Editing Fort Coligny

[[Image:Forte-villegagnon.jpg|thumb|Naval guns in the old Fortress of Villegaignon, in 1898]]
'''Fort Coligny''' was a fortress founded by [[Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]] in 1555, in what constituted the so-called [[France Antarctique]] historical episode.

For protection against attacks by hostile [[Indigenous peoples in Brazil|Indians]] and the [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], Villegaignon built the fortress with the help of the 500 colonists who travelled with him in two ships armed by the king of France, on a small [[island]] called Serigipe by the Indians of the region, near the mouth of the large [[Guanabara Bay]]. The island was rocky and almost barren, but served Villegaignon's purpose of being near the shore, at the same time achieving a good defensive position against attacks from sea and land.

The fortress fell and was destroyed on March 17, 1560, under the siege of [[Portugal]]'s navy and troops under the command of [[Mem de Sá]], third [[Governor-General]] of Brazil.<ref name="Marley2008">{{cite book|author=David Marley|title=Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 1492 to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DkgGVTOr2EsC|accessdate=19 May 2013|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-100-8|page=90}}</ref> Villegaignon had already returned to France, in 1558.

The fortress was named as such in honor of Villegaignon's supporter and friend, the French [[Admiral]] and leader of the [[Huguenots]], [[Gaspard II de Coligny|Gaspard de Coligny]]. After the foundation of Rio de Janeiro in 1565 by [[Estácio de Sá]] and the expulsion of the French in 1567 a new fortress was built there by the Portuguese, in order to defend the mouth of the Guanabara Bay, by crossing fire with two other fortresses, Guajará and Santa Cruz. This fortress was almost totally destroyed by bombardment in a [[Revolta da Armada|revolt of the Navy]], in 1893. Today, the island, which was renamed ''[[Island of Villegaignon]]'', is home to the [[Brazilian Naval School|Naval School]] since 1938, and is now permanently connected to the continent, near the [[Santos Dumont Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fortalezas.org/?ct=fortaleza&id_fortaleza=303|title=Fortalezas.org > Fortification > Fortaleza de São Francisco Xavier da ilha de Villegagnon|website=fortalezas.org|language=pt|access-date=2021-05-29}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[History of France]]
* [[French colonization of the Americas]]
* [[List of French possessions and colonies]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:Forts in Brazil|Coligny]]
[[Category:Colonial Brazil]]
[[Category:Guanabara Bay]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Rio de Janeiro (city)]]
[[Category:1550s establishments in Brazil]]
[[Category:1555 establishments in the French colonial empire]]
[[Category:1555 establishments in South America]]
[[Category:France Antarctique]]
[[Category:Military history of Rio de Janeiro (city)]]


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