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Montezuma[montesOO´mA] Pronunciation Key or Moctezuma[mok–] Pronunciation Key, 1480?–1520, Aztec emperor (c.1502–1520). He is sometimes called Montezuma II to distinguish him from Montezuma I (ruled 1440–69), who carried on conquests around TenochtitlAn. His reign was marked by incessant warfare, and his despotic rule caused grave unrest. When HernAn CortEs arrived in Mexico he was thus able to gain native allies, notably in the province of the Tlaxcala. Montezuma, believing the Spanish to be descendants of the god Quetzalcoatl, tried to persuade them to leave by offering rich gifts. That failing, he received them in his splendid court at TenochtitlAn in Nov., 1519. CortEs later seized him as a hostage and attempted to govern through him. In June, 1520, the Aztec rose against the Spanish. Montezuma was killed, although whether by the Spanish or the Aztec is not certain. His successor died a few months later and was replaced by CuauhtEmoc. Montezuma's name is linked by a legend to fabulous treasures that the Spanish appropriated and presumably lost at sea.
See H. Thomas, Conquest: Montezuma, CortEs, and the Fall of Old Mexico (1994).
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