Esteban de las Alas facts for kids

Esteban de las Alas (died 1577) was a Spanish naval officer. He was a temporary governor of La Florida from 1567 to 1570. He took on this role when the main governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, was away. Esteban de las Alas also served as governor of the Spanish town of Santa Elena. This town was located in what is now South Carolina, and he governed it in 1566 and 1567.

Early Life and Adventures

Esteban de las Alas was the son of Rodrigo de las Alas and María de León. We first know about him being in America in 1561. In 1562, he became a captain general for the New Spain Fleet. This fleet carried gold and silver from what is now Mexico back to Spain.

Esteban was a good friend of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. He joined Menéndez in 1565 to explore and claim Florida for Spain. Esteban even helped pay for the trip himself. He commanded some of the ships and soldiers from the Cantabrian Sea region of Spain. He sold most of his belongings and borrowed money to buy three ships. He also filled them with food, weapons, and supplies.

His ship left Gijon, Spain, on May 25. On the way to the Caribbean, a big storm separated his ship from the rest of the fleet. He found shelter in Yaguana, Hispaniola, with 200 men. From there, he tried to go to Cuba. But on the way, Portuguese boat smugglers captured him. In early 1566, he finally reached Havana. There, he met Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and Pedro Menéndez Márquez, who had thought he was lost.

Exploring Florida and Building Forts

After reuniting with Pedro Menéndez, Esteban de las Alas became his accountant. He explored the southern part of Florida. He also met the Calusa tribe there. Later, he explored northern Florida, reaching what is now Georgia and South Carolina. He was looking for French Huguenots, who were French Protestants.

In these areas, he met the Guale and Orista native peoples. They became friends with the Spanish. This friendship helped the Spanish build Fort San Felipe. This fort was in the land of the Orista chief, on the island where Santa Elena was built. Because of his efforts, Esteban de las Alas became the commander of this new fort.

Leading Santa Elena and Fort San Felipe

After Fort San Felipe was built, a supply ship arrived. Sixty soldiers then rebelled. They captured Esteban de las Alas and his officers. They took the ship with all its supplies and sailed to Havana. When Alas freed himself, he found that many soldiers had left. Only twenty-five soldiers remained with him.

In July 1566, Captain Juan Pardo arrived at Santa Elena. He brought two boats with three hundred soldiers and many supplies. These supplies were for the fort at San Felipe. Until then, the colony had survived only because the native people were generous.

To stop more rebellions, Juan Pardo ordered two mutineers to be hanged. He also arrested three others. At first, there were some disagreements between Captain Pardo and Captain Alas. Their roles were not very clear. But when Menéndez returned, he helped solve these issues. He released the jailed soldiers. To prevent more problems, he made Alas his main helper in the province. He sent Pardo with 150 soldiers to explore inland and teach Christianity to the native peoples.

Historians say that Alas was careful about Pardo's large group of soldiers. He wanted to be sure Pardo was loyal to Menéndez. Pardo showed that he was loyal and respected Alas's authority. The two men worked well together for several years.

Governor of La Florida

In October 1566, while Menéndez was away, Alas was made governor and captain general of La Florida. During his time as governor, he faced many challenges. Spanish soldiers often felt discouraged. They worried about not having enough food or getting their pay late. There were also wars with the native peoples.

For example, a group of soldiers in St. Augustine planned to kill Alas and leave the area. Alas found out about the plan before they could act. He jailed those involved and hanged the main leaders. He then gave the remaining soldiers their pay to make them happier.

In March 1568, Alas heard that 400 native warriors had attacked Fort San Mateo. The commander was wounded. Alas sent Captain Francisco Núñez with fifty soldiers to rebuild the fort's walls. He ordered them to return to St. Augustine when they finished.

In April 1568, a French soldier named Dominique de Gourgues attacked Fort San Mateo. He had help from warriors led by Saturiwa, a powerful native chief. The Spanish soldiers at the fort thought the French force was much larger than it was. They quickly gave up. The French burned the fort and hanged the Spanish prisoners. This was revenge for a previous attack on a French fort.

On Easter morning, a sergeant from San Mateo arrived at St. Augustine. He reported that he had seen a large group of native people and soldiers with arquebuses (old guns) attacking a Spanish outpost. The soldiers at that outpost tried to run away. Only a few escaped.

On April 25, 1569, Pedro Menéndez sent Alas back to La Florida. Alas brought 273 new colonists. He placed 193 of them at Santa Elena and the rest at Saint Augustine. He also helped organize the missions led by Father Juan Rogel.

However, there was a big problem for the Spanish colonists. European crops did not grow well in Florida's warm climate. Also, native peoples often killed their horses and cows. The Spanish people in Florida needed supplies from other places to survive. Menéndez was away for a long time. Also, the "situado," which was money from the government of New Spain, did not arrive. This caused great hardship for the settlers.

Esteban de las Alas, still governor of La Florida, decided to move some people from Santa Elena. This would help those who remained to survive better. He reduced the number of soldiers at the forts in Saint Augustine, San Mateo, San Pedro, and San Felipe. He left fifty men at each fort. At San Felipe, two dozen farmers and their families were also allowed to stay. The forts Menéndez had built in the lands of the Ais and the Calusa were left empty.

In August 1570, Alas was called back from his role as governor of Florida. On August 13, he returned to Spain with 110 Spaniards. They sailed on a ship called Espíritu Santo (Holy Spirit). They arrived in Cadiz, Spain, on October 22. There were questions about why he left Florida. But Alas was later found innocent of any wrongdoing.

Return to the Spanish Army

In 1577, the king made Alas a general in the Royal Army. His job was to find gold in Central America for Spain. He also had to clear the coast of pirates. In April of that year, Alas found two French pirate ships. He attacked them, firing cannons to stop them from escaping. Three Spanish ships arrived later and chased the pirates. Alas stayed behind to meet other ships in his fleet. Then, he sailed to Cartagena de Indias and on to Nombre de Dios, Panama. There, he was supposed to pick up the king's gold to take it to Spain.

On December 30, 1572, Pedro Menéndez appointed Esteban de las Alas as captain of the galleon Santiago el menor. This ship was part of Admiral Diego Florez's fleet. On this ship, Alas traveled to Venezuela, Isla de Margarita, and Santa Marta, Colombia. He carried valuable goods and dealt with pirates. Later, Alas held important jobs in several Latin American cities. In his last years, he was a supplier for the Royal Spanish Navy. He died in Nombre de Dios, Panamá, in 1577.

Family Life

Esteban de las Alas married Ana María de Valdés. They had four children together: Esteban de las Alas el Mozo, Ana Catalina de Miranda, María de Valdés, and Rodrigo de las Alas.

See also

In Spanish: Esteban de las Alas para niños