St. Augustine, FloridaSt. Augustine or Saint Augustine is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish settlers, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in what is now the contiguous United States.
René Goulaine de LaudonnièreRene Goulaine de Laudonnière (French pronunciation:; c. 1529–1574) was a French Huguenot explorer and the founder of the French colony of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, a Huguenot, sent Jean Ribault and Laudonnière to explore potential sites in Florida suitable for settlement by the French Protestants. BiographyLaudonnière was a Huguenot nobleman and merchant mariner from Poitou, France.
Jean RibaultJean Ribault (also spelled Ribaut) (1520 – October 12, 1565) was a French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern United States. He was a major figure in the French attempts to colonize Florida. A Huguenot and officer under Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, Ribault led an expedition to the New World in 1562 that founded the outpost of Charlesfort on Parris Island in present-day South Carolina.
French FloridaFrench Florida (Middle French: Floride françoise; Modern French: Floride française) was a colonial territory established by FrenchHuguenot colonists as part of New France in what is now Florida and South Carolina between 1562 and 1565. French Huguenot leader and Admiral of France Gaspard de Coligny envisaged the establishment of New World colonies as a safe haven for his persecuted Protestant coreligionists.
Timucuan Ecological and Historic PreserveThe Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve is a U.S. National Preserve in Jacksonville, Florida. It comprises 46,000 acres (19,000 ha) of wetlands, waterways, and other habitats in northeastern Duval County. Managed by the National Park Service in cooperation with the City of Jacksonville and Florida State Parks, it includes natural and historic areas such as the Fort Caroline National Memorial and the Kingsley Plantation.
Duval County, FloridaDuval County ( ), officially the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, its population was 995,567, making it the sixth-most populous county in Florida. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968. Duval County was established in 1822 and is named for William Pope Duval, Governor of Florida Territory from 1822 to 1834.
St. Johns RiverLongest river in Florida, United StatesThe St. Johns River (Spanish: Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles (500 km) long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than 30 feet (9 m).
Pedro Menéndez de AvilésPedro Menéndez de Avilés (15 February 1519 – 17 September 1574) was a Spanish admiral, explorer, and conquistador from Avilés, in Asturias, Spain. He is notable for planning the first regular trans-oceanic convoys, which became known as the Spanish treasure fleet, and for founding St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565. This was the first successful European settlement in Spanish Florida and the most significant city in the region for nearly three centuries.
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior. The service manages all national parks; most national monuments; and other natural, historical, and recreational properties, with various title designations. The United States Congress created the agency on August 25, 1916, through the National Park Service Organic Act. Its headquarters is in Washington, D.C., within the main headquarters of the Department of the Interior.
French colonization of the AmericasFrance began colonizing the Americas in the 16th century and continued into the following centuries as it established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France established colonies in much of eastern North America, on several Caribbean islands, and in South America. Most colonies were developed to export products such as fish, rice, sugar, and furs.
Charles IX of FranceHouseValois-AngoulêmeFatherHenry II of FranceMotherCatherine de' MediciReligionCatholicismSignatureCharles IX (Charles Maximilien; 27 June 1550 – 30 May 1574) was King of France from 1560 until his death in 1574. He ascended the French throne upon the death of his brother Francis II in 1560, and as such was the penultimate monarch of the House of Valois. Charles's reign saw the culmination of decades of tension between Protestants and Catholics.
HuguenotsThe Huguenots ( HEW-gə-nots, UK also -nohz; French: [yɡ(ə)no]) are a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term was in common use by around 1550 and may be derived from the name of burgomaster Besançon Hugues, who defended Geneva from Catholic Savoy but then let it fall to Protestantism.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.