Jean Ribault (
1520 –
October 12, 1565) was a
French naval officer, navigator, and a colonizer of what would become the southeastern
United States. He was born in the
coastal village of
Dieppe. In
1562, Ribault was chosen to lead an expedition to the
New World to establish a haven for the
Huguenots. With a fleet of 150 colonists he crossed the
Atlantic Ocean and explored the mouth of the
St. Johns River in modern-day
Jacksonville, Florida.
Ribault’s fleet then proceeded north and chose to settle on
Parris Island, one of the
Sea Islands off the coast of present-day
South Carolina. The colony was named
Charlesfort in honor of the French king,
Charles IX. Ribault oversaw the layout of the settlement, then returned home for supplies. Warfare had broken out during his absence from
France between the
Roman Catholic majority backed by
Spain and the Protestant
Huguenots backed by
England. Ribault sought safety in England; despite a cordial welcome, he was arrested and detained in the
Tower of London. English authorities feared he was plotting to steal their ships to use in French colonization efforts.
Meanwhile, Charlesfort fell into despair. A lack of supplies threatened the colonists' lives, most of whom followed
René Laudonnière further south into Spanish territory to establish
Fort Caroline at the mouth of the
St. Johns River. The fort had early success, but the colonists had trouble feeding themselves after turmoil developed with the local
Native American tribes. Some colonists sailed home while others deserted and became
pirates. Following his release from prison, Ribault was dispatched by the French government to save the settlement.
Spanish troops led by
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés who had already established a fortified position at
St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 were ordered to stop Ribault and attack him at sea. A naval confrontation was averted by Ribault steering his fleet off course, but the Spanish garrison stationed there to defend their territory were also ordered at the same time by Menendez to ambush Fort Caroline by land and destroy the French settlement and take the settlers as prisoners. Shortly afterward a tropical storm destroyed Ribault’s fleet still out at sea. The few sailors able to make it ashore near St. Augustine, including Ribault, were killed by waiting Spanish soldiers.
In 2005 Ribault was featured the "Conquest of the Southeast" episode of
The History Channel's documentary miniseries
Conquest of America. Several places and institutions in Jacksonville are named for him, such as Jean Ribault High School, the Ribault Club on
Fort George Island, and a
tributary of the
Trout River, the
Ribault River. 
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