Hernando de Soto died of fever in 1542 and was buried in the Mississippi River

February 07, 2026General

Source: The Round Table Chronicles - Ep. 5 by Institute for Natural Philosophy

Hernando de Soto died of fever on 21 May 1542 near the Mississippi River. His comrades buried him at night in the river, weighting his body with stones so it would remain submerged.

The video argues that his own men poisoned de Soto and threw him into the Mississippi as a murder. Historical accounts instead describe a protective nighttime burial and identify fever as the cause of death. De Soto brought a large, well-equipped force to North America in 1539 to conquer, settle, and search for gold, but hunger, disease, and conflict caused devastating losses. The accounts do not establish a mutiny driven by financial losses.

Key facts

De Soto died of fever on 21 May 1542 near the Mississippi River.
His comrades buried him at night in the Mississippi River, weighting his body with stones so it would remain submerged.
His large, well-equipped 1539 expedition was intended to conquer, settle, and search for wealth, including gold.
Hunger, disease, and conflict caused severe losses, but the cited accounts do not establish that financial losses triggered a mutiny by his crew.
The video argues that de Soto's men poisoned him; the cited accounts instead identify fever as the cause of death and describe a protective burial.

Sources

Burial of DeSoto - Architect of the Capitolaoc.gov

... Mexico. To protect his body from enemies, his men buried him at night in the Mississippi River, which he had been the first European to discover. (1542)

[PDF] Hernando de Soto - Georgia Historical Societygeorgiahistory.com

They also used them to haul heavy loads attached to carts and in battle against their enemies. ... Members of the expedition buried him in the Mississippi River.

Burial of DeSoto - U.S. Capitol - Visitor Centervisitthecapitol.gov

To protect his body from enemies, his men buried him at night in the Mississippi River, which he had been the first European to discover. (1542). Image 1 of ...

Ben's Report on Hernando de Soto - myokexilelitmyokexilelit.wordpress.com

When Hernando de Soto died, his crew wrapped his body in blankets weighted ... Mississippi River so his enemies would not know he was dead. His ...

The Passion of Hernando De Soto - AMERICAN HERITAGEamericanheritage.com

... in fighting trim and easily defeated their enemy. Moscoso was demoted for ... in later years his enemies in Spain would use to discredit his memory. At ...

Hernando de Sotoen.wikipedia.org

Burial of de Soto De Soto died of a fever on 21 May 1542, in the native village of Guachoya. Historical sources disagree as to whether de Soto died near ...

Hernando de Soto | Biography, Conquistador, & Explorerbritannica.com

De Soto died in Louisiana in 1542 and was buried in the Mississippi River. died in Louisiana in 1542, and his comrades buried his body in the Mississippi River ...

Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto dies in American ...history.com

his men buried his body in the Mississippi River. de Soto died of a fever on its banks on May 21, 1542.

Was this story useful?

← All stories