Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: Renaissance
- Categories: Discovery, Exploration
- Subcategories: Colonialism, Colonies, Settlements, Ships, Naval History, Explorers
- Curriculum: Renaissance History, American Pre-Colonial History (to 1606), Spanish/Portuguese History
Article abstract: Menéndez de Avilés developed the Florida peninsula as a colony of the Spanish crown.
Early Life
One of twenty-one brothers and sisters, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was born in the seaport town of Avilés on Spain’s northern coast. A member of a family with claims to hidalgo (minor nobility) status, he was related also by marriage to the important Valdés clan. Like many of his relatives, friends, and contemporaries who lived in this port city, Menéndez turned to the sea in pursuit of a career.
The young seaman served...
[The entire page is 2136 words long]