Origins & Early Life

Jean 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. Two years later, he took over command of the French colony of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, Florida.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He and many of his followers died at the hands of Spanish soldiers during the Massacre at Matanzas Inlet, near St. Augustine. Ribault was born in the town of Dieppe in Normandy in 1520. He entered the French navy under the command of the Huguenot admiral Gaspard de Coligny. In 1562 Coligny chose him to lead an expedition to the New World to found a colony.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Ribault left France on February 18 with a fleet of 150 colonists. A recently discovered document suggests that they were guided to Florida by Portuguese pilot Bartolomeu Borges. After crossing the Atlantic, they explored the mouth of the St. Johns...

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