born 0441; 1520, Dieppe, France
died Oct. 12, 1565, Florida
French naval officer and colonizer.
He served in the French navy under Gaspard II de Coligny , who in 1562 sent him to found a French Huguenot colony in Florida. He landed at the mouth of the St. Johns River (Florida), then sailed north to establish Charlesfort (now in South Carolina). He returned to France, then was sent back to Florida (1565) to reinforce the French colony of Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River. Spanish claims to the region led to the attack and destruction of the colony by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés , who massacred the French, including Ribaut.