Moctezuma II

c. 1466 – 29 June 1520

Moctezuma II (c. 1466 - 1520) was the ninth huey tlatoani (emperor) of the Aztec Empire, ruling from 1502 until his death. Under his rule the empire reached its greatest territorial extent, and his reign ended with the arrival of Hernán Cortés and the Spanish, who took him captive in Tenochtitlan, where he died in June 1520.

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Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Moctezuma II.

Life events

Born into the Aztec royal dynasty in Tenochtitlan
c. 1466

Moctezuma Xocoyotzin was a son of the emperor Axayacatl and a member of the ruling house of Tenochtitlan.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Educated in the calmecac and rose as a military commander and priest
c. 1480

Trained in the elite schools of Tenochtitlan, he distinguished himself in warfare and religious office before his election.

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Elected huey tlatoani of the Aztec Empire
1502

Following the death of his uncle Ahuitzotl, Moctezuma was chosen as ruler of Tenochtitlan and head of the Triple Alliance.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Centralized power and reinforced social hierarchy at court
c. 1503

Moctezuma replaced many officials of common birth with nobles and heightened the ceremonial distance between the emperor and his subjects.

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Expanded the empire to its greatest territorial extent
c. 1505

Through campaigns in Oaxaca and against neighboring states, his armies pushed Aztec tributary control to its maximum reach, though Tlaxcala remained unconquered.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Received reports of Spanish expeditions on the Gulf coast
1519

His envoys and watchers brought news of European ships and men on the eastern coast, prompting embassies bearing gifts to the newcomers.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Taken captive by the Spanish in his own palace
November 1519

Within weeks of their arrival, Cortés and his men seized Moctezuma and held him as a hostage while ruling through him.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Met Hernán Cortés on the causeway into Tenochtitlan
8 November 1519

Moctezuma formally received Cortés and his expedition, welcoming them into the island capital.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in Tenochtitlan during an uprising against the Spanish
29 June 1520

Moctezuma died in Spanish custody amid the revolt that followed the Toxcatl massacre; Spanish accounts say he was stoned by his own people while indigenous accounts hold the Spanish killed him.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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