Diego de Almagro II

Diego de Almagro II
Name	Diego de Almagro II
Birth date	c. 1520
Death date	1538
Nationality	Spanish
Other names	"El Mozo"
Known for	Participation in the aftermath of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire

Diego de Almagro II (c. 1520–1538), nicknamed "El Mozo", was a Spanish-born conquistador and the son of Diego de Almagro (the Elder). He became a leading figure of the Almagrist faction during the turbulent disputes following the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire and is chiefly remembered for his role in the murder of Francisco Pizarro and the ensuing civil conflicts among Spanish colonial elites. His short life intersected with major actors and events of early Viceroyalty of Peru politics, including the Battle of Las Salinas, the Battle of Chupas, and the interventions of the Royal Audiencia of Lima.

Early life and family

Born in Castile around 1520 to Diego de Almagro (the Elder) and an unnamed mother linked to the Galicia or Castile and León regions, El Mozo grew up in the shadow of his father's expeditions. His familial network connected him to notable figures such as María de Paredes through contemporary kinship patterns, and his lineage tied him to the factional disputes that involved Hernando Pizarro, Gonzalo Pizarro, and Pedro Pizarro. As heir to his father's contested claims, he inherited ambitions and grievances related to the Governorate of New Castile and the contested rights over the southern zones including Cuzco and Charcas.

Role in the Spanish conquest of Peru

Although too young to be a principal actor during the initial expeditions of Francisco Pizarro and Almagro the Elder, El Mozo's career was shaped directly by the outcomes of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire and the fractious reparto of spoils after the fall of the Inca Empire. He associated with military and administrative leaders such as Hernando de Soto, Cristóbal Vaca de Castro, and Alonso de Alvarado while navigating the legal frameworks established by the Casa de Contratación and the decisions of the Council of the Indies. His claims referenced royal grants like the Capitulación and contested adjudications by the Real Audiencia of Panama and later the Real Audiencia of Lima.

Conflict with Francisco Pizarro and the Almagrist faction

El Mozo emerged as a central figure in the persistent rivalry between the Almagrist faction and the Pizarro brothers—Francisco Pizarro, Hernando Pizarro, and Gonzalo Pizarro. The conflict followed setbacks such as the Battle of Las Salinas (1538) where Almagro the Elder was defeated by forces loyal to Pizarro, an event involving commanders like Alonso de Alvarado and political actors including Viceroy Blasco Núñez Vela in broader imperial contests. El Mozo and his supporters allied with provincial leaders in Cuzco, networking with city magistrates, encomenderos, and military captains such as Cristóbal de Molina to press claims arising from disputed titles to Provincia de Charcas and other territories. The factional struggle also drew in royal representatives like Pedro de la Gasca and legal instruments including writs and remittances to the King of Spain.

Assassination of Francisco Pizarro

In June 1541 El Mozo played a decisive role in the events that culminated in the killing of Francisco Pizarro in Lima. The plot involved conspirators from the Almagrist circle and disaffected soldiers and officials, including figures tied to the municipal councils and military garrisons of Lima and Cuzco, and implicated associates such as Juan de Rada and other lesser-known captains. The assassination followed mounting tensions after Pizarro's arrests of Almagrist partisans and the intervention of the Royal Audiencia of Lima, as well as public demonstrations involving urban notables. The killing of Pizarro reverberated through imperial channels, prompting swift responses from colonial and metropolitan authorities including communications to the Council of the Indies and appeals to the Spanish Crown.

Capture, trial, and execution

Following the assassination, colonial order fragmented as royalists and Almagrist sympathizers clashed in skirmishes across the highlands and coastal settlements, including engagements connected to the Battle of Chupas and subsequent maneuvers by commanders loyal to the Pizarro faction and the Crown. El Mozo was captured by forces aligned with Hernando Pizarro and Pedro de la Gasca after a series of arrests orchestrated by officials of the Real Audiencia of Lima. His trial was conducted under the jurisdictional procedures influenced by the Council of the Indies and the Spanish Inquisition's shadow on colonial jurisprudence, with sentencing carried out amidst the political pressures exerted by envoys such as Viceroy Blasco Núñez Vela and magistrates of the Audiencia. He was executed in 1538 (some accounts note 1541–1542 timelines in contemporaneous chronicles) by authorities seeking to reassert royal authority and to punish regicide and sedition, actions recorded by chroniclers like Pedro Cieza de León, Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.

Legacy and historical assessment

The figure of El Mozo has been debated by historians including William H. Prescott, John Hemming, Hugh Thomas, and Alan K. Craig as emblematic of the internecine violence that followed the Spanish colonization of the Americas. His actions are analyzed in studies of colonial governance by scholars citing archives in Seville, Madrid, and Lima, and discussed in works on encomienda disputes, factionalism, and early colonial law. Chroniclers such as Agustín de Zárate and Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa provide primary narratives that contrast with later interpretations by Julio C. Tello and modern researchers at institutions like the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and the Real Academia de la Historia. El Mozo's assassination of Pizarro influenced subsequent royal reforms, including policies promoted by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and administrative adjustments enforced by the Council of the Indies, shaping the consolidation of the Viceroyalty of Peru and the legal precedents surrounding rebellion, regicide, and colonial succession.

Category:16th-century Spanish people Category:Spanish conquistadors Category:People executed by Spain