La Floride: A French Huguenot Colony in North America

[PGSBHurricane]

As more northern their boundaries are, they will be stronger.

The Spanish will be more focused on the Florida Panhandle as the Huguenot pirates giving away their location to the Spanish Fleet doesn't happen. Without that, it's unlikely that St. Augustine is created as we know it. It was done strictly as a counter to Fort Caroline so they could destroy the latter. With Fort Caroline coming into existence later and the absence of conditions of pirates, East Florida probably won't be settled until much later by the Spanish, if at all. But they will also expand further north along the Atlantic Coast in the Lowland South so that the Huguenots are in a better position heading into the future.

 

[Mister Mister]

I think that, if they don't want to get swallowed by the English as IOTL in Canada, they must at least get Virginia. Better climate, soil, less diseases, larger population. If nothing else, to deny it to them.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

I think that, if they don't want to get swallowed by the English as IOTL in Canada, they must at least get Virginia. Better climate, soil, less diseases, larger population. If nothing else, to deny it to them.

If anything, the English would be an ally of the Huguenots assuming the defeat of the Spanish Armada happens like OTL. If they make it into the 1580s and 1590s, I would expect mutual respect for each other's boundaries. They will definitely expand to at least Cape Fear, but not sure how much further.

 

[Mister Mister]

If anything, the English would be an ally of the Huguenots assuming the defeat of the Spanish Armada happens like OTL. If they make it into the 1580s and 1590s, I would expect mutual respect for each other's boundaries. They will definitely expand to at least Cape Fear, but not sure how much further.

Yes, but later, same religion or not, but English have taken Dutch America as well as New Sweden. Or Cape Colony. Territory is territory, protestant or catholic.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

Yes, but later, same religion or not, but English have taken Dutch America as well as New Sweden. Or Cape Colony. Territory is territory, protestant or catholic.

Interestingly, with regards to New a Netherlands, the English actually offered the Dutch to keep it in status quo antebellum but the Dutch wanted to exchange it for Suriname which was originally an English colony that the Dutch occupied because it was more profitable. Sweden had very few settlers in its colonies, so that didn’t help. And when the British took the Cape, religion was much less of a factor by then than it was in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Unlike the Catholic French colonies (like New France) which permitted only settlement by priests and retired soldiers, Huguenots would likely bring their entire families with them and it would likely result in a large self-replicating population that the English can’t easily oust. That’s not even taking into account what happens in France in 1572 and 1685. For now, I don’t have the colony falling into English hands but I don’t want to give that much away since I’m not even all the way there yet.

 

[Mister Mister]

Well, if started early enough ( and in 1560s it is enough ), they shold be able to keep their independence from English ( especially if they spread north ). Now, their relationship with France will be interesting. But, still, tropical diseases are still a thing, and they will have them, and English mostly not.

 

[funnyhat]

Loyalty is a strong word but until 1685, expect some degree of tolerance towards the French monarchy.

The colonists will need all the assistance they can get. If Louis XIV agrees to leave them religious freedom, I don't think they will want to break free. IOTL, the Protestants of Alsace had a special status and were not persecuted even as their counterparts in the rest of France were.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

Well, if started early enough ( and in 1560s it is enough ), they shold be able to keep their independence from English ( especially if they spread north ). Now, their relationship with France will be interesting. But, still, tropical diseases are still a thing, and they will have them, and English mostly not.

That does raise a good point that I will consider as I continue this.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

The colonists will need all the assistance they can get. If Louis XIV agrees to leave them religious freedom, I don't think they will want to break free. IOTL, the Protestants of Alsace had a special status and were not persecuted even as their counterparts in the rest of France were.

I didn’t know about the Protestants of Alsace. But yes it will definitely walk the line between toleration and loyalty. It just won’t be QUITE as loyal as the Catholic colony of New France (but almost as loyal).

 

[funnyhat]

Unlike the Catholic French colonies (like New France) which permitted only settlement by priests and retired soldiers, Huguenots would likely bring their entire families with them and it would likely result in a large self-replicating population that the English can’t easily oust.

This is incorrect. It's true that a lot of the early settlers were men, but not all. There was a 2:1 gender ratio in the colony when it was taken over by the crown (1664) , and the government promptly sent about 800 orphaned girls (les Filles du Roy) to marry the single men and produce natural growth. From there on out Canada's natural growth was substantial.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

This is incorrect. It's true that a lot of the early settlers were men, but not all. There was a 2:1 gender ratio in the colony when it was taken over by the crown (1664) , and the government promptly sent about 800 orphaned girls (les Filles du Roy) to marry the single men and produce natural growth. From there on out Canada's natural growth was substantial.

I wasn't aware of the part with 800 orphaned girls. You learn something new everyday. But, New France only had 80,000 white people (25,000 of them in Louisiana) when the Seven Years War broke out whereas the Thirteen colonies had nearly 1.2 million plus 300,000 slaves. So not to the extent of the Thirteen Colonies whatsoever. This is just my two cents and I was glad to hear yours as well.

 

[Mister Mister]

I wasn't aware of the part with 800 orphaned girls. You learn something new everyday. But, New France only had 80,000 white people (25,000 of them in Louisiana) when the Seven Years War broke out whereas the Thirteen colonies had nearly 1.2 million plus 300,000 slaves. So not to the extent of the Thirteen Colonies whatsoever. This is just my two cents and I was glad to hear yours as well.

And that's the main problem. Sooner or later, the English will become enemies either of French Floride or independent one.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

And that's the main problem. Sooner or later, the English will become enemies either of French Floride or independent one.

The migration patterns for the Huguenots would be different from their Catholic counterparts because entire families would be coming over this time and would more closely resemble English migration patterns to the New World.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

But in all seriousness I do not want to get so far ahead of myself that I reveal spoilers before I even write them.

 

[kham_coc]

The migration patterns for the Huguenots would be different from their Catholic counterparts because entire families would be coming over this time and would more closely resemble English migration patterns to the New World.

I would also think, regarding religion, that if Catholic peasants also come, how long will they stay Catholic? The pope is far away, and the entire elite is going to be protestant?
I doubt there will be any oppression, but plenty of conversions.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

I would also think, regarding religion, that if Catholic peasants also come, how long will they stay Catholic? The pope is far away, and the entire elite is going to be protestant?
I doubt there will be any oppression, but plenty of conversions.

I don’t think many Catholics would have the incentive to come over to either New France due to how it operates or La Floride because there’s less of a need. Some of the elite will likely be Catholics who sympathize with the Huguenot cause but there won’t be too much of any institutional oppression against the Catholics due to their small numbers compared to Protestants.

 

[kham_coc]

I don’t think many Catholics would have the incentive to come over to either New France due to how it operates or La Floride because there’s less of a need. Some of the elite will likely be Catholics who sympathize with the Huguenot cause but there won’t be too much of any institutional oppression against the Catholics due to their small numbers compared to Protestants.

Well they would need some peasants, and there should always be some poor landless farmers willing to tag along.

 

[SnolTwig]

Will Canada be founded earlier and/or have larger population also awesome chapter

 

[PGSBHurricane]

Well they would need some peasants, and there should always be some poor landless farmers willing to tag along.

I have no doubt they would recruit some peasants for farming purposes, so they probably wouldn't be discriminated against too badly even if they were Catholic since they're an absolute necessity.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

Will Canada be founded earlier and/or have larger population also awesome chapter

Not quite sure yet, but things should start to get competitive between the English and French there possibly as early as the 1580s.