Admiral General Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles was born in Aviles in 1519. When Menendez was only 30, King Charles of Spain directed him to pursue and capture a French corsair named Jean Alfonse who had recently seized ten Spanish ships. Although the king provided neither money, ships nor troops for the mission, Menendez headed out to sea where he freed five of the ships and killed Alfonse. In 1554, the king placed him in charge of the treasure fleets sailing between Spain and her colonies in the New World. The Casa de Contratacion, previously in charge, had lost fleets to corsairs. Menendez excelled without bribery and successfully led the fleets on their long journeys. Another war between Spain and France resulted in new duties for Menendez. He distinguished himself in battles, and at the war's end, he was given the honor of transporting King Phillip home to Spain.
Confident that he had the direct support of the throne, Menendez became more and more disrespectful of the Casa, who had becoming increasingly annoyed with his success and honesty. In one famous incident, he insulted the Casa members publicly by personally removing the King's banner from one of their small boats. When he returned from the 1563 voyage, the Casa accused him of numerous infractions and he was imprisoned in the Almohades treasure house in Seville.
In 1561, Spain's King Phillip II had declared that no more effort would be made to colonize Florida. But it was explained to Phillip by his advisors that the arrival of the French was a trespass on Spanish territory, and as Protestants, they were heretics. Beyond that, the presence of a French base on the eastern shore of La Florida would pose a very dangerous threat to the Spanish treasure fleets returning home.