Bentor ( 1463 – February 1495), sometimes also called Ventor, Bentore, Benytomo, or Bentorey, was the last mencey or king of Taoro from November 1494 until his suicide in February 1495. A native

Guanche Guanche may refer to: *Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands *Guanche language, an extinct Berber language, spoken by the Guanches until the 16th or 17th century *''Conus guanche ''Conus guanche'' is a species of sea snail, a ma ...

prince in the Canary Islands during the second half of the 15th century, Bentor was the eldest grandson (in some sources, son) of

Bencomo Bencomo (; 1438 – 1495) was the penultimate ''mencey'' or king of Taoro, a Guanche ''menceyato'' on the island of Tenerife. He fought in the First Battle of Acentejo, a victory for the Guanches against the invading Castilians, after having refu ...

, the penultimate mencey (or king) of Taoro. Taoro was one of nine menceyatos, or kingdoms, on the island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

in the Canary Islands before the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

conquest of the islands. Bentor's mother was probably named Hañagua, although this is unclear. He succeeded his grandfather as mencey upon his father's death in November 1494, and led the kingdom until his own death by suicide four months later, in February 1495. Bentor had five siblings: one sister ( Dácil) and four brothers (Ruiman, Rosalva, Chachiñama, and Tiñate).

Biography

Bentor was born in about 1463, in Tenerife to Adjona. Bentor, then the Crown Prince, participated in many battles against the invading Spanish in 1495 alongside his father Bencomo, Mencey of Taoro. Bencomo was killed during the

Battle of Aguere The Battle of Aguere, or Battle of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, was fought between forces of the Crown of Castile, led by the Adelantado (military governor) Alonso Fernández de Lugo, and the natives of Tenerife, called Guanches. The battle took pl ...

in November 1495, and Bentor, being the eldest son, was chosen as his successor. His uncles,

Tinguaro Tinguaro (or Chimechia) (died December 1495) was a Guanche ''sigoñe'' (warrior) of Tenerife, also known as Achimenchia Tinguaro. He was in charge of the area known as Acentejo. Half-brother of the ''mencey'' (king) Bencomo, Tinguaro led the Guan ...

and Adjona, may also have participated in the battle, however, Adjona, unlike Tinguaro, did not perish, and lived on until 1507. Shortly after the Battle of Aguere, Alonso Fernandez de Lugo sent

Fernando Guanarteme Fernando Guanarteme (born Tenesor Semidan) was a Guanche ally of the Spaniards who assisted them in their conquest of the Canary Islands during the late fifteenth century. He was originally from Gran Canaria. He traveled several times to the cour ...

to negotiate with Bentor, but he refused to hand over the territory. Memoria bentor

Death and legacy

Following the disastrous

Second Battle of Acentejo The Second Battle of Acentejo was a battle that took place on 25 December 1494 between the invading Spanish forces and the natives of the island of Tenerife, known as Guanches. The battle had been preceded by the Battle of Aguere, fought on 14-15 N ...

which occurred in December 1494, the Guanche forces were severely decimated. The forces took refuge on the slope of Mount Tigaiga after the battle. It was here that Bentor committed suicide, in February 1495, by jumping off of the hill and tumbling down the mountainside (it was seen as a way to keep one's honor instead of surrendering). As a consequence, the Guanche resistance completely collapsed and the remaining menceys surrendered in the Peace of Los Realejos. The Canary Islands are now a Spanish

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

. The Hotel Rural Bentor on the island of Tenerife is named after him.

References

{{reflist, 30em 1463 births 15th-century Berber people People from Tenerife History of the Canary Islands Guanche Guanche people 1496 deaths

Biography

Death and legacy

See also

References