While he was gone, the Incas of Peru rebelled and seized the fortress of Cuzco. Almagro went back and stopped the insurrection. He claimed the city for himself and imprisoned Pizarro's brothers, Hernando and Alonso. Pizarro first tried to negotiate a peace settlement, but ended up fighting and defeating Almagro's army, capturing Almagro and putting him to death. Almagro's son, also named Diego, avenged his father's execution by leading an insurrection in which Pizarro was assassinated in 1541.
The power struggle between Pizarro and Almagro for dominance over the rich Incan lands sparked the beginning of more than 17 years of civil wars among the Spanish.
