France Coloniale — Huguenot Brazil and Florida
France made two serious attempts at permanent American colonisation in the mid-sixteenth century, both under Huguenot (Protestant) auspices: France Antarctique at Guanabara Bay in Brazil (1555–1567) and Fort Caroline in Florida (1562–1565). Both were destroyed by Iberian forces—Portugal expelled the French from Brazil in 1567, and Spain massacred the Florida colonists in 1565. These failures demonstrated the military dominance of the established Iberian powers in the Americas at this stage and pushed French colonial activity toward Canada and the Caribbean, where resistance would be less fierce.
- Year: 1555 CE
- Category: Military
