Which explorer is remembered for destroying the French settlement of Fort Caroline in Florida?

The explorer remembered for destroying the French settlement of Fort Caroline in Florida is Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. He played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of Florida. In the late 1560s, France was attempting to establish a presence in the region by founding Fort Caroline, but Menéndez, acting on behalf of Spain, was determined to assert Spanish dominance in Florida.

In 1565, after establishing St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States, Menéndez led a military expedition to Fort Caroline. He successfully captured and destroyed the fort, which marked a major event in the ongoing conflicts between Spanish and French colonization efforts in North America. This action solidified Spanish claims to Florida and diminished French influence in the area.

Other figures mentioned, such as Hernando de Soto and Francisco Pizarro, were significant explorers in their own right but were involved in different regions and contexts, focused primarily on territories in Central and South America, respectively, rather than in the conflict surrounding Fort Caroline. De Soto, for example, is noted for his explorations in the southeastern United States but did not play a role in the events at Fort Caroline.