Francisco Pizarro
~1478–1541 · Spanish (Trujillo, Extremadura) · Age of Discovery / Spanish Conquest
Known for: Conquered the Inca Empire with fewer than 200 soldiers, captured Emperor Atahualpa, and seized the largest ransom in history
Pizarro was an illiterate, illegitimate swineherd who became one of history's most audacious conquerors. He captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca in a surprise ambush despite being vastly outnumbered, then extracted a room full of gold and two rooms of silver as ransom before executing him anyway.
He attempted the conquest three times before succeeding, drawing a famous line in the sand to separate the committed from the cowards. He founded Lima and fought a civil war against his former partner Diego de Almagro. He was assassinated by Almagro's supporters in his own palace.
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