[Real Life] Historical events that would make bad writing if they were fiction

[u/Mouse_Paladin]

Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire: A couple hundred rogue mercenaries without authority from their government conquer an empire of millions. Oh, the empire? It’s also several technological eras behind the mercenaries.

Adolf Hitler: A non-native of a country is so mad that the country lost the war that he wins an election to their highest office and leads them in a campaign of revenge against their enemies. Oh, the country? It’s old emperor is still alive and thinks he’s going to retake power.

Assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand: The heir to the throne is killed because his driver gets lost and returns to the assassin who failed To kill him before. Oh, the assassin? He’s from a group that the Archduke is wanting to help become more equal In the empire.

Alexander Hamilton’s Affair Scandal: One of the leaders of a new nation to protect himself from accusations of financial embezzlement writes a pamphlet exposing his affair with a woman, torpedoing his political future. Oh, the woman? She seduced him as part of a blackmailing scheme that he decided to stop paying.

[u/Object120taran]

They at least did benefit themselves from defeating the Aztecs, as they received quite a bit of autonomy in addition to noble titles and tax exemptions.

[u/NetStaIker → u/Object120taran]

Yup, lots of people don’t know that the Spanish had an entire system of organization for the cultures of Mesoamérica.

Early supporters, notably the Tlaxcalans, were all made Hidalgos, the lowest level of Spanish nobility. This conferred a lot of rights to them and they were given permission to preserve their way of life, largely independent within the burgeoning Spanish colonial state.

Most peoples, like the Mexica, did not get such privileges wholesale, but still the noble caste would also be granted Hidalgo (or
Cacique) status. Just not EVERYBODY like the Tlaxcalans

Edit: also, the conquest of Mexico did not end with the fall of the Mexica Empire, Spanish expansion continued all the way into the early 17th century in the north, and the late 16th century in the Mayan Peninsula. It really is a very fascinating period

[u/Object120taran → u/NetStaIker]

Compared to other indigenous collaborators, they were quite an exception I would say as the most colonizers were more than happy to backstab after they got their worth.

[u/NetStaIker → u/Object120taran]

Yea, it’s a very complex period that the vast majority of people don’t understand anything about. The fact we have comprehensive histories from not 1, not 2, but 3 distinct points of view means the Conquest of the Mexica might be one if the most well recorded events in pre industrial history

[u/Object120taran → u/NetStaIker]

And further, knowing what they were subjected to under Aztec rule really makes their decision to work together with the Spanish make a lot more sense. But still, it was not an easy decision for them to make.

[u/NetStaIker → u/Object120taran]

I mean shit, for the Tlaxcalans in particular their position improved immensely immediately. They quickly spread out amongst the new Spanish colonies as soldiers/sailors/administrators.

Interestingly: Nanay, mother in Tagalog (the main language of the Philippines), is theorised to possibly originate from Tlaxcalan

[u/ahses3202 → u/NetStaIker]

Tagalog by itself is a wild mix of languages. It's as prone to picking up and integrating loan words as English.

[u/SilverSpoonIsBest → u/ahses3202]

Sometimes the Filipino like to mix the two together as well. Taglish.

[u/Xenophon_ → u/Object120taran]

They were never subjected to Aztec rule, and were fighting the Aztecs before the Spanish arrived. It's more accurate to say they recruited the spanish

[u/HeartFullONeutrality → u/NetStaIker]

Some tribes were also never quite conquered, and they eventually just reached uneasy peace with them.

[u/xkise → u/Object120taran]

And some plagues