Philipp von Hutten

Background

Hutten was born on December 18, 1505 in Bad Königshofen, Germany. He was a relative of Ulrich von Hutten. He passed some of his early years at the court of the Roman emperor Charles V.

Career

Hutten joined a band of 600 adventurers, under Georg von Speyer, who sailed out to conquer and exploit the province in the family's interest. The party landed at Coro in February 1535 and Hutten accompanied von Speyer on his long and difficult expedition into the interior in search of treasure (El Dorado). Subsequently, Hutten accompanied Speyer on a journey (1536-1538) in which they reached the headwaters of the Japurá River, near the equator. After the death of von Speyer in June, 1540, Hutten became governor (captain-general) of Venezuela in December. He left Coro on 1 August, 1541 with a force of about 150 men, mostly horsemen. He initially followed the path of Speyer, but crossed the Rio Bermejo, and went on with a small group of around 40 men on horseback into Los Llanos. There he engaged in battle with a large number of Omaguas and was severely wounded. In autumn 1544, weakened by hunger and fever, he and his followers who survived returned to Coro. About 100 miles away from the city, he was captured and killed just before Easter, 1546 by the Spaniard Juan de Carvajal. Carvajal had in 1545 been appointed Captain-General of Venezuela by the Audiencia of Santo Domingo and feared the loss of his position upon Hutten's return. Hutten left some letters, and also a narrative of the earlier part (1535 to 1546) of his adventures. The manuscript was brought to Germany, and lay so long in a library that it became almost illegible. It was finally published in the first volume of a collection entitled Literary and Historical Magazine by Meusel (Bayreuth and Leipzig, 1785). It bears the title “News from the Indies from Junker Philipp Hutten” and contains information on the events in which the author took part while giving graphic descriptions of the countries through which he passed.

Achievements

• Hutten was a German adventurer, known as one of the first European explorers of Venezuela. He is a significant figure in the history of Klein-Venedig (1528-1546), the concession of Venezuela Province to the Welser banking family by Charles I. of Spain.

Connections

companion:

Georg von Speyer

References

• Historisch-Litterarisch-Bibliographisches Magazin, 1792, Vol. 5: Errichtet von Einer Gesellschaft Litterarischer Freunde in und Ausser Teutschland (Classic Reprint) (German Edition)
• La luna de Fausto (Spanish Edition)