The illegitimate son of a Spanish captain, he lived for 50 years as an unimportant soldier never learning to read or write. In November of 1532, Pizarro invaded the city of Cajamarca with less then 200 men, where the Inca leader Atahuapla was celebrating his victory over his brother, Huáscar, in the Inca Civil War. Pizarro took Atahuapla hostage. Despite having paid a large ransom to spare his life, Atahuapla was killed in 1533. Pizarro then conquered Cuzco, another important Inca city, and founded the city of Lima, now the capital of Peru. He promoted Catholic Christianity and tried to hold all land he conquered in the name of Spain. Pizarro was assassinated on June 26, 1541 by supporters of rival Spanish conquistadors. He failed to conquer the whole of the Incan Empire but he weakened it enough for those Spanish soldiers after him to finish what he started.