Posted on 10/12/2020 7:24:16 AM PDT by CheshireTheCat
On this date in 1565, the French Huguenot New World settlement plan was nipped in the bud when Spaniards executed en masse the inhabitants of Fort Caroline in present-day Jacksonville, Fla. During the late 16th century’s fractious French Wars of Religion, far-sighted Protestant admiral Gaspard de Coligny sponsored this like-minded colony in Florida — a sort of side bet on a satellite Protestant presence overseas, while the party in the mother country fought for its life.* Jean Ribault (or Ribaut) was the loyal naval aide chosen to lead this colony. After an abortive attempt to plant a settlement in Charlestown, S.C., Ribault set up Fort Caroline and claimed greater Jacksonville for France....
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Before condemning the Spaniards, remember that Jean Ribualt was setting that colony up as a base from which to intercept the Spanish treasure fleets.
They were pirate wannabes.
The Dutch, the British, the Spanish, the French all warred with one another in shifting alliances for decades. Those wars carried over to the new world.
Beaufort SC remembers him. And there is/was some suggestion that Ft Caroline was in Georgia. Don’t know the status of this claim. There is also the remains of a French Fort/settlement on Parris Island. Right on the Golf Course
About a year ago, I had the opportunity to visit Fort Caroline national memorial in Jacksonville. By the St John’s River was a reproduction of what they thought Fort Caroline looked like.
The whole story (including that of the massacre of the French at Matanzas Inlet) is really quite interesting.
The reference to 'Charlestown' is more than slightly misleading as a modern reference. In 1562, Jean Ribault and party built 'Charlesfort' on (modern name) Parris Island [PI] in Beaufort County, SC. Ribault's name was for his soverign, French King Charles IX (1550-74).PI is now well known for being the East Coast USMC Recruit Depot (Basic Training).
The similarity of names between Charlesfort and Charleston (20+ miles north) is purely coincidental as the latter is named for British King Charles II, who granted the area to his supporter, George Monk, Duke of Albemarle as one of the Seven "Lords Proprietors" a century later in 1663. General Monck is one of those very capable men who were lucky in winning through dark times. He was an Army commander for Charles I, switched to being a firm friend of Cromwell and the Parliament Army, then helped Charles II in his Restoration and ended his public life as a commander in the Royal Navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
Beaufort (city) has a main road named for Jean Ribault and a long history of (latter) French Huguenot settlers after their loss and deaths in the French Religious Wars (St Bartholomew Massacre of 1572). These Huguenot Settlers were a mass migration from France in the 1680s and settled this Carolina Low-country as a bulwark against Spanish encroachments from Florida.
See my #6.
I lived in Beaufort when my (blush) US Army Dad retired there, oh the shame (smile)!
There is no mention in virtually ANY history of Fort Caroline that it was to be a pirate outpost. The few who did that were considered to have mutinied and were defeated by the Spanish in the Caribbean anyway.
The massacre at Matanzas and Fort Caroline was perpetrated because the Spanish considered them heretics, period.
This partially explains why the Jamestown settlers choose such a poor site for their colony. They needed to be invisible to passing Spanish ships. The Spanish were a formidable foe with a record of going after who they considered to be trespassers. They also weren’t fond of Protestants.
Then you heard of my 6 GGrandfather, guy named Barnwell. He’s buried under the Episcopal Church. Had a LOT of kids, most of whom survived.
I am from Savannah myself, and, visited Beaufort often. We’re now cruising the ICW, but, just spent 2 months in the Lady’s Island Marina for VA reasons (Naval Hospital and Charleston). Quite a nice visit.
Name rings a bell. Presume you mean St. Helena Church in Beaufort but know that it is no longer affiliated with the PECUSA (Protestant Episcopal Church USA) as it has shifted to the Anglican Communion. My parents and my brother are all buried at the National Cemetery with services officiated from St. Helena as we were members while my parents lived there.
Hope your 'fun' was completed successfully at USNH Beaufort and the Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston. Best that you keep away from them in the future, they are full of sick people!
Not for me, the Cap’n was Air Force in her youth. All is well, she just wanted to get in the system. St. Helena’s indeed. I thought it was unaffiliated all together actually.
We chose Lady’s Island because it was cheaper to stay there and rent a car to drive to Charleston three times than to STAY in Charleston for the same time.
Should you go back, make sure you eat at Q’s on Bay and Q’s Chicken Shack across the Bridge on Lady’s Island. Those folks know how to cook!
As I understand it, since the Parrish pre-existed the formal founding of the PECUSA, they had no 'ownership' of the assets so they, the PECUSA, had no grounds to resist OR lost the legal case. When the Parrish voted that was that. As far as returning to Beaufort, I will try your suggestions. Best to your Captain!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Ribault
“Fort Caroline sustained itself for the next year, but Ribault found himself caught up in the fresh outbreak of war in France and was unable to set sail at the appointed time. As a result, the colony experienced food shortages and deteriorating conditions, and some soldiers mutinied and became pirates, attacking Spanish vessels in the Caribbean. “
These pirates were not Jean Ribault’s men, but give an example what Spain was dealing with:
https://www.americanheritage.com/tragic-dream-jean-ribaut
Though Spain was at peace with France at the moment, French pirates operating in the Florida straits were taking an alarming toll of the heavily laden treasure galleons bound for Spain. And Philip’s ambassador in Paris warned that plans were afoot to plant a military outpost in Florida.
The Huguenots also produced some some very capable pirates”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Sores
La Rochelle in France, a Huguenot stronghold, was infamous as a pirate base.
So what? There were a few but that was not the reason for the Fort.
We Huguenots were terrorized in Europe and pushed out. That’s why my ancestors - obviously not from Fort Caroline, they all were killed - came to America.
And as for the Spaniards and their Inquisition and endless cruelty to anyone in their way, I hope every mutineer Huguenot pirate took as much as he possibly could from them. The Americas would be a far better place if the decrepit Spanish Empire simply withdrew to Iberia and we repopulated all the Americas with European Protestants.
You know, the people who built the United States?
Jefferson had the same idea. Too bad the un-Civil War got int the way of that goal.
Just showing there were two sides to every store.
In reading and history, I always find myself supporting the privateers and sea hawks like Drake.
But one detail that I missed was that much of the loot going to Spain from the New World was being used to fight the Turks in the Med, which I would consider to be a good thing.
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