Pizarro brothers

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The Pizarro brothers were Spanish conquistadors who came to Peru in 1532.

The four brothers were:

All of these brothers played a major part in the capture and rule of Peru, for however short a time it was. After Diego de Almagro returned from Chile on a fruitless gold-seeking expedition, he found that Hernando and his brothers were in control of Cuzco. As he had not yet obtained any credits for having been Francisco Pizarro's main partner in discovering Peru, he started to claim Cuzco as part of his share. Almagro fought the Pizarros, and captured Hernando in 1537, taking official possession of the city. Hernando was eventually released, however, and in 1538 he and Gonzalo returned with an army to confront Almagro. In the ensuing Battle of Las Salinas, the Pizarros won a decisive victory, capturing Almagro and the city.

In the fallout of the execution of Almagro later that year, and the general disorder caused by the Spanish infighting, in 1539 Hernando was again sent back to Spain, in an attempt to leverage his contacts in favor of the Pizarros. Their perceived treachery was too great, however, and despite Hernando's bribery, he was imprisoned for the next twenty years. He left prison in 1560 and generally dropped out of sight, reportedly dying at the age of 100.

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