Pedro Menéndez de Márquez
| Pedro Menéndez Márquez | |
|---|---|
| 3rd Governor of La Florida | |
|
In office 1577 – 9 July 1594 |
|
| Preceded by | Gutierre de Miranda |
| Succeeded by | Domingo Martínez de Avendaño |
| Personal details | |
| Born | unknown Asturias, Spain |
| Died | 1600 Florida |
| Spouse(s) | María de Miranda |
| Profession | explorer, conquistador and governor |
Pedro Menéndez Márquez (? – 1600) was a Spanish military officer, conquistador, and governor of Spanish Florida. He was a nephew of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, who had been appointed adelantado (an elite military and administrative position) of La Florida by King Philip II. Márquez was also related to Diego de Velasco, Hernando de Miranda, Gutierre de Miranda,Juan Menéndez Márquez, and Francisco Menéndez Márquez, all of whom served as governors of La Florida.
Pedro Menéndez Márquez was the son of Marquis Alonso ("El Mozo") and Maria Alonso Arango ("La Moza"). He had four siblings: Alonso, Juan, Catalina and Elvira Menéndez Marqués. Márquez began serving with his uncle Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in about 1548, occasionally as master of ships under his uncle's command. As Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was preparing his expedition to found a colony in Florida, he appointed Márquez as second-in-command of the fleet sailing from Asturias. After the founding of St. Augustine and the expulsion of the French from Fort Caroline, Márquez was dispatched to carry the official report to Spain, in command of the ships returning there for supplies. Although Márquez was not the first to bring news of Menéndez de Avilés' success to King Phillip II, the king nevertheless awarded him 300 gold ducats. Márquez then loaded supplies for the new colony and sailed for Florida, but other ships in Menéndez de Avilés' fleet were prevented from leaving Spain.
For a brief period around 1571, Menéndez Marquéz served as lieutenant governor of Cuba under Menéndez de Avilés, who was then governor of Cuba, but usually absent from the island. In 1573, he explored the Atlantic coast as far north as Chesapeake Bay. In 1575, he brought nine Franciscan friars to Florida, the first in the colony
...
Wikipedia