When European eyes turned to the south-east coast of North America, it was the Spanish who were the first to establish a presence in the region. They were not, however, the only Europeans to cast a covetous glance at the thick forests along the coast and the imagined riches of the interior. The French attempted two settlements during the 1560s but were forcibly displaced by the Spanish who established a garrison town at St Augustine in 1565. While the outpost was small and undermanned, the Spanish effectively spread their influence over the next decades from St Augustine using a growing chain of Franciscan missions created among the Indians through much of northern Florida and coastal Georgia.

It was not long, though, before others challenged Spain's claims on the region. England, in particular, sought to challenge the power of Spain in Europe by attacking its possessions in America. Indeed, early English promoters formed almost all of their early plans for colonization in response to the success of the Spanish in the Americas. These plans were designed both to imitate and to contest Spanish power and the first English colonies proceeded with due attention to possible Spanish objections to their presence. England's jealous attention to the Spanish presence in the south-east caused the first attack on St Augustine, an attack that had long-lasting consequences on the Spanish colony.