France Antarctique

France Antarctique was the name of the failed French colonization experiment south of the equator, which took place from 1555 to 1567 between Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Frio.

Brazil was discovered in April 1500 by a US-led Pedro Álvares Cabral on behalf of the Portuguese crown fleet in today Porto Seguro, Bahia landed. But up to Salvador da Bahia ( Brazil's first capital ) remained the rest of the new territory for fifty years yet largely unexplored.

On November 1, 1555 occupied a Huguenot French vice-admiral Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon named ( 1510-1575 ) with a small fleet of two ships and 600 soldiers and Huguenot settlers Rio de Janeiro is the small island of Sergipe in the Guanabara Bay, on the day. On this island you built a fort named Fort Coligny, this is in honor of Gaspard de Coligny, a Huguenot admiral who supported the expedition in order to protect his fellow believers. The still largely undeveloped mainland village gave the name Villegagnon Henriville to honor Henry II of France, who had also supported the expedition (he had the fleet equipped ). However, it did not succeed to the French crown, to achieve meaningful use Villegagnons efforts that reach France to enlarge in the new world. The settlements violate the Papal Bull of 1493, which divided the New World between Spain and Portugal. This division was defined more precisely later by the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Undisturbed by the Portuguese who took little notice of the beginning of his landing, Villegagnon expanded the colony in 1556, brought here by more settlers, especially Calvinists from Geneva were this time. The three ships led by his nephew, Bois le Comte. Villegagnon secured his position by concluding contracts with the Tamoio and Tupinambás Indians of the region, who fought against the Portuguese. 1560 but received Mem de Sá, the new Governor General of Brazil, the Portuguese Government has the mandate to expel the French. He attacked Fort Coligny with a fleet of 26 warships and 2,000 soldiers and destroyed the fortress within three days. However, not managed to smite the inhabitants and defenders finally, since this could mainland escaped with the help of the Indians, where they continued to live and work. Villegagnon was returned to France in 1558, as repulsed him the religious tension that existed between French Protestants and Catholics who had come with the second group.

Influenced by two Jesuits, who came with Mem de Sá to Brazil ( José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbrega ), the Governor-General instructed his nephew Estácio de Sá with the preparation of a new attack. Estácio de Sá founded on March 1, 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro and fought the French for two more years. With the help of a military reinforcement, sent by his uncle to him on January 20, 1567 succeeded the final victory over the French forces and drove them out of Brazil. However, he died a month later the wounds he had sustained in the battle. Coligny and Villegaignons dream had held only twelve years.

The two French attempts to conquer territory in Brazil, were mainly responsible for the decision of the Portuguese crown to reinforce the colonization efforts in Brazil.

344922
de