He was recognized by his father, and was legitimized in 1529 by a bull of Pope Clement VII (along with his siblings Catalina and Luis).
He received a first level education and became Knight of the Order of Santiago, the highest status that could be achieved in Spain.
[3] As heirs of Cortés, he and his brother were considered a threat to the vice-regal rule, and they were accused of participating in a plot to overthrow the viceroy.
[4]: 4–12 When Martín was only two years old his mother and father left him in the care of Juan Altamirano, Cortés's cousin, to go on an expedition to Honduras.
[5] During the expedition Malinche was wed to another Spaniard by the name of Juan Jaramillo and never again lived with Martín.
In June 1528, Cortés took Martin on his journey to meet the emperor, Charles V. This proved to be a difficult task however.
[7]: 84 In 1529, Hernán Cortés hired a lawyer to petition Pope Clement VII to legitimize Martín.
After spending time studying at the royal court, Martín became a page under Philip II of Spain in 1537.
[4]: 104 In 1557, Martín Cortés hired a lawyer to sue his brother for certain mines and slaves that were supposedly granted to him by his father 8 years before his death.
[4]: 138–145 In September 1562, after a terrible voyage, Martín Cortés arrived into the port of San Francisco de Campeche.
[11] In March 1566, Brothers Gil and Alonso de Ávila held a party at their home in Mexico.
The Real Hacienda denounced the acts to the Viceroy as a direct attack upon King Philip II, and the conspirators were arrested.
A few days later, the Viceroy Gastón de Peralta intervened directly and released Cortés's three sons.
[4]: 172–179 However, before this could happen, a new viceroy, the Marqués de Falces, arrived in Vera Cruz on November 15, 1567.
[13] After being exiled from his father's land and his birthplace, he joined the forces of Don Juan, who was Charles V's son, in the Rebellion of the Alpujarras sometime between 1569 and 1570.