The second reason for this relative peace on the border was the shift in the balance of power in the Southeast. After 1743 the French replaced the Spaniards as the most serious menace to the English in Georgia and Carolina. French traders, working out of settlements along the Gulf coast, effectively extended their influence over many Lower Creek tribes and became a real threat to English hegemony. The Floridians, on the other hand, were less of a factor in the power struggle in the Southeast and were seemingly content to maintain their defensive position within the confines of the Florida peninsula. The English, therefore, turned their attention to the French at Mobile and Natchez. (Tepaske GSF)