, rey emperador''.

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated instigated in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, to the point it's traditionally claimed he worked as a swineherd since his childhood until he could join the Spanish army, where he became an experienced soldier in the UsefulNotes/ItalianWars under UsefulNotes/GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba (his father and his half-brothers all did it at some point). After his arrival to the Indies, Francisco added a long career in local ventures, becoming an underling of the renowned Alonso de Ojeda and forming part of the expedition under UsefulNotes/VascoNunezDeBalboa that discovered the Pacific Ocean. Ironically, Pizarro would also lead the soldiers who arrested Núñez on the orders of the corrupt governor Pedrarias Dávila, which concluded in Balboa's KangarooCourt and execution. Letters sent by Balboa from jail imply Pizarro was simply an OldSoldier following orders, but Francisco never commented on this point of his career, perhaps considering the topic was better left as it was.

After the breaking news of the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire by Hernán Cortés, Pizarro soon found his chance to do the same in Perú at the ripe age of 50, hijacking the Inca Empire from the hands of the great Atahualpa in a way that could be better described as a coup rather than a conquest. Threatened by Inca armies who outnumbered his men by several digits to one, pitted against an emperor that was apparently luring them to enslave the bearded foreigners and capitalize on their wonderful toys,[[note]]Not only the weapons and horses, though. It's said that Atahualpa actually believed the Spaniards had also a method to rejuvenate people, as one of his spies saw a Spanish barber on his job and believed this was the case.[[/note]] Pizarro became possibly the most successful cornered rat in military history and reversed the ambush by [[OutGambitted playing dirtier at the right moment]], capturing Atahualpa in midst of their amusingly fruitless diplomacy. The event earned him the gratitude of all of the tribes whom the emperor had disfavored, after which the empire and its mountains of gold were open to him. Leaving behind a tragic but seemingly genuine friendship with Atahualpa, whom he was forced to execute on the danger he posed, Pizarro became the governor and captain general of the whole country, as well as a marquis, until a civil war of conquistadors years later ended up with him murdered by the followers of his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

His facet as a OldSoldier should be stressed not only due to his relatively advanced age during his conquests, but also for his ability as both a commander and a soldier, going down in a RasputinianDeath that according to the existent chronicles was as spectacular as the rest of his life. Not less than twelve Almagrists and twenty sword wounds, as well as a hit on the skull with a heavy alcarraza, were reportedly necessary for the old Spanish Apu to stop fighting back.

Unlike the highly cultured Cortés, and unusually for a man of his rank, it's unclear whether Pizarro ever learned to read and write, which didn't impede him from becoming a SimpleYetOpulent ManOfWealthAndTaste, as he always made sure to surround himself with skilled consultants. It might be a strike of irony, considering that the Inca culture never developed an alphabetic writing system either (although they had the ''quipu'', a system of recording strings so artful that, contrary to poular belief, the Spanish Empire kept it for more than a century until writing caught on).

Pizarro might have it even harder to get an objective portrayal than Cortés in historiography, though, as his enmity with Diego de Almagro meant he started being a target of propaganda in his own camp. Writers partisan to Almagro who desired to discredit Pizarro (and later, Cortesian chroniclers who wanted to undermine Pizarro's aura in order not to overshadow their own favorite) drew an intensely negative portrayal where Pizarro and his brothers were vicious [[TheCaligula Caligulas]] who indulged in RapePillageAndBurn against the natives, an image not entirely sensical yet which pervived over the years and remains hard to extricate from his real career.

He was married to a noblewoman of the Inca royal family, Inés Huaylas Yupanqui, who gave birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca. The relationship between Pizarro and Inés later turned sour on suspicions of court intrigues, after which he hooked up with a rumored FemmeFatale of the Inca nobility, Angelina Yupanqui, and had two sons, Francisco and Juan, although those two were not legitimized.

* Gonzalo Pizarro Alonso (1510-1548): Hernando's AnnoyingYoungerSibling, Gonzalo was the most ambitious of the family, for good and bad, and seems to have been a douchebag even by the standards of his time. He had a distinguised military career, which earned him the reputation of being the greatest soldier of Peru (he also was a bit of an explorer, initially teaming up with their distant relative UsefulNotes/FranciscoDeOrellana in his expedition to the Amazonas). Less flatteringly, tradition claims he raped an Inca princess who was a high-level hostage. Later, he revolted outright against the Hispanic Monarchy when the ''encomienda'' system was abolished, rebellion during which he and his accomplice UsefulNotes/FranciscoDeCarvajal achieved many victories before being betrayed and executed. He left three children by another Inca noblewoman, Inquill Tupac.

* Pedro Pizarro (1515-1602): A cousin to the Pizarros (though some claim he wasn't), he became Francisco's page-boy and accompanied him through his exploits, and after the patriarch's death, fought against the Almagrists and Gonzalo's revolt. He kept a detailed chronicle of the events that later sent to Spain. Reportedly had many children with many women, both legitimate and not.

Francisco Pizarro González, Marquis of the Conquista (March 16, 1478 - June 26, 1541), known by the indigenous as ''Apu'' ("Lord") and ''Machu Capitán'' ("The Old Captain"), was the Spanish conquistador that kickstarted and mostly finished the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire. He was a distant maternal uncle to fellow conquistador UsefulNotes/HernanCortez, whom he followed in the fine art of capturing indigenous emperors and assimilating their rich domains to the Spanish Empire, although Pizarro never managed to come close to match him in relevance in modern pop culture.

Francisco Pizarro González, Marquis of the Conquista (March 16, 1478 - June 26, 1541), known by the indigenous as ''Apu'' ("Lord") and ''Machu Capitán'' ("The Old Captain"), was the Spanish conquistador that kickstarted and mostly finished the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire. He was a distant maternal uncle to fellow conquistador UsefulNotes/HernanCortez, whom he imitated in the fine art of capturing indigenous emperors and assimilating their rich domains to the Spanish Empire, although Pizarro never managed to come close to match him in relevance in modern pop culture.

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated instigated in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, to the point it's traditionally claimed he worked as a swineherd since his childhood until he could join the Spanish army, where he became an experienced soldier in the UsefulNotes/ItalianWars under UsefulNotes/GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba (his father and his half-brothers all did it at some point). After his arrival to the Indies, Francisco added a long career in local ventures, becoming an underling of the renowned Alonso de Ojeda and forming part of the expedition under UsefulNotes/VascoNunezDeBalboa that discovered the Pacific Ocean. Ironically, Pizarro would also lead the men who arrested Núñez on orders of the corrupt governor Pedrarias Dávila, which concluded in his KangarooCourt and execution. Balboa's letters from the jail imply Pizarro was simply an OldSoldier following orders, but Francisco never commented on this point of his career, perhaps considering the topic was better left as it was.

After the breaking news of the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire by Hernán Cortés, Pizarro soon found his chance to do the same in Perú at the ripe age of 50, hijacking the Inca Empire from the hands of the great Atahualpa in a way that could be better described as a coup rather than a conquest. Threatened by Inca armies who outnumbered his men by several digits to one, pitted against an emperor that was apparently luring them to enslave the bearded foreigners and capitalize on their wonderful toys, Pizarro became possibly the most successful cornered rat in military history and reversed the ambush by [[OutGambitted playing dirtier at the right moment]], capturing Atahualpa in midst of their amusingly fruitless diplomacy. The event earned him the gratitude of all of the tribes whom the emperor had disfavored, after which the empire and its mountains of gold were open to him. Leaving behind a tragic but seemingly genuine friendship with Atahualpa, whom he was forced to execute, Pizarro became the governor and captain general of the whole country, as well as a marquis, until a civil war of conquistadors years later ended up with him murdered by the followers of his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

Unlike the highly cultured Cortés, and unusually for a man of his rank, it's unclear whether Pizarro ever learned to read and write, which didn't impede him from becoming a ManOfWealthAndTaste, as he always made sure to surround himself with skilled consultants. It might be a strike of irony, considering that the Inca culture never developed an alphabetic writing system either (although they had the ''quipu'', a system of recording strings so artful that, contrary to poular belief, the Spanish Empire kept it for more than a century until writing caught on).

Like Cortés, however, Pizarro can be said to be way more than the stereotypical gold-obssessed butcher. Bay all accounts Francisco basically fell in love with the Inca Empire after getting to see its greatest works, in especial its capital of Cusco, and issued decrees to protect the indigenous population centers and prosecute any Spaniard who mistreated the natives outside of the battlefields - which turned out to be much easier said than done, of course, due to the [[GoldFever large amounts of gold available to those who wanted to try to pocket it]]. Also, athough he was undoubtedly ruthless with his enemies, he achieved his conquest by wisely presenting himself to the indigenous as a liberator against the grueling reign of Atahualpa, and regardless of its veracity, his effective leadership and diplomacy ensured most tribes would indeed remain improbably loyal even whenever Inca generals revolted and tried to stir the empire against the foreigners. At the end of the day, it would be rather his own countrymen who became the reason he didn't live to see the full pacification of the lands.

Pizarro might have it even harder to get an objective portrayal than Cortés in historiography, though, as his enmity with Diego de Almagro meant he started being a target of propaganda in his own camp. Writers partisan to Almagro who desired to discredit Pizarro (and later, Cortesian chroniclers who wanted to undermine Pizarro's aura in order not to overshadow their own favorite) drew an intensely negative portrayal where Pizarro and his brothers were vicious Calligulas who indulged in RapePillageAndBurn against the natives, an image not entirely coherent yet which pervived over the years and remains hard to extricate from his real career.

He was married to a noblewoman of the Inca royal family, Inés Huaylas Yupanqui, who gave birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca. Their relationship later turned sour on suspicions of court intrigues, after which Pizarro hooked up with a rumored FemmeFatale of the Inca nobility, Angelina Yupanqui, and had two sons, Francisco and Juan, although those two were not legitimized.

* José Maya (ironic nickname) plays Pizarro in his cameo in ''Carlos, rey emperador''.

His facet as a BadassGrandpa should be stressed not only due to his relatively advanced age during his conquests, but also for his ability as both a commander and a soldier, going down in a RasputinianDeath that according to the existent chronicles was as spectacular as the rest of his life. Not less than twelve Almagrists and twenty sword wounds, as well as a hit on the skull with a heavy alcarraza, were reportedly necessary for the old Spanish Apu to stop fighting back.

Pizarro might have it even harder to get an objective portrayal than Cortés in historiography, though, as his enmity with Diego de Almagro meant he started being a target of propaganda from among his own peers. Partisans of Almagro, as well as and Cortesian chroniclers who wanted to undermine his aura for him not to rival their own favorite, drew an intensely negative portrayal where Pizarro and his brothers were vicious Calligulas who indulged in RapePillageAndBurn against the natives, an image not entirely coherent yet which pervived and remains hard to extricate from his real career.

!!The Pizarro clan
As mentioned above, Pizarro was also the head of a whole family of conquistadores, four half-brothers and a cousin who also served under accompanied him in his battles, whom we will mention there because people tend to confuse them.

* He is the BigBad of the 2008 miniseries ''Gabriel, amor inmortal'', played by José Luis Rodríguez.

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated instigated in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, to the point it's claimed he worked as a swineherd since his childhood until he could join the Spanish army, where he became an experienced soldier in the UsefulNotes/ItalianWars under the Great Captain, UsefulNotes/GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba (his father and his half-brothers all did it at some point). After his arrival to the Indies, Francisco added a long career in local ventures, becoming an underling of the renowned Alonso de Ojeda and forming part of the expedition under UsefulNotes/VascoNunezDeBalboa that discovered the Pacific Ocean. Ironically, Pizarro would also lead the men who arrested Núñez on orders of the corrupt governor Pedrarias Dávila, which concluded in his KangarooCourt and execution. Balboa's letters from the jail imply Pizarro was simply an OldSoldier following orders, but Francisco never commented on this point of his career, perhaps considering the topic was better left as it was.

Like Cortés, however, Pizarro can be said to be way more than the stereotypical gold-obssessed butcher. By all accounts, Francisco basically fell in love with the Inca Empire after getting to see its greatest works, in especial its capital of Cusco, and issued decrees to protect the indigenous population centers and prosecute any Spaniard who mistreated the natives outside of the battlefields - which turned out to be much easier said than done, of course, due to the [[GoldFever large amounts of gold available to those who wanted to try to pocket it]]. He achieved many of his alliances by wisely presenting himself to the indigenous as a liberator against the grueling reign of Atahualpa, and regardless of its veracity, his effective leadership ensured most tribes would indeed remain improbably loyal even whenever Inca generals revolted and tried to stir the empire against the foreigners. At the end of the day, it would be rather his own countrymen who became the reason he didn't live to see the full pacification of the lands.

He was married to a noblewoman of the Inca royal family, Inés Huaylas Yupanqui, who gave birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca. Their relationship later turned sour on suspicions of court intrigues, after which Pizarro hooked up with a rumored FemmeFatale of the Inca nobility, Angelina Yupanqui, and had two sons, Francisco and Juan, although those two were not legitimized. Pizarro was also the head of a whole clan of conquistadores, four half-brothers and a cousin who also served under accompanied him in his battles, whom we will mention there because people tend to confuse them.

* Hernando Pizarro y Vargas (1504-1580): Francisco's older half-brother and the only legitimate son, he was arguably his {{Foil}} in all senses, being a CulturedBadass and an InsufferableGenius. He usually served as TheLancer to him, siding with Francisco against those who wanted Atahualpa dead and championing for his brother in the subsequent political wars, although he had a personal enmity with Almagro and had him executed at the first chance against Francisco's wishes. He had a mestizo son who died young, and later [[RoyalInbreeding married his own niece]] Francisca Pizarro and had five other children. Although he was banished to Spain for all the troubles in Perú, he was the only of the brothers to die comfortably and of old age.
* Gonzalo Pizarro Alonso (1510-1548): Hernando's AnnoyingYoungerSibling, Gonzalo was the most ambitious of the family, for good and bad, and seems to have been a scumbag even by the standards of his time. He had a distinguised military career, which earned him the reputation of being the greatest soldier of Peru (he also was a bit of an explorer, initially teaming up with their distant relative UsefulNotes/FranciscoDeOrellana in his expedition to the Amazonas). Less flattering light, he infamously raped an Inca princess who was a high-level hostage, and later revolted outright against the Hispanic Monarchy when the ''encomienda'' system was abolished, rebellion during which he achieved many victories before being betrayed and executed. He left three children by another Inca noblewoman, Inquill Tupac.

* Pedro Pizarro (1515-1602): A distant cousin to the Pizarros, he became Francisco's page-boy and accompanied him through his exploits, and after the patriarch's death, fought against the Almagrists and Gonzalo's revolt. He kept a detailed chronicle of the events that later sent to Spain. Reportedly had many children with many women, both legitimate and not.

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated instigated in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, to the point it's claimed he worked as a swineherd since his childhood until he could join the Spanish army, where he became an experienced soldier in the UsefulNotes/ItalianWars under the Great Captain himself, UsefulNotes/GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba. After his arrival to the Indies, Francisco added a long career in local operations, becoming an underling of the renowned Alonso de Ojeda and forming part of the expedition under UsefulNotes/VascoNunezDeBalboa that discovered the Pacific Ocean. Ironically, Pizarro would also lead the men who arrested Núñez on orders of the corrupt governor Pedrarias Dávila, which concluded in his KangarooCourt and execution. Balboa's letters from the jail imply Pizarro was simply an OldSoldier following orders, but Francisco never commented on this point of his career, perhaps considering the topic was better left as it was.

After the breaking news of the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire by Hernán Cortés, Pizarro soon found his chance to do the same in Perú at the ripe age of 50, hijacking the Inca Empire from the hands of the great Atahualpa in a way that could be better described as a coup rather than a conquest. Threatened by Inca armies who outnumbered his men by several digits to one, pitted against an emperor that was apparently planning to enslave the bearded foreigners to capitalize on their wonderful toys, Pizarro became possibly the most successful cornered rat in military history and reversed the ambush by [[CombatPragmatist playing dirty at the right moment]], capturing Atahualpa in midst of their amusingly fruitless diplomacy. The event earned him the gratitude of all of the tribes whom the emperor had disfavored, after which the empire and its mountains of gold were open to him. Leaving behind a tragic but seemingly genuine friendship with Atahualpa, whom he was forced to execute, Pizarro became the governor and captain general of the whole country, as well as a marquis, until a civil war of conquistadors years later ended up with him stabbed to death many times by the followers of his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

Unlike the highly cultured Cortés, and unusually for a man of his rank, it's unclear whether Pizarro ever learned to read and write, which didn't impede him from becoming a ManOfWealthAndTaste, as he made sure to surround himself with skilled consultants. It might be a strike of irony, considering that the Inca culture never developed an alphabetic writing system either (although they had the ''quipu'', a system of recording strings so artful that, contrary to poular belief, the Spanish Empire kept it for more than a century until writing caught on).

Like Cortés, however, Pizarro can be said to be way more than his reputation entails. Far from the stereotypical gold-obssessed butcher, by all accounts, Francisco basically fell in love with the Inca Empire after getting to see its greatest works, in especial its capital of Cusco, and issued decrees to protect the indigenous population centers and prosecute any Spaniard who mistreated the natives outside of the battlefields - which turned out to be much easier said than done, of course, due to the [[GoldFever large amounts of gold available to those who wanted to try to pocket it]]. He achieved many of his alliances by wisely presenting himself to the indigenous as a liberator against the grueling reign of Atahualpa, and regardless of its veracity, his effective leadership ensured most tribes would indeed remain improbably loyal even whenever Inca generals revolted and tried to stir the empire against the foreigners. At the end of the day, it would be rather his own countrymen who became the reason he didn't live to see the full pacification of the lands.

He was married to a noblewoman of the Inca royal family, Inés Huaylas Yupanqui, who gave birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca. Their relationship later turned sour on suspicions of court intrigues, so Pizarro later hooked up with another native aristocrat, Angelina Yupanqui, having now two sons, Francisco and Juan. Pizarro was also the head of a whole clan of conquistadores, four half-brothers and a cousin who accompanied him in his battles, whom we will mention there because people tend to confuse them.

* Hernando Pizarro y Vargas (1504-1580): Francisco's older half-brother and the only legitimate son, he was arguably his {{Foil}} in all senses, being a CulturedBadass yet having an impulsive and strongheaded temper. He usually served as TheLancer to him, siding with Francisco against those who wanted Atahualpa dead and championing for his brother in the conquistador wars of Perú, although he also got Almagro executed against Francisco's wishes. Later in his life [[RoyalInbreeding married his own niece]] Francisca and had five sons, and although he was banished to Spain for all the troubles in Perú, he was the only of the brothers to die of old age.
* Gonzalo Pizarro Alonso (1510-1548): Hernando's AnnoyingYoungerSibling and the most ambitious of the family, for good and bad. He had a distinguised military career, which earned him the reputation of being the greatest soldier of Peru, and famously teamed up with UsefulNotes/FranciscoDeOrellana in his expedition to the Amazonas, ordered by Francisco (although this didn't end so well). Infamously, however, he revolted against the Hispanic Monarchy when the ''encomienda'' system was abolished in 1542, revolt during which he achieved many victories before being betrayed by his own troops and executed. He left two children, Francisco and Inés, by another Inca noblewoman, Inquill Tupac.
* Juan Pizarro Alonso (1511-1536): Gonzalo's blood brother, and the least remarkable of the four. He served most of his life as a captain and was killed in action during the Siege of Lima.
* Pedro Pizarro (1515-1602): A distant cousin to the Pizarros, he became Francisco's page-boy and accompanied him through his exploits, and after his death, he fought the Almagrists and his own rebellious relative Gonzalo. He kept a detailed chronicle of the events that later sent to Spain.

* Gonzalo Pizarro Alonso (1510-1548): Hernando's AnnoyingYoungerSibling and the most ambitious of the family, for good and bad. He had a distinguised military career, which earned him the reputation of being the greatest soldier of Peru, and famously teamed up with Francisco de Orellana in his expedition to the Amazonas, ordered by Francisco (although this didn't end so well). Infamously, however, he revolted against the Hispanic Monarchy when the ''encomienda'' system was abolished in 1542, revolt during which he achieved many victories before being betrayed by his own troops and executed. He left two children, Francisco and Inés, by another Inca noblewoman, Inquill Tupac.

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated caused in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, to the point it's claimed he worked as a swineherd since his childhood, until he could join the Spanish army, where became an experienced soldier under the Great Captain himself, UsefulNotes/GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba. After his arrival to the Indies, he crammed a long career in expeditions, among them that which named the Pacific Ocean, and when after the breaking news of the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire, he soon found his chance to do the same in Perú at the ripe age of 50, hijacking the Inca Empire in a narrow chance that could be better described as a coup rather than a conquest. Leaving behind a tragic but seemingly genuine friendship with the executed Inca emperor, Atahualpa, Pizarro eventually became the governor and captain general of the whole country, as well as a marquis, until a civil war of conquistadors years later ended up with him stabbed to death many times by the followers of his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

Francisco Pizarro González, Marquis of the Conquista (March 16, 1478 - June 26, 1541), known by the indigenous as ''Apu'' ("Lord") and ''Machu Capitán'' ("The Old Captain"), was the Spanish conquistador that kickstarted and mostly finished the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire. He was a distant maternal uncle to fellow conquistador UsefulNotes/HernanCortez, whom he imitated in the fine art of capturing indigenous emperors and assimilating their rich domains to the Spanish Empire, although Pizarro never managed to come close to match him in relevance in modern pop culture (possibly for the better, given [[ValuesDissonance the tenor of the times]]).

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated caused in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, to the point it's claimed he worked as a swineherd since his childhood, until he could join the Spanish army, where became an experienced soldier under the Great Captain himself, UsefulNotes/GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba. After his arrival to the Indies, he crammed a long career in expeditions, among them that which named the Pacific Ocean, and when after the breaking news of the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire, he soon found his chance to do the same in Perú at the ripe age of 50, hijacking the Inca Empire in a narrow chance that could be better described as a coup rather than a conquest. Leaving behind a tragic but seemingly genuine friendship with the executed Inca emperor, Atahualpa, Pizarro eventually became the governor and captain general of the whole country, until a civil war of conquistadors years later ended up with him dying stabbed many times by the followers of his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

Unlike the highly cultured Cortés, and unusually for a man of his rank, it's unclear whether Pizarro ever learned to read and write, which didn't impede him from becoming a ManOfWealthAndTaste, as he made sure to surround himself with skilled consultants. It might be a strike of irony, considering that the Inca culture never developed an alphabetic writing system either (although they had the ''quipu'', a system of recording strings so artful that, contrary to poular belief, the Spanish Empire adopted it for more than a century).

He was married to a noblewoman of the Inca royal family, Inés Huaylas Yupanqui, who gave birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca. Their relationship later turned sour on suspicions of court intrigues, so Pizarro later married another native aristocrat, Angelina Yupanqui, having now two sons, Francisco and Juan. Pizarro became the head of a whole clan of conquistadores, four half-brothers who accompanied him in his battles, whom we will mention there because people tend to confuse them.

* Hernando Pizarro y Vargas (1504-1580): Francisco's older half-brother and the only legitimate son, he was arguably his {{Foil}} in all senses, being a CulturedBadass yet having an impulsive and strongheaded temper. He usually served as TheLancer to him, siding with Francisco against those who wanted Atahualpa dead and championing for his brother in the conquistador wars of Perú, although he also got Almagro executed against Francisco's wishes. Later in his life [[RoyalInbreeding married his own niece]] Francisca and had five sons, and although he was banished to Spain for all the troubles in the Perú, he was the only of the clan to die of old age.

Francisco Pizarro González, Marquis of the Conquista (March 16, 1478 - June 26, 1541), known by the Incas as ''Apu'' ("Lord") and ''Machu Capitán'' ("The Old Captain"), was the Spanish conquistador that kickstarted and mostly finished the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire. He was a distant maternal uncle to fellow conquistador UsefulNotes/HernanCortez, whom he followed in the fine art of capturing indigenous emperors and assimilating their rich domains to the Spanish Empire, although Pizarro never managed to come close to match him in relevance in modern pop culture (possibly for the better, given [[ValuesDissonance the tenor of the times]]).

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated caused in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, to the point it is claimed he worked as a swineherd since his childhood, until he could join the Spanish army, where became an experienced soldier under the Great Captain himself, UsefulNotes/GonzaloFernandezDeCordoba. After his arrival to the Indies, he crammed a long career in expeditions, among them that which named the Pacific Ocean, and when after the breaking news of the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire, he soon found his chance to do the same in Perú at the ripe age of 50, hijacking the Inca Empire in what could be described as a coup rather than a conquest. Leaving behind a tragic but seemingly genuine friendship with the executed Inca emperor, Atahualpa, Pizarro eventually became the governor and captain general of the whole country, until a civil war of conquistadors years later ended up with him dying stabbed many times by the followers of his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

Francisco Pizarro González, Marquis of the Conquista (March 16, 1478 - June 26, 1541), known by the Incas as ''Apu'' ("Lord") and ''Machu Capitán'' ("The Old Captain"), was the Spanish conquistador that kickstarted and rmostly finished the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire. He was a distant maternal uncle to fellow conquistador UsefulNotes/HernanCortez, whom he followed in the fine art of capturing indigenous emperors and assimilating their rich domains to the Spanish Empire, although Pizarro never managed to come close to match him in relevance in modern pop culture (possibly for the better, given [[ValuesDissonance the tenor of the times]]).

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated caused in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, it being claimed that he worked as a swineherd since his childhood, until he could join the famed Spanish ''[[BadassArmy tercios]]'', where became an experienced soldier under the Great Captain himself, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba. After his arrival to the Indies, he crammed a long career in expeditions, among them that which named the Pacific Ocean, and when after the breaking news of the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire, he soon found his chance to do the same in Perú at the ripe age of 50, hijacking the Inca Empire in what could be described as a coup rather than a conquest. Leaving behind a tragic but seemingly genuine friendship with the executed Inca emperor, Atahualpa, Pizarro eventually became the governor and captain general of the whole country, until a civil war of conquistadors years later ended up with him dying stabbed many times by the followers of his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

Pizarro's biography is a brutal example of a SelfMadeMan. The illegitimate son of an important army captain, he was rejected by his father to ThatThingIsNotMyChild levels, which some have speculated caused in Francisco an obssession to prove his military worth that followed him all his life. He also grew up illiterate and in extreme poverty, it being claimed that he worked as a swineherd since his childhood, until he could join the famed Spanish ''tercios'', where became an experienced soldier under the Great Captain himself, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba. After his arrival to the Indies, he crammed a long career in expeditions, among them that which named the Pacific Ocean, and when after the breaking news of the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheAztecEmpire, he soon found his chance to do the same in Perú at the ripe age of 50, hijacking the Inca Empire in what could be described as a precision coup rather than a conquest. Leaving behind a tragic but genuine friendship with the executed Inca emperor, Atahualpa, Pizarro eventually became the governor and general captain of the whole country, until a civil war of conquistadors years later ended up with him dying stabbed many times by the followers of his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

Unlike the highly cultured Cortés, and unusually for a man of his rank, it's unclear whether Pizarro ever learned to read and write, which didn't impede him from becoming a ManOfWealthAndTaste, as he made sure to surround himself with skilled consultants. It might be a strike of irony, considering that the Inca culture never developed an alphabetic writing system either (although they had the ''quipu'', a system of recording strings so artful that, contrary to poular belief, the Spanish Empire adopted it for more of a century).

He was married to a noblewoman of the Inca royal family, Quispe Sisa, who gave birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui. Their relationship later turned sour on suspicions of court intrigues, so Pizarro later married another aristocrat, Cuxirimay, having now two sons, Francisco and Juan. Pizarro became the head of a whole clan of conquistadores, four half-brothers who accompanied him in his battles, whom we will mention there because people tend to confuse them.

* Hernando Pizarro y Vargas (1504-1580): Francisco's older half-brother and the only legitimate son, he was arguably his [[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]] in all senses, being a CulturedBadass with a impulsive and strongheaded temper. He was usually loyal to him, siding with Francisco against those who wanted Atahualpa dead and serving as Francisco's champion in the conquistador wars of Peru, although he also got Almagro executed against the wishes of Francisco. Later in his life married his own niece Francisca and had five sons, and although he was banished to Spain for his troubles, he was the only of the clan to die of old age.
* Gonzalo Pizarro Alonso (1510-1548): the most ambitious of the family, for good and bad. He had a distinguised military career, which earned him the reputation of being the greatest soldier of Peru, and famously teamed up with Francisco de Orellana in his expedition to the Amazonas, ordered by Francisco (although this didn't end so well). Infamously, however, he revolted against the Hispanic Monarchy when the ''encomienda'' system was abolished in 1542, revolt during which he achieved many victories before being betrayed by his troops and executed. He left two children, Francisco and Inés, by another Inca noblewoman, Inquill Tupac.

Francisco Pizarro González (March 16, 1478 - June 26, 1541), known by the Incas as ''Apu'' ("lord") and ''Machu Capitán'' ("The Old Captain"), was the Spanish conquistador that kickstarted and roughly finished the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire. He was a relative to fellow conquistador UsefulNotes/HernanCortez, from which he learned the art of capturing indigenous emperors and assimilating their rich domains to the Spanish Empire, although Pizarro never managed to come close to match him in relevance in modern pop culture (possibly for the better). Pizarro is, however, better known than his own [[FriendTurnedRival sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro, whose followers murdered him.

A well-connected explorer, who had participated in the expedition that named the Pacific Ocean and would later promote himself the one that named the Amazonas river, Pizarro was actually the head of a whole clan of conquistadores, four half-brothers (Francisco was a bastard himself), who accompanied him in his conquests. We will mention them there because people tend to confuse them.

* Hernando Pizarro y Vargas (1504-1580): Francisco's older half-brother, arguably his [[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]. Although usually loyal, siding with Francisco against those who wanted Inca emperor Atahualpa dead, he was more impulsive and strongheaded. He served as Francisco's champion in the conquistador wars of Peru, in which he ultimately got Almagro executed against the wishes of Francisco. He was the only of the clan to die of old age.
* Gonzalo Pizarro Alonso (1510-1548): the most ambitious of the family, for good and bad. He had a distinguised military career and famously teamed up with Francisco de Orellana in his expedition to the Amazonas (although it didn't end so well). Infamously, however, he revolted against the Hispanic Monarchy when the ''encomienda'' system was threatened with abolition, during which he was betrayed by his troops and executed.

Pizarro married Atahualpa's sister Quispe Sisa, giving birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui. Their relationship later turned sour on suspicions of court intrigues, so he later married another noblewoman, Cuxirimay, who gave birth to Francisco Jr. and Juan.

* He appears in Creator/IsabelAllende's 2006 novel ''Inés del alma mía''. In the TV adaptation, he is played by Francesc Orella.
* He is also the BigBad of the 2008 miniseries ''Gabriel, amor inmortal'', played by José Luis Rodríguez.
* Jack Sparrow claims to love Pizarro's bakery (MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext) in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd''.

Pizarro married Atahualpa's daughter Inés, giving birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui.

Pizarro married Atahualpa's daughter Inés, giving birth to the first mestiza of the Inca lands, Francisca Pizarro Yupanqui.

Francisco Pizarro González (March 16, 1478 - June 26, 1541), known by the Incas as ''Apu'' ("lord") and ''Machu Capitán'' ("The Old Captain"), was the Spanish conquistador that kickstarted and roughly finished the UsefulNotes/SpanishConquestOfTheIncaEmpire. He was a relative to fellow conquistador UsefulNotes/HernanCortez, from which he learned the art of capturing indigenous emperors and assimilating their rich domains to the Spanish Empire, although Pizarro never managed to come close to match him in relevance in modern pop culture (possibly for the better). Pizarro is, however, better known than his own [[FriendTurnedRival|sidekick turned rival]], Diego de Almagro.

* Juan Pizarro Alonso (1511-1536): Gonzalo's blood brother, and the least remarkable of the four. He served most of his life as a captain and was killed in action during the Siege of Lima.