Sir Walter Raleigh established the first English Colony of Roanoke in 1585. Governor Ralph Lane was subsequently appointed to run the ill-equipped settlement.
Sir Francis Drake attacked St. Augustine in 1586. His forces destroyed the sixth wooden fort, San Juan de Pinillo, a predecessor of the Castillo de San Marcos.
On May 14, 1607 the first settlers landed on Jamestown Island forming the Virginia Colony for England. This English colony was named for King James I who granted the land in 1606.
Antonio de Herrera Lopez y Mesa led Spanish soldiers and native captives to negotiate peace between the Apalachee’s, the Amacanos, the Chacatos, and the Apalachicola Tribes.
Carolina Charter of 1665 enlarged the original grant for the Carolina Colony. The new boundary was defined as 29° north latitude, which extended into Spanish territory.
A pirate crew, led by Robert Searle (also known as John Davis) raided the city of St. Augustine in May 1668. Searle's men pillaged the town and murdered sixty residents, including children.
Construction on the Castillo de San Marcos began in 1672. The Spanish used coquina to build the fort, making its walls virtually impenetrable and fire resistant.
On November 7, 1693, Spanish King Charles II issued a Royal Cedula guaranteeing safe refuge to British fugitive slaves. Many slaves escaped the British plantations, fleeing to Spanish St.
Pensacola is re-established by the Spanish in 1696. Andres de Arriola arrived at his new post on November 21, 1698 and oversaw the construction of a fort, called San Carlos de Austria.
