Hernando de Soto was a noteworthy Spanish explorer in the early to mid 1500s. He was born in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain, in the year 1500. As a young adult he attended the University of Salamanca, his tuition was paid by the generous Pedro Arias Dávila. Although his family repeatedly told him that they wanted him to study and become a lawyer, Hernando de Soto had other ideas. He wanted to be an explorer in the West Indies. As if it had been planned, in 1514, Hernando de Soto was invited by Governor Dávila of Dariénto come with him on an expedition to the West Indies. Due to his excellent horseriding skills, Hernando de Soto was appointed the captain of one of the cavalry exploration teams.
After his successful trip to the West Indies,
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He had acquired more than 18,000 ounces of gold (biography.com) 2015. and one year later he married the Daughter of Pedro Arias Dávila, his generous sponsor from many years ago. While in Spain, he was named the governor of Cuba and was given permission to explore Florida (America) by Queen Isabela.
On April 6, 1538, Hernando de Soto departed for Florida. However, he made a last minute stop in Havana to help the people recover from French attacks. On May 18, 1539, Hernando de Soto and his crew finally departed for Florida. On May 25, a mere seven days later, Hernando de Soto finally arrived in what would later become Tampa Bay, Florida. When De Soto arrived, he had brought with him, 13 head of swine. By the time he died three years later, his men had accumulated 700 pigs, not counting those that had been eaten, traded with the Natives, and that had run away (Gillespie 4).
Hernando and his men came to North America searching for gold. Fruitlessly, they scoured the greater portion of the southeast United States. Hernando spent his first north American winter near Tallahassee, Florida. He, then, travelled to Georgia, the Carolina’s, and Tennessee, conquering natives all of the way. When De Soto went to Alabama, he was injured in a fight with the