Origins
The word conquer began its life as an act of seeking, not seizing.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ It derives from Latin conquΔ«rere β con- meaning 'completely' and quaerere meaning 'to seek' or 'to ask'. A conqueror was originally someone who sought something out β thoroughly, completely, relentlessly.
The Latin root quaerere is one of the most productive in English. From it we get query (a seeking of information), question (a seeking of answers), acquire (to seek and obtain), inquire (to seek into), and require (to seek back). All seekers. All from the same root.
French Influence
The transformation from 'seeking' to 'military conquest' happened in Medieval Latin during the era of the Crusades. When Norman French knights spoke of conquerre, the line between seeking territory and taking it by force had dissolved completely.
William the Conqueror β Guillaume le ConquΓ©rant β took his title from this word. The Spanish conquistadors carried the same root to the Americas. In both cases, the etymology reveals a self-serving narrative: we are not invaders, we are seekers. The word conquer has been doing propaganda for empire since the Middle Ages.