French Florida facts for kids
French Florida was a part of North America that French settlers tried to claim between 1562 and 1565. It was located in what we now call Florida and South Carolina.
These settlers were mostly French Huguenots. Huguenots were French Protestants who faced difficulties in their home country because of their religion. They wanted to find a safe place to live freely.
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Why French Florida Started
The idea for French Florida came from a French leader named Gaspard de Coligny. He was an Admiral of France and a Huguenot. He wanted to create new settlements in the New World (the Americas) where Protestants could live without fear.
France had tried to set up a colony in Brazil before this, called France Antarctique. French Florida was their next big attempt.
First Attempts to Settle
In 1562, a French explorer named Jean Ribault landed in Florida. Later that year, another explorer, René Goulaine de Laudonnière, also arrived. They traveled north and built a small fort called Charlesfort on Parris Island, South Carolina.
Life at Charlesfort was very hard. The settlers faced many problems and had disagreements among themselves. Because of these difficulties, most of the colonists left Charlesfort the next year and sailed back to France. Only one person stayed behind.
Building Fort Caroline
In 1564, René Goulaine de Laudonnière returned from France. This time, his goal was to build a stronger settlement. He established Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville. This fort was meant to be a more permanent home for the French settlers.
The End of French Florida
The French settlement did not last long. In 1565, the Spanish attacked Fort Caroline. The Spanish were also trying to claim lands in this area, and they did not want the French there.
The Spanish captured Fort Caroline. Many Huguenot settlers either ran away into the wild lands or were killed in a terrible event known as the massacre at Matanzas Inlet. This attack effectively ended French Florida.
French Revenge
A few years later, in 1568, a French captain named Dominique de Gourgues explored the area. He wanted to get revenge for the Spanish attack. With the help of his friends, the Saturiwa Native Americans, he attacked the Spanish soldiers who were stationed there. He defeated them in retaliation for the earlier massacre. However, he did not try to build a new French colony after this victory.
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Floride françoise ("French Florida"), by Pierre du Val, 17th century
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Exploration of Florida by Ribault and Laudonniere, 1564, by Le Moyne de Morgues.
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Athore, son of the Timucuan king Saturiwa, showing Laudonnière the monument placed by Jean Ribault in 1562.
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Foundation of Fort Caroline.
See also
In Spanish: Florida francesa para niños
