Synopses & Reviews
The unparalleled history of the fall of Old Mexico.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Drawing on newly discovered sources and writing with brilliance, drama, and profound historical insight, Hugh Thomas presents an engrossing narrative of one of the most significant events of Western history.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ringing with the fury of two great empires locked in an epic battle, andlt;iandgt;Conquestandlt;/iandgt; captures in extraordinary detail the Mexican and Spanish civilizations and offers unprecedented in-depth portraits of the legendary opponents, Montezuma and Cortand#233;s. andlt;iandgt;Conquestandlt;/iandgt; is an essential work of history from one of our most gifted historians.
Review
Wendy Smith andlt;Iandgt;Chicago Sun-Timesandlt;/Iandgt; Thomas does full justice to a titanic subject in his vigorous narrative, which contains enough heroism, cruelty and pathos for ten Greek tragedies.
Review
Edward Schumacher andlt;Iandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/Iandgt; A fascinating work that will surely go down as a defining book on the era and one of the best and most readable nonfiction books of the year.
Review
Alfred MacAdam andlt;Iandgt;Newsday Conquestandlt;/Iandgt; makes such exciting reading one forgets that these things actually happened. Hugh Thomas documents characters and events in as much detail as humanly conceivable....Monumental.
Review
Thomas Christensen andlt;Iandgt;San Francisco Chronicleandlt;/Iandgt; Thomas balances writerly skill, exhaustive research, and scholarly documentation to make his book as useful as possible to both general and more involved readers....Essential.
Review
Christopher Lehmann-Haupt andlt;Iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; So dramatic is the account in Mr. Thomas's telling, that...you almost don't want to give the story away....Compelling recounted.
Review
Wendy Smith
Chicago Sun-Times
Thomas does full justice to a titanic subject in his vigorous narrative, which contains enough heroism, cruelty and pathos for ten Greek tragedies.
Synopsis
Drawing on newly discovered sources and writing with brilliance, drama, and profound historical insight, Hugh Thomas presents an engrossing narrative of one of the most significant events of Western history.
Ringing with the fury of two great empires locked in an epic battle, Conquest captures in extraordinary detail the Mexican and Spanish civilizations and offers unprecedented in-depth portraits of the legendary opponents, Montezuma and Cortes. Conquest is an essential work of history from one of our most gifted historians.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 774-793) and index.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Hugh Thomasandlt;/Bandgt; is the author of andlt;Iandgt;The Spanish Civil Warandlt;/Iandgt; and other works, both nonfiction and fiction. He lives in London, England.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ILLUSTRATIONSandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;PREFACEandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;NOTESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Iandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ANCIENT MEXICOandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;1 Harmony and orderandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2 Palace of the white sedgesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3 I see misfortune comeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4 Not with love but with fearandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;IIandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;SPAIN OF THE GOLDEN AGEandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;5 The golden years beginandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;6 The Pope must have been drunkandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;7 Better lands have never been discoveredandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;8 What I saw was so splendidandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;9 A great Lord born in brocadeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;10 Sweating, hunger and hard workandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;IIIandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;TO KNOW THE SECRETS OF THE LANDandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;11 A gentlemanly pirateandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;12 The advantage of having horse and cannonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;13 As much as where Solomon took the gold for the templeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;14 A dragon's head for a "Florentine" glassandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;15 They received him with trumpetsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;16 If I continue, shall I win?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;17 To leave none of us aliveandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;18 This cruelty restored orderandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;19 Another new world of great cities and towersandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;IVandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;CORTand#201;S AND MONTEZUMAandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;20 An image of Quetzalcoatlandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;21 Bees and spiders make works of artandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;22 Something must be done for the Lordandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Vandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;CORTand#201;S' PLANS UNDONEandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;23 The King, our lord, is more King than other Kingsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;24 A voice very deep and hoarse as if it came from a vaultandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;25 To cut off Don Hernando's earsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;26 The blood of the chieftains ran like waterandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;27 As a song you were born, Montezumaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;28 Fortune spins her wheelandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;VIandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;THE SPANISH RECOVERYandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;29 The sweetness of death by the obsidian knifeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;30 It was convenient to impose the said punishmentandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;31 My principal intention and motive in making this warandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;32 They were all lordsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;VIIandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;THE BATTLE FOR TENOCHTITLANandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;33 Remember the bold heartsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;34 A great harvest of captivesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;35 Such mad dogsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;VIIIandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;AFTERMATHandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;36 The general exodusandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;37 The songs and voices scarcely ceasedandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;38 The clause in Adam's will which excludes Franceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;39 An absolute monarchandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;EPILOGUEandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;GLOSSARYandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;APPENDICESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;I The population of old Mexicoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;II A summary of Montezuma's tributeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;III Mexican calendarsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;IV Spanish money andlt;Iandgt;c.andlt;/Iandgt; 1520andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;V Cortand#233;s' ladiesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;GENEALOGIESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;I The emperors of Mexicoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;II The Spanish and imperial royal familiesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;III Cortand#233;s and his relationsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;IV The transformation of the Mexican royal familyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;V Cortand#233;s' arrival in the nobilityandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;UNPUBLISHED DOCUMENTSandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;1 Cortand#233;s' father Martand#237;n Cortand#233;s in Medelland#237;nandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2 Cortand#233;s' grandfather Diego Alfon Altamiranoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3 Cortand#233;s' journey to America, 1506andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4 A letter from Cortand#233;s in Mexico, 6 July 1519andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;5 Montezuma's concession of power, 1520andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;6 New evidence about the death of Catalinaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;7 Cortand#233;s, art and loyaltyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;8 Diego Veland#225;zquez's punishmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;CHAPTER NOTESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;SOURCESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;INDEX