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French adventurer marries Spanish official's daughter
On this day in 1719, Jean L'Archevêque married Manuela Roybal, the
daughter of Ignacio de Roybal, the alcalde of Santa Fe. This was just
one of many colorful episodes in L'Archevêque's storied life. He had
been born in France in 1672, and had traveled to the New World with La
Salle, whose activities in Texas kept the Spanish on edge for years.
L'Archevêque was a member of the group that assassinated La Salle, after
which he and five other Frenchmen stayed with the Hasinai Indians. With
fellow Bayonnaise Jacques Grollet, L'Archevêque agreed to be
"rescued" by the Spaniard Alonso De León. After thirty months in jail in
Spain, the Frenchman agreed to serve the Spanish in America. He returned
to Santa Fe, married, and had children. After his first wife died--and
after having a daughter with a servant girl to add to his collection of
illegitimate offspring--he married Doña Manuela, retired from the
military, and become a successful trader. A year after his marriage,
L'Archevêque joined an expedition against the Pawnees, who were led by a
Frenchman; the expedition needed an envoy who could speak French. But on
August 20, 1720, the Pawnees attacked the party by surprise, and
L'Archevêque and most of the expedition were killed.
- Links to Related Handbook of Texas Online Articles
- L'ARCHEVEQUE, JEAN
- LA SALLE, RENE ROBERT CAVELIER, SIEUR DE
- GROLLET, JACQUES
- DE LEON, ALONSO
- HASINAI INDIANS
- PAWNEE INDIANS
- ALCALDE
- Other Texas Day by Day Articles for This Date
- Irish colony founded in South Texas (1828)
- Civil rights attorney killed in accident (1960)
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