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La Rochelle History


10th century. A rocky place along the coast starts to be populated amid the swamps and turns soon into a small fishing village. The village evoluated quickly and the harbor became more and more important. In 1199 Leonora d’Aquitaine gave the city a special statute with the right of free trade, knocking down remaining feudal ties. The power of the city grew especially with the wealth coming from the salt and wine commerce.
The independent spirit of La Rochelle was a fertile ground for Protestantism that grew deeply in the citizen’s culture. La Rochelle was soon surnamed “the French Geneva. The fleet and strong city walls were a provocation for the absolutism of
the French
Catholic kingdom. In 1573, the duke of Anjou, the later Henry III, besieged the city.
Vainly. After 6 months they had to retrieve, leaving 20.000 dead.
Half a century later, the famous cardinal de Richelieu tried to subdue La Rochelle.
He was helped by the English, who occupied the island of Ré (ile de Ré)
After one year of siege, the city was taken and Richelieu with Louis XIII entered the city, strew with dead bodies.500 survived from the 28,000 original citizens.
The city lost all privileges, was ruined for commerce and her walls torn down.

La R     Rochelle came a bit more on the upper scene in the 18th century, with the sugar trade from the Antilles, the slave transportation from Africa to the United States
and the fur trade from Canada. Art and science grew again. But to go back to sleep after the Napoleon wars.
Begin of this century, a deep harbor was built, giving a new boost to La Rochelle.
Today you have even 3 ports: the fishing port, yacht port and trade harbor.
And now, let’s do a city walk, the one I did three years ago with Annie. Believe me, La Rochelle is worth a visit.