Diego de Almagro

Diego de Almagro (1475-1538), Spanish soldier and adventurer, born in Almagro, near Ciudad Real. He went to the New World in 1514, and settled in Panama City five years later. In 1524 he formed a partnership with the Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro to explore and conquer the region on the coast of the Pacific Ocean south of Panama, which was reported to hold deposits of gold. In their first two expeditions (1524-1525 and 1526-1528), although beset by great hardships, they learned of the wealth of the Inca Empire. In 1529 Pizarro was granted authority by the Holy Roman emperor Charles V to conquer and rule Peru, and in 1533 the partners completed the conquest of the country. In 1535 Charles V appointed Almagro governor of New Toledo, an area lying south of Pizarro's grant and including the northern portion of present-day Chile. After invading and subjugating his lands in 1535-1536, Almagro claimed that Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital, lay within his region and entered the city as the legitimate governor. Consequently, a civil war broke out between the followers of Almagro and those of Pizarro. Attempts to negotiate a peaceful settlement were unsuccessful, and in 1538 Almagro was defeated and executed on Pizarro's orders.