Challenges to Spain's Empire

The French

The French were the first to pose a threat to Spanish supremacy in the New World, establishing colonies in Canada and along the Mississippi River Valley and Gulf Coast.  The French were initially interested in fishing in the Grand Banks area but then invested heavily in the fur trade, creating elaborate trading networks with Indian tribes.  View the following map to see the routes traveled by early explorers.

Jacques Cartier

Beginning in 1534, Jacques Cartier made three voyages into present day Canada, finding the St. Lawrence River and claiming the territory, calling it “New France.”  He attempted to establish a colony near present day Quebec but it failed, and the French did not attempt to return to the area for seventy years, mainly because the homeland was plagued by religious civil wars. 

Samuel de Champlain

In 1608, Samuel de Champlain explored the area of present day Quebec, establishing fur trading connections.   He forged alliances between the Huron and Ottawa against their enemy, the Iroquois.  Champlain went on to explore the present day areas of the Great Lakes and the eastern coast of Canada and New England.

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle

Robert La Salle sailed from Canada down the Mississippi River, discovering its outlet in the Gulf of Mexico.  He claimed the entire watershed for France, calling the territory Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV.  La Salle attempted to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1684 to solidify French control of the region but the expedition failed. 

French, Dutch, and English Pirates

More immediate threats to Spain’s dominance came from the French, Dutch, and English “sea beggars,” pirates who plundered Spanish ships, attacked Spanish ports, and carried on an illegal trade with the Spanish colonies. Eventually, war broke out between Spain and England, and England defeated the Spanish Armada (a fleet of warships) in 1588. The defeat of the Armada marked the beginning of British naval supremacy and opened the way for English colonization of the New World.