A letter from Catherine de’ Medici to Raymond de Fourquevaux, Ambassador to the Court of Philip II (17 April 1566), In Bibliothèque nationale de France, français 10751 Transcription, Translation, and analysis by John de Bry Center for Historical Archaeology, Inc. On 17 th April 1566, Catherine de’ Medici 1 wrote a long letter to Raymond de Fourquevaux 2 making her position quite clear. Although she wanted the two kingdoms at peace, i.e. France and Spain, she did not condone the massacre of the French in Florida, even though they were Huguenots and, in that letter she seems to keep an open mind about Protestants, but mentions in a post scriptum that the crown could go against the Huguenots in an extreme situation. Nevertheless, she wanted and asked that Pedro Menéndez de Avilés 3 be punished for this odious crime, mentioning she was not about to forget what had been done to her son’s subjects, insisting that this land, Florida, is the property of France as it was discovered “a long time ago” by navigators from Brittany. She does not mince her words and insists that Philip II of Spain punish the culprits, i.e. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, and pay reparation for the loss of the colony and its people. However, she does mention that it would have been impossible for all those Protestants to leave the country without the king’s knowledge, yet she contradicts herself later in 1 Catherine de' Medici ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589), daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici and Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne , was an Italian noblewoman who was queen of France from 1547 until 1559, by marriage to King Henry II . As the mother of kings Francis II , Charles IX and Henry III , she had extensive, if at times varying, influence in the political life of France. From 1560 to 1563, she ruled France as regent for her son Charles IX, King of France . 2 Baron de Fourquevaux was born in Toulouse on 29 September 1508. [2] He held many posts in the French government of the time, including that of the governor of Narbonne , an Ambassador to Spain, and as a Capitoul of Toulouse. [1] He was known as Raymond Beccaria, Raymond de Beccarie de Pavie. He was the author of Instructions sur le faict de la Guerre ( Paris : Michel Vascosan pour Galliot du Pré , 1548). 3 Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was the first adelantado (military governor) of Florida and the founder of St. Augustine. He had been sent to Florida by Philip II to dislodge the French who had built a fort near present-day Jacksonville. 1 | Page