Attack on Fort Caroline
- When
- 1565
- Where
- Fort Caroline; River of May / Canaveral coast
- Episodes
- 2
In September 1565, Spanish forces under Pedro Menéndez de Avilés attacked the French settlement of Fort Caroline in Florida. Following a hurricane that scattered Jean Ribault's fleet, Menéndez's troops marched to the fort, captured it, and executed Ribault and several hundred Huguenot settlers.
Episodes
- Ribault Arrival and Menendez Dispatch
Ribault arrived at Fort Caroline in late August 1565 with reinforcements, while Menendez was dispatched from Spain to remove the French outpost.
- Hurricane and March to Fort Caroline
A hurricane destroyed Ribault's fleet on September 11, 1565, prompting Menendez to order his infantry to march 40 miles to Fort Caroline during the storm.
Background and detail
Background. Fort Caroline was established in June 1564 by René Goulaine de Laudonnière under the authority of King Charles IX. Jean Ribault, a Huguenot naval officer, was enlisted to lead the colonization effort. In late August 1565, Ribault arrived with reinforcements to take command, while Spanish Governor Menéndez was simultaneously dispatched to remove the French outpost.
Confrontation. In early September, Menéndez encountered Ribault's ships off the River of May. A hurricane struck on September 11, driving Ribault's fleet south to destruction on the Canaveral coast. Assuming the French garrison was defenseless, Menéndez ordered his infantry to march 40 miles north to Fort Caroline during the storm.
People involved
- Pedro Menéndez de Avilés · Spanish Governor of Florida
- Jean Ribault · French naval officer and colonizer
- René Goulaine de Laudonnière · French colonial leader
Sources
- Fort Caroline Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15
- Jean Ribault Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-07
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.