Fort Saint Louis was established by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, at Matagorda Bay on February 18, 1685. La Salle led an expedition of 300 settlers and soldiers to establish a small settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Inaccurate maps and navigational issues caused his ships to instead anchor off the coast of Texas near Matagorda Bay.

The colony faced numerous difficulties in its brief existence, including hostile natives and deaths due to illness and the harsh conditions. Mindful of his original mission, La Salle led several expeditions to find the Mississippi River; instead, he explored much of the Rio Grande and parts of East Texas. After their last ship was wrecked in 1686, the colonists were unable to reach French colonies in the Caribbean Sea to gain new supplies or assistance. As conditions deteriorated, La Salle believed the colony could only be saved by contacting French settlements in Illinois Country. His last expedition, which left the colony in early 1687, ended along the Brazos River with the murder of La Salle and five of his men by rivals in the group. The remaining members of the colony were killed or captured during a raid by the Karankawa Indians in late 1688 or early 1689. Although the colony lasted only three years, its existence established France's claim to possession of the region that is now Texas, and later supported the United States's claim to the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

Spain learned of La Salle's mission in 1686. Concerned that the French fort threatened Spain's control over New Spain (modern-day Mexico and much of the southwestern part of North America), Spanish authorities funded multiple expeditions over several years to find and eliminate the French settlement. The unsuccessful expeditions helped Spain to better understand the geography of the Gulf Coast region. The remains of the French fort were discovered in 1689, after Spanish explorers led by Alonso De León followed the directions of French deserter Jean Gery. The Spanish burned the fort and buried the French cannons and later built a presidio at the same location. The French fort was rediscovered in 1996.

• Married: 09 JAN 1683/84 ¹

1. Theodosia Ivanova ROMANOVNA b: 1690
2. Marie Ivanova ROMANOVNA b: 04 JUL 1690
3. Yekaterina Ivanova ROMANOVNA b: 25 JUL 1692
4. Anna Ivanova Romanovna TSARINA OF RUSSIA b: 08 FEB 1692/93
5. Proskovia Ivanova ROMANOVNA b: 04 OCT 1694

1. Title: University of Hull Royal Database (England), Url: http://www3.dcs.hull.ac.uk/genealogy/royal/
   Abbrev: University of Hull Royal DB
   Author: bct@tardis.ed.ac.uk, Compiler: Brian Tompsett, Dept of Computer Science
   Publication: University of Hull, Hull, UK HU6 7RX, 1994, 1995, 1996
   Note:
   Usually reliable but sometimes includes hypothetical lines, mythological figures, etc.
2. Title: Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, Url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
   Abbrev: Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia