Siege of La Rochelle

The Siege of La Rochelle was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627-1628.

In the Edict of Nantes, Henry IV of France had given the Huguenots extensive rights. La Rochelle had become the stronghold of the French Huguenots, under its own governance.

Following a Huguenot revolt by Duke Henri de Rohan and his brother Soubise from 1625, Henry IV's successor, Louis XIII, declared war against the Huguenots. Louis' Chief Minister Cardinal Richelieu declared the suppression of the Huguenot revolt the first priority of the kingdom.

Dutch support

Altogether, the Roman Catholic government of France rented ships from the Protestant city of Amsterdam to conquer the Protestant city of La Rochelle. This resulted in a debate in the city council of Amsterdam as to whether the French soldiers should be allowed to have a Roman Catholic sermon on board of the Protestant Dutch ships. The result of the debate was that it was not allowed. The Dutch ships transported the French soldiers to La Rochelle. France was a Dutch ally in the war against the Habsburgs.

English support

The rebels had received the backing of the English king Charles I, who sent his favourite George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham with a fleet of 80 ships. In June 1627 Buckingham organised a landing on the nearby island of Ré with 6,000 men in order to help the Huguenots. Although a Protestant stronghold, Île de Ré had not directly joined the rebellion against the king.

iege

In September 1627 Royal forces besieged La Rochelle. La Rochelle was the greatest stronghold among the Huguenot cities of France, and the centre of Huguenot resistance. Cardinal Richelieu acted as the commander of the besieging troops (during those times when the King was absent).

On Ile de Re, the English tried to take the small fort of St Martin, but were repulsed. Small French boats managed to supply St Martin in spite of an English blockade. Buckingham ultimately ran out of money and support, and his army was weakened by diseases. After a last attack on St Martin they were repulsed with heavy casualties, and left with their ships.

French engineers further isolated the city with entrenchments 12 kilometres long, fortified by 11 forts and 18 redoubts. They also built with 4,000 workmen a 1,400 metres long seawall, to block the seaward access to the city. The wall was built on top of a foundation made of sunken hulks, filled with rubble. French artillery was used against English ships that tried to supply the city.

English relief efforts

In September 1628, another English fleet tried to relieve the city. After bombarding French positions, the English fleet had to withdraw. Following this last disappointment, the city surrendered on October 28, 1628.

Residents of La Rochelle had resisted for 14 months, under the leadership of the mayor Jean Guitton and with the gradually diminishing help from England. During the siege, the population of La Rochelle decreased from 27,000 to 5,000 due to casualties, famine and disease.

Surrender was unconditional. By the terms of the Peace of Alais, the Huguenots lost their territorial, political and military rights, but retained the religious freedom granted by the Edict of Nantes.

The French philosopher Descartes is known to have visited the scene of the siege in 1627.

iege in fiction and film

The siege forms the historical background for the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. The second part of the book was filmed as The Four Musketeers and has several scenes in and around La Rochelle.