Francisco Pizarro was born poor in 1478 in Trujillo, Spain and had little formal education. As a young man, he worked herding pigs and later moved to the West Indies. In 1527, Pizarro led an expedition to South America where he waged war against the Inca Empire, capturing the Inca king. The Incas gave Pizarro gold and silver to release their king, but Pizarro killed the king anyway and established control over the Inca territory in Peru, making Spain the most powerful country in the world. Pizarro was later murdered in 1541 by the son of the Inca king.