CORTE-REAL', the name of a noble Portuguese family. In 1500, Gaspard Corte Real landed on the Labrador coast and stole some of the natives, whom lie took to Portugal and sold for slaves. He went. the next year for another cargo, but never returned. Then his brother Miguel set out to find him, and he never returned. Then the king of Portugal sent two ships to find them, but nothing could be learned of their fate. A third brother, Vasco, intended to make a search, but was prevented by the king. The family produced one poet, Jeronymo, who also was a sailor.
COn'TtS is the name given in Spain and Portugal to the assembly of representatives of the nation. As one district of Spain after another was recovered by the Christian princes from the Moors. there arose in each a corporation composed of the different "states" or orders of the population, limiting the power of the princes. From the union of several of these territories were formed the two leading kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, having each its C., representing the clergy, the nobility, and the cities. In Aragon, the C. appointed a judge, el justicia, who decided disputes between the king and his subjects, aiad confined the royal power within constitutional limits. In Castile the rights of the burghers were less extensive than in Aragon, but in both states the king was dependent on the Cortes. After the union of Castile and Aragon under Ferdinand and Isabella, the crown succeeded in making itself less dependent on the C. whose power privileges privilees were gradually encroached upon, until at last they were seldom assembled except to do homage or to sanction an arrangement as to the succession to the throne. After 1713, they did not meet till 1789, on the accession of Charles IV. In 1809, the C., as composed iu 1789, was assembled by the Junta, and framed a new constitution, called the constitution of 1812, which, however, was set aside at the restoration. Endless attempts at restoration and modification of the Spanish C. have since been made, with out any happy result. See SPAIN.
The history of the Portuguese C. is very similar to that of the Spanish. In 1826, Dom Pedro promulgated a new constitution after the model of the French, calling the C. again into life, and abdicating at the same time in favor of his daughter, Maria da Gloria. This constitution was set aside during the usurpation of Dom Miguel, but was finally restored iu 1842.
c0R'TEs, IIEnsAN, the daring conqueror of Mexico, was b. in 1485, at Medellin, a village of Estremadura, Spain. He was educated for the law, but afterwards adopted the profession of arms; and in 1511, distinguished himself under Diego-Velasquez in the expedition against Cuba. In 1518, the conquest of Mexico was intrusted to him by Velasquez, who was then governor of Cuba; but the latter had no sooner granted him the commission than be wished to revoke it, fearful that his dashing and sagacious lieut. would deprive him of all the glory of the enterprise. C., however, maintained his command in defiance of the governor. Never, perhaps, was an enterprise so great undertaken with so little regard for its difficulties and dangers. A force of between 600 and 700 men, only 13 of whom were musketeers, with only 10 field-pieces and two or three smaller pieces of cannon, were all the means at C.'s disposal to effect the conquest of the then extensive empire of Mexico, when, early in 1519, he landed on its shores. Sailing up the river Tabasco, C. captured the town. of that name, the prowess of the Spaniards occasioning great terror to the Tabascans, who made liberal presents to the white men, and volunteered all the information about Mexico in their power. Arriving off the coast of San Juan de Ulloa, C. was here visited by some Mexican chiefs, with
whom lie entered into negotiation regarding a visit to Montezuma, who then ruled with nearly absolute sway over Mexico. Montezuma sent C. rich presents, but objected to his visiting the capital. But C. had resoli-ed upon seeing the emperor in his palace, and was not to be daunted by opposition. Having founded the town of Vera Cruz; and burnt his ships, so that his troops could not return, and must, therefore, conquer or perish, C., with a force reduced to 400 Spaniards on foot and 15 horse, but with a con. siderable number of Indian followers, lent him by dissatisfied chiefs dependent on Montezuma, marched upon the capital. Overcoming the Tlascalans, a brave people, on the way, who after became his firm allies, and taking fearful vengeance on the city of Cholulit, where, by Montezuma's orders, a treacherous attempt was made to massacre, his troops, C. on the 8th Nov., 1519, reached the city of Mexico with his little band, and was received with great pomp by the emperor in person. The Spaniards were regarded as those descendants of the sun who, according to a current prophecy, were to coma from the east and subvert the Aztec empire—a tradition that was worth a good many soldiers to Cortes. An attack on C.'s colony at Vera Cruz by one of Montezuma's gen erals, however, proved the mortality of the Spaniards, and would have been the ruin of them but for the decisiveness of C., who immediately seized the emperor, and carrying him to the Spanish quarter, forced him to surrender the offending general and three other chiefs, whom lie caused to be burnt in front of the palace, and ere long compelled him formally to cede his empire to Spain. One has nothing but astonishment for this man, whose daring acts in the capital city of the empire, containing, it is calculated, 300,000 inhabitants, had nothing but 400 Spaniards, and a few thousand Indians, whom lie had recently conquered, to support them. Mean while Velasquez, enraged at C.'s success. sent an army of about 1000 men, well provided with artillery, to compel his surrender. C. unexpectedly met and overpowered this force, and secured its allegiance. But in his absence the Mexicans had risen in the capital, and C. was finally driven out with much loss. During the disturbance, Montezuma, who was still kept a prisoner, appeared on a terrace with the view of pacifying his people; but he was wounded by a stone, an indignity against his kingly person which he took so much to heart that ho died in a few days. C. now retiree! to Tlascala, to recruit his fatigued and wounded men; and receiviing reinforcements, he speedily subjugated all Anahuac to the e. of tho Mexican valley, and soon marched again on the city of Mexico, which he succeeded in capturing (Aug. 16, 1521) after a siege of four months, ended by a murderous assault of two days. Famine had assisted the Spanish arms, so that of the vast population only about 40,000 remained when the Spaniards entered the city, which lay in ruins, "like some huge churchyard with the corpses disinterred and the tombstones scattered about." Mexico was now completely subjugated, for though some attempts at revolt were after. wards made, they were soon crushed by C., who had been nominated governor and capt. gen. of the country by Charles V. In 1528, C. returned to Spain, to meet some calum• Dies against him, and was received with great distinction. On his return to Mexico in 1530, however, he was divested of his civil rank. At his own expense he fitted out several expeditions, one of which discovered California. In 1540, he came again to Spain, but was coldly received at court, from which he soon retired, and died at Seville, Dec., 1547.