Explorers & Settlers of Fort Caroline

Chief Athore and Explorer Jean Ribault

Three hundred colonists left France to establish a permanent settlement in North America. Included were some of the leading families of France, wearing gilded armor and brightly colored clothes. Other representatives of French society included artisans to provide entertainment and produce drawings, and laborers to build the fort. The desire for permanency was illustrated by the inclusion of women, of whom at least four had husbands. Most were Huguenots, but there were also Catholics and agnostics. The colonists were seeking opportunity and freedom in a distant land.

 

Capturing the Events on Paper

French artist Jacques le Moyne de Morgues came with Laudonniere to Florida in 1564. His job was to paint images of the people, flora and fauna, and geography of this part of the New World. Le Moyne was one of the few who escaped from Fort de la Caroline when the Spanish attacked in 1565. He found refuge on a French boat, along with Laudonniere and several others, and returned to Europe, where he recreated from memory scenes of the New World. Click here for more on Le Moyne and Theodore de Bry…

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