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Ship wrecked off Florida might have changed history

poweRob

USMC 1988-1996
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Interesting history I didn't know about. How different America's history might have been if not for that hurricane.

Ship wrecked off Florida might have changed history

Treasure hunters have apparently found the 500-year-old remains of a naval expedition led by a colonizer who could have changed Florida's history, making it French-speaking at least for a while.

In 1565, Ribault set sail from Fort Caroline, today Jacksonville, to attack his arch-enemy, the Spaniard Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who had been sent to Florida by King Philip of Spain to thwart French plans to set up a colony.

But Ribault got caught in a hurricane, which destroyed "La Trinite" and three other galleons and ended French dreams of claiming Florida.

Ribault and hundreds of other French Huguenots were massacred by Menendez de Aviles.

"If the French had not been driven south and ships sunk by the hurricane, we would have a totally different story," said de Bry. "Florida could have been speaking French for a number of years."​
 
Interesting history I didn't know about. How different America's history might have been if not for that hurricane.

Ship wrecked off Florida might have changed history

Treasure hunters have apparently found the 500-year-old remains of a naval expedition led by a colonizer who could have changed Florida's history, making it French-speaking at least for a while.

In 1565, Ribault set sail from Fort Caroline, today Jacksonville, to attack his arch-enemy, the Spaniard Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who had been sent to Florida by King Philip of Spain to thwart French plans to set up a colony.

But Ribault got caught in a hurricane, which destroyed "La Trinite" and three other galleons and ended French dreams of claiming Florida.

Ribault and hundreds of other French Huguenots were massacred by Menendez de Aviles.

"If the French had not been driven south and ships sunk by the hurricane, we would have a totally different story," said de Bry. "Florida could have been speaking French for a number of years."​
Interesting. I can remember growing up in Florida, visiting St. Augustine and hearing about the Spanish massacre of the French at Ft Caroline.
 
Interesting. I can remember growing up in Florida, visiting St. Augustine and hearing about the Spanish massacre of the French at Ft Caroline.
I think it would have been difficult to sustain a French Huguenots colony, The Huguenots were never really in favor in France,
and the Spanish forces would have had the full support of a very wealthy Spanish crown.
 
If America would have failed to become a viable country - slaves, dead Indians, and all - we would be like Europe and be Spanish, French, Russian, and English colonies pushing plows for our respective land owners.

It's hard not to believe in God as I day dream through the windshield of my new car.

It's a shame they teach such a sanitized view of history. It was blood, guts, and treachery, combined with luck and providence.
 
I think it would have been difficult to sustain a French Huguenots colony, The Huguenots were never really in favor in France,
and the Spanish forces would have had the full support of a very wealthy Spanish crown.
Agreed.

Nothing to debate about that, ha ha. The French never really established much of a foothold in the southern climes of the Americas, it seems. The Huguenots had some decent numbers, but were spread all around. Perhaps if they had concentrated in Florida, but they were chased off and didn't so its of no real use to speculate.
 
If America would have failed to become a viable country - slaves, dead Indians, and all - we would be like Europe and be Spanish, French, Russian, and English colonies pushing plows for our respective land owners.

It's hard not to believe in God as I day dream through the windshield of my new car.

It's a shame they teach such a sanitized view of history. It was blood, guts, and treachery, combined with luck and providence.

What providence?
 
If America would have failed to become a viable country - slaves, dead Indians, and all - we would be like Europe and be Spanish, French, Russian, and English colonies pushing plows for our respective land owners.

It's hard not to believe in God as I day dream through the windshield of my new car.

It's a shame they teach such a sanitized view of history. It was blood, guts, and treachery, combined with luck and providence.
Just a suggestion, but focus on the road ahead, those day dreams may lead you to your own blood and guts needing the help of providence.
 
Agreed.

Nothing to debate about that, ha ha. The French never really established much of a foothold in the southern climes of the Americas, it seems. The Huguenots had some decent numbers, but were spread all around. Perhaps if they had concentrated in Florida, but they were chased off and didn't so its of no real use to speculate.

I was curious about how well they assimilated because of how spread out they were. I wonder if they had concentrated more intensely, like in Florida, would they have had a large religious and cultural influence in the area? Or if they would have just assimilated there...
 
Agreed.

Nothing to debate about that, ha ha. The French never really established much of a foothold in the southern climes of the Americas, it seems. The Huguenots had some decent numbers, but were spread all around. Perhaps if they had concentrated in Florida, but they were chased off and didn't so its of no real use to speculate.

This reminds me of the first and second invasion of Japan by the Mongols in the 11th century - where the "kamikaze" the divine wind typhoons disrupted and ultimately destroyed the attempts of the Mongols to conquer the Japanese islands. It's interesting to wonder how different things would be and how our history has been shaped by weather.
 
I was curious about how well they assimilated because of how spread out they were. I wonder if they had concentrated more intensely, like in Florida, would they have had a large religious and cultural influence in the area? Or if they would have just assimilated there...
Dunno the answer to that, but the French to this day have had a huge and enduring impact on Southern Louisiana seems to me. Language, culture, good food...

So if they had those kinds of things going for them, and I think they did, and were able to adapt them to Florida, they may well have.
 
This reminds me of the first and second invasion of Japan by the Mongols in the 11th century - where the "kamikaze" the divine wind typhoons disrupted and ultimately destroyed the attempts of the Mongols to conquer the Japanese islands. It's interesting to wonder how different things would be and how our history has been shaped by weather.
Fascinating.

Yes, or even something like the fact of mere exposure to Europeans that held within them the basically benign, after withstanding their own previous plagues and building immunities to, small pox virus that opened wide up a path for open colonization without near the warring that might otherwise have been necessary had they wanted to stay and expand.
 
Fascinating.

Yes, or even something like the fact of mere exposure to Europeans that held within them the basically benign, after withstanding their own previous plagues and building immunities to, small pox virus that opened wide up a path for open colonization without near the warring that might otherwise have been necessary had they wanted to stay and expand.

True. We even were smart enough in the America's in the 1800's to provide the indigenous American Indians smallpox infected blankets to continue to reduce their numbers. Quite insidious at times.
 
Dunno the answer to that, but the French to this day have had a huge and enduring impact on Southern Louisiana seems to me. Language, culture, good food...

So if they had those kinds of things going for them, and I think they did, and were able to adapt them to Florida, they may well have.

I resemble that remark!
My ancestors came to Southern Louisiana, because the were exiled out of Arcadia/Nova Scotia by the British,
who dropped them in North Carolina. The only French Colony was around New Orleans.
 
True. We even were smart enough in the America's in the 1800's to provide the indigenous American Indians smallpox infected blankets to continue to reduce their numbers. Quite insidious at times.
I am going to have to indicate ambivalence on that one. I have looked into that claim and found it to be potentially true but also questionable. Be that as it may, if it was intentional it was a heinous crime against our fellow man.

Let me offer this though,

Did the U.S. Army Distribute Smallpox Blankets to Indians? Fabrication and Falsification in Ward Churchill's Genocide Rhetoric

And also this to an earlier incident, not an implication of the US but potentially our English selves at the time
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Fort_Pitt#Biological_warfare_involving_smallpox

Guess this is quite a bit off the OP though, eh?
 
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