Jean Ribault facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Ribault
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| Born | 1520 |
| Died | October 12, 1565 (aged 44–45) |
| Occupation | Naval officer, explorer |
Jean Ribault (pronounced Ree-boh) was a French naval officer and explorer. He lived from 1520 to 1565. He played a big part in France's efforts to set up colonies in what is now the southeastern United States.
Ribault was a Huguenot, which means he was a French Protestant. He worked for Admiral Gaspard de Coligny. In 1562, Ribault led a trip to the New World. His group started a small fort called Charlesfort. This fort was on Parris Island in modern-day South Carolina.
Later, in 1564, he took charge of another French colony. This was Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. Sadly, Ribault and many of his people were killed by Spanish soldiers. This happened near St. Augustine.
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Jean Ribault's Early Life and First Trip
Ribault was born in 1520 in Dieppe, a town in France. He joined the French navy. His commander was Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, a fellow Huguenot. In 1562, Coligny chose Ribault to lead a trip to the New World. The goal was to start a new colony.
Ribault left France on February 18 with 150 colonists. They sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. He explored the mouth of the St. Johns River in modern-day Jacksonville, Florida. He named it the "River May" because he found it in May. Ribault put up a stone column to claim the land for France.
His fleet then sailed north, mapping more of the coast. They found several rivers. Finally, they reached the Port Royal Sound in South Carolina. Ribault decided to build a settlement there. It was on Parris Island, one of the Sea Islands.
Ribault helped plan a small fort. It was named Charlesfort to honor the French king, Charles IX. Ribault left 27 men at the fort. He put Albert de la Pierria in charge. Then, Ribault sailed back to France.
Ribault planned to get supplies for Charlesfort. He wanted to return by the end of the year. But when he got to France, a war had started. This was the French Wars of Religion. It was between the Catholic majority and the Protestant Huguenots. Ribault helped the Huguenots in Dieppe. But he had to escape to England when the city was taken.
While in England, he met Queen Elizabeth I. He found people to support his plan to settle in America. Even though he was welcomed, he was soon arrested. He was held in the Tower of London as a spy. During his time in England, Ribault wrote about his voyage. This writing only exists in an English translation today.
In 1563, the Peace of Amboise ended the war. This allowed Admiral Coligny to focus on a new trip to North America. He chose Ribault's former officer, René Goulaine de Laudonnière, to lead the next effort.
Meanwhile, Charlesfort was in trouble. A fire destroyed most of their supplies. Captain Albert de la Pierria was very strict. His soldiers mutinied, removed him, and killed him. The remaining survivors decided to build a simple boat. They tried to sail back to France. The trip was very hard. Most of them died before they reached the English coast, where they were rescued. News of this reached France just before Laudonnière started his own trip.
Jean Ribault's Second Voyage
Laudonnière sailed on April 22, 1564. He arrived in Florida two months later. The plan was for Ribault to follow him in Spring 1565. Ribault would bring more people and fresh supplies. Charlesfort was now empty. So, the new group decided to build a colony on the St. Johns River. This was the same area Ribault had explored before. They named the new settlement Fort Caroline.
Fort Caroline survived for the next year. But Ribault was caught up in a new war in France. He could not sail at the planned time. Because of this, the colony had little food. Conditions got worse. Some soldiers rebelled and became pirates. They attacked Spanish ships in the Caribbean. Things got even harder when they clashed with the Utina. This was a Timucua Indian tribe living up the river.
Ribault finally got his fleet ready in the summer of 1565. He left France with 800 new settlers and five ships. He arrived in Florida on August 28. Laudonnière was just about to sail home because of the problems. Ribault quickly took over as governor of Fort Caroline.
At the same time, the Spanish had been planning. They had long claimed Florida. They wanted to find and remove the French from Fort Caroline. In early September, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés arrived. He was the new leader of Florida. He found Ribault's ships anchored near the River of May. After a short fight, the French ships cut their ropes and escaped. Menéndez went to the next inlet south. He landed his men on September 7. There, he started the settlement of St. Augustine.
A Terrible Disaster
The Spanish quickly built defenses around a Timucua Indian village. This was at their new settlement. They started unloading their ships. Before all supplies were offloaded, Menéndez sent his main ship, San Pelayo, away. It was too big to enter the St. Augustine Inlet. Menéndez expected an attack from Ribault.
Jean Ribault did attack just hours later. He almost captured Menéndez, who was on a smaller boat. But the Spaniard risked crossing the sandbar. He made it into the harbor. The French ships were also too big to cross the inlet. So, Ribault took his fleet south to chase San Pelayo. Then, a hurricane hit on September 11. It drove his ships further south. They were destroyed on the Canaveral coast.
Menéndez thought most French soldiers were on Ribault's ships. This would leave Fort Caroline unprotected. So, he ordered his soldiers to march 40 miles north to Fort Caroline. They marched during the hurricane. On September 20, the Spanish captured the lightly defended French settlement. 140 men were killed right away. The King of Spain saw the French Protestants as dangerous pirates. He believed they were trespassing on Spanish land. Only about 60 women and children were saved. René Laudonnière and about 40 others escaped. They eventually returned to Europe to tell their story.
The same hurricane that helped Menéndez reach Fort Caroline destroyed all of Ribault's fleet. It pushed them onto the beach many miles south of their target. Several hundred soldiers and sailors barely made it ashore alive. They then walked from near modern-day Daytona Beach to Matanzas Inlet. This was 14 miles south of St. Augustine.
Menéndez and a small group of Spanish soldiers soon found the stranded sailors. Ribault believed his hungry men would be fed and treated well. He allowed himself to be tricked into surrendering. In groups of ten, the Frenchmen were rowed across to the mainland. Their hands were tied behind their backs. The King of Spain had given clear orders. The prisoners were asked if they were Catholic. Those who were not were marched behind a sand dune. They were then killed by Menéndez's Spanish soldiers. Only a few Catholics, young musicians, and ship's boys were spared.
A few days later, a smaller group of Frenchmen surrendered. They were also killed. This time, a few Frenchmen were suspicious. They chose to take their chances with the Native Americans instead. In total, Ribault and about 350 of his men died in these two massacres. The place where this happened is still called "Matanzas" today. This is the Spanish word for "slaughters." Menéndez had followed his orders to remove the French.
In 1568, a French nobleman named Dominique de Gourgues got revenge for Ribault. He and 200 men attacked the Spanish-held Fort Caroline. They made the soldiers surrender. Then, they killed all the defenders.
Jean Ribault's Legacy
In 2018, the shipwreck of Ribault's main ship, La Trinité, was found. It was off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Many places in Jacksonville are named after Ribault. These include Jean Ribault Middle School and Jean Ribault High School. There is also the Ribault Club on Fort George Island. A small river that flows into the Trout River is called the Ribault River. Several streets near the river are also named after him. The Mayport Ferry Service boat is called the Jean Ribault.
In Beaufort and nearby Port Royal, SC, Ribaut Road is a main street. It is part of US 21 and passes near the Charlesfort site. Ribault was also featured in TV shows. These include "Conquest of the Southeast" (2005) on The History Channel. He was also in "Secrets of Spanish Florida" (2017) on PBS.
Images for kids
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Monument of French Exploration of Florida. It says: "Jean Ribault and a party of Huguenots landed the morning of May 1, 1582 on this island. Here they knelt in prayer, beseeching God's guidance and commending the natives to his care. This was the first Protestant prayer in North America."
See also
In Spanish: Jean Ribault para niños
