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Hernán Cortés was a notary's clerk in Hispaniola with ambitions to explore and make a name for himself.
In 1521, with six hundred soldiers and a great deal of luck, he toppled the Aztec Empire and claimed Mexico for the Spanish crown.
He was given the title Marqués del Valle de Oaxaca and returned to Spain a legend.
He spent his final years petitioning the king for audiences that were never granted, waiting in antechambers for a court that had moved on to other conquests.
He died in a village outside Seville in 1547, still waiting for his rewards to be properly recognized.
No empire was named for him.
Hernán is dead.