Fort Caroline was the first permanent French colony in North America, located in present-day Jacksonville, Florida. North America The French established colonies across the New World in the 17th century. ... The Jacksonville skyline and the Acosta Bridge. ...

A Huguenot exploratory group led by French naval officer Jean Ribault had landed at the site on the River of May (now the St. Johns River) in February 1562. The exploration had then moved north to Port Royal Sound, established Charlesfort on Parris Island and stayed for a time. Ribault returned to Europe to arrange supplies for the new colony, but was arrested in England due to complications arising from the French Wars of Religion. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France. ... Jean Ribault (1520 - October 12, 1565) was a French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States. ... The St. ... Events Earliest English slave-trading expedition under John Hawkins. ... Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is an 8,500 acre military installation near Beaufort, South Carolina tasked with the training of enlisted Marines. ... The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between the Catholic League and the Huguenots from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598. ...

Without supplies or leadership, and beset by hostility from the native Timucua, most of the colonists followed René Goulaine de Laudonnière south, where they founded Fort Caroline (or Fort de la Caroline) atop St. Johns Bluff on June 22, 1564. The fort was named for the reigning French king Charles IX. The Timucua were a Native American tribe that lived in North Central Florida, mainly around the St. ... Histoire notable de la FlorideRené Goulaine de Laudonnière was the founder of the French colony of Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville, Florida. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... Events March 8 - Naples bans kissing in public under the penalty of death June 22 - Fort Caroline, the first French attempt at colonizing the New World September 10 - The Battle of Kawanakajima Ottoman Turks invade Malta Modern pencil becomes common in England Conquistadors crossed the Pacific Spanish found a colony... Charles IX (June 27, 1550 – May 30, 1574) was born Charles-Maximilien, the son of King Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici. ...

In August, 1565, Ribault returned to Ft. Caroline to take command of the settlement. Upon learning of the Spanish colony of St. Augustine just 35 miles (60 km) to the south, Ribault set out with several ships carrying 200 sailors and 400 soldiers to dislodge the Spanish, but he was surprised at sea by a violent storm lasting several days. Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the governor of Florida for Spain, took advantage of this. Marching his troops overland he surprised the Fort Caroline garrison at dawn on September 20, 1565, which then numbered about 200 to 250 people. The Spaniards attacked them and killed most of the defenders, except for about 50 women and children who were taken prisoner and 26 defenders who managed to escape, including de Laudonnière. As for the men of Ribaut's fleet, several had drowned; the Spanish picked up about 350 survivors (including Ribault) only to put them to the sword, sparing only about 20 (not including Ribault). This massacre put an end to France's attempts at colonization in Florida. Events March 1 - the city of Rio de Janeiro is founded April 27 - Cebu City is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. ... Five flags have flown over St. ... Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles Pedro Menendez de Aviles (born 1519 in Avilés, Spain, dead in Santander on September 17, 1574), was the first Spanish governor of Florida. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... Events March 1 - the city of Rio de Janeiro is founded April 27 - Cebu City is established becoming the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines. ...

The Spanish continued to occupy the fort. In April 1568, Dominique de Gourgues led a French force which attacked and burned the fort. The Spanish rebuilt it, only to permanently abandon it the next year. Events March 23 - Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. ...

Today

The Fort Caroline National Memorial, honoring the history of the settlement, is a unit of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, which is a 46,000 acre (186 km&sup2) educational and ecological center.

External link

• Fort Caroline National Memorial official site
• Fort Caroline shown on an engraving by Jacques Le Moyne [1]