Page 23 - Pilgrims in Georgia
P. 23
But, Philip II, King of Spain disagrees
When King Philip learned what the French were
doing he determined to eliminate the colony.
He claimed the area for Spain and also believed
that Fort Caroline could be used as a base to
attack his gold carrying ships coming back from
Central America bringing their treasure to Spain.
He also believed that the Huguenots were
heretics who should be converted back Roman
Catholicism or be condemned to die. He sent
Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles to destroy
the French fort and to occupy the area for Spain.
Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles
Philip II
Menendez landed in La Florida on August 28, 1565, the feast day of St. Augustine of Hippo, and shortly after founded the
settlement they named St. Augustine, now the oldest continuously occupied European city in North America.
The Castillo de San Marcos
St. Augustine, Florida
