European Exploration

European Exploration France, England, and Spain Come to the New World

The Big Three • After Columbus “discovered” America – the race for power began • In Europe – England, France, and Spain were in a power struggle • To be the winner – each country explored the New World hoping to claim the land and all the power that went with it France England Spain

The Search for Gold, God, and Glory • For centuries the “Big Three” had fought over land in Europe • All these wars cost money and after Columbus, the kings of Europe realized they could have more land and all the riches that came with it • So they began sending explorers across the ocean in hopes that they would return with fortunes in gold, silver, and other precious stones and metals

The Search for Gold, God, and Glory • Once the reports started to reach Europe of the “heathens” that inhabited the land, religious leaders became involved in the attempt to settle the New World • They sent over priests to educate the Native Americans about God and to save their souls • This would eventually lead to the Spanish Mission System that was used to settle Texas

The Search for Gold, God, and Glory • Most of the men who led to expeditions across Europe came from poor families or no family at all • They were searching for a better life • If they were successful in their voyages they would bring honor and glory home to their countries and would forever be remembered as the men who helped build an empire

Alonso Alvarez de Pineda • In 1519 – Pineda sailed from his base camp in Jamaica into the Gulf of Mexico • He was the first European to map the coast line of Texas • Pineda never actually set foot in Texas, but his contribution was important because his maps were used by later explorers

Panfilo de Narvaez • Panfilo de Narvaez was commissioned by the Spanish Crown in 1527 to sail to Florida and begin a Spanish colony • de Narvaez made the unwise decision to separate his men and sent half ashore before they reached their destination • Desperate to reunite with his other men, de Narvaez made another poor choice when he decided to leave land and travel by rafts up the Florida coast line • After a relatively calm first month, a storm swept through the Gulf of Mexico knocking the rafts off course • The rafts eventually reached the Texas coast near present day Galveston Island in 1528

Cabeza de Vaca • de Vaca had been the lieutenant on de Narvaez’s expedition • His raft was the first to make landfall in Texas • By 1529 only 13 Spanish and 1 African slave were still alive • de Vaca spent time as a merchant, trading with inland Native American groups, he was a medicine man, he became a slave to the Coahuiltecan, and eventually made his way to Mexico City • de Vaca is important to Texas because he was the first to explore the land and wrote detailed descriptions of his journey across Texas

France Enters the Race for Texas • In 1683 Robert La Salle gained approval from the French King to settle a colony where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico • He set sail with 4 ships, 280 men, and French colonists • The French wanted a position from which they could attack Spanish Mexico and block any further English-American expansion westward

La Salle Misjudges • Instead of reaching the Mississippi River, La Salle ended up shipwrecked at Matagorda Bay on the Texas Coast • La Salle established Fort St Louis and set up a permanent French settlement in Texas • He journeyed west across the state keeping a detailed journey of his explorations • He once again set out east in an attempt to find the mouth of the Mississippi, but he was murdered by his own men who had lost faith in his abilities • Those who had stayed behind were eventually massacred by the Karankawa

France Scares Spain • After several expeditions into Texas, the Spanish lost interest in the land because of its harsh climates and Native Americans • However, when the Spanish heard about Fort St Louis, they feared the French would claim Texas and all its land tipping the balance of power in favor of France • So once again the Spanish Crown began sending expeditions into Texas to claim it for Spain and thus ensure that Spain remained the dominant European power

European Exploration