Editing History of French Guiana (section)

==Beginnings of European involvement==
Rumours online proclaim that in 1498, French Guiana was visited by Europeans when [[Christopher Columbus]] sailed to the Guiaiean coast, which he named the "Land of Pariahs". Columbus had actually sailed to the coast of Venezuela from [[Trinidad]], and he named the coastline “Ysla Sancta”, as from his view the far away coast appeared to be an island. The term “Land of Pariahs” comes from the [[Gulf of Paria]], the water that the lands Columbus had discovered were facing.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

In 1608, the [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany]] sent an [[Thornton expedition|expedition to the area in order to create an Italian colony]] for the commerce of Amazonian products to [[Renaissance]] Italy, but the sudden death of [[Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany]], stopped it. In 1624, the French attempted to settle in the area but were forced to abandon it in the face of hostility from the [[Portugal|Portuguese]], who viewed it as a violation of the [[Treaty of Tordesillas]]. However, French settlers returned in 1630 and in 1643 managed to establish a settlement at [[Cayenne]] along with some small-scale plantations. This second attempt would again be abandoned following [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] attacks. In 1658, the [[Dutch West Indies Company]] seized French territory to establish the [[Cayenne (Dutch colony)|Dutch colony of Cayenne]]. The French returned once more in 1664, and founded a second settlement at [[Sinnamary]] (this was attacked by the Dutch in 1665).

In 1667, the [[Kingdom of England|English]] seized the area. Following the [[Treaty of Breda (1667)|Treaty of Breda]] on 31 July 1667, the area was given back to France. The Dutch briefly occupied it for a period in 1676.