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Situated on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, the city is connected to theÎle de Ré by a 2.9-kilometre-long (1+3⁄4-mile) bridge completed on 19 May 1988. Since theMiddle Ages the harbour has opened onto a protected strait, thePertuis d'Antioche, and is regarded as a "porte océane" or gateway to the ocean because of the presence of its three ports (fishing, trade and yachting). The city has a strong commercial tradition, having an active port from very early on in its history.
To this day, the city still possesses a rich historical fabric, including theSaint-Nicholas tower, and an urban heritage. The capital ofAunis, it has become the most important coastal city between theLoire andGironde estuaries. La Rochelle's urban activities are many in number and strongly differentiated, being a city with port and industrial functions that are still important, but also including a predominantly administrative andtertiary sector that is reinforced by theUniversity of La Rochelle and a rapidly developing tourism industry. In the early 21st century, the city has consistently been ranked among France's most liveable cities.[4] Until 2015, the town was part of the administrative region calledPoitou-Charentes, prior to the delimitation of regions in France.[5]
The Romans subsequently occupied the area, where they developed salt production along the coast. Roman villas have been found at Saint-Éloi and atLes Minimes.Salt evaporation ponds dating from the same period have also been found.
The name was first recorded in 961 asRupella, from a Latin diminutive meaning 'little rock'. It was later known asRocella andRoscella before the name took on its current form. The establishment of La Rochelle as a harbour was a consequence of the victory of DukeGuillaume X ofAquitaine overIsambert de Châtelaillon in 1130, and the subsequent destruction of his harbour ofChâtelaillon.[6] In 1137, Guillaume X to all intents and purposes made La Rochelle a free port and gave it the right to identify as acommune.
Fifty years laterEleanor of Aquitaine upheld the communal charter promulgated by her father. For the first time in France, a city mayor was appointed for La Rochelle,Guillaume de Montmirail. Guillaume was assisted in his responsibilities by 24 municipal magistrates, and 75 nobles who had jurisdiction over the inhabitants.
Left image:Vauclair castle was built by the English in 1185. Right image: Remnants of Vauclair castle, Place de Verdun, La Rochelle.
Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet in 1152, who became king of England asHenry II in 1154, thus putting La Rochelle under Plantagenet rule, untilLouis VIII captured it in the 1224siege of La Rochelle. During the Plantagenet control of the city in 1185, Henry II had theVauclair castle built, remains of which are still visible in the Place de Verdun.[7]
Left image:Cour de la Commanderie in La Rochelle, ancient location of the Templars' headquarters. Right image: Original Templar cross,Cour de la Commanderie.
The main activities of the city were in the areas of maritime commerce and trade, especially with England, the Netherlands and Spain. In 1196, wealthy bourgeoisAlexandre Auffredi sent a fleet of seven ships to Africa seeking wealth. He went bankrupt awaiting the return of his ships; they returned seven years later bearing riches.
TheKnights Templar had a strong presence in La Rochelle since before the time ofEleanor of Aquitaine, who exempted them from duties and gave themmills in her 1139 Charter.[8] La Rochelle was the Templars' largest base on the Atlantic Ocean,[9] and where they stationed their main fleet.[10] From La Rochelle, they were able to act as intermediaries in trade between England and the Mediterranean.[9] A popular thread ofconspiracy theory originating withHoly Blood, Holy Grail has it that the Templars used a fleet of 18 ships which had broughtJacques de Molay from Cyprus to La Rochelle to escape arrest in France. The fleet allegedly left laden with knights and treasures just before the issue of the warrant for the arrest of the Order in October 1307.[11][12]
Following theTreaty of Brétigny during theHundred Years' War, La Rochelle again came under the rule of the English monarch in 1360. La Rochelle however expelled the English in June 1372, following the navalBattle of La Rochelle, between Castilian-French and English fleets. The French and Spanish decisively defeated the English, securing French control of theChannel for the first time since theBattle of Sluys in 1340. The naval battle of La Rochelle was one of the first cases of the use ofhandguns on warships, which were deployed by the French and Spanish against the English.[14] Having recovered freedom, La Rochelle refused entry toDu Guesclin, untilCharles V recognized the privileges of the city in November 1372.
Left image: Remains ofReformation iconoclasm, Clocher Saint-Barthélémy, La Rochelle. Right image: Remains of iconoclasm, Église Saint-Sauveur, La Rochelle.
During theRenaissance, La Rochelle adopted Protestant ideas.Calvinism started to be propagated in the region of La Rochelle, resulting in its suppression through the establishment ofCours présidiaux tribunals byHenry II. An early result of this was the burning at the stake of two "heretics" in La Rochelle in 1552.[16] Conversions to Calvinism however continued, due to a change of religious beliefs, but also to a desire for political independence on the part of the local elite, and a popular opposition to royal expenses and requisitions in the building projects to fortify the coast against England.[16]
On the initiative ofGaspard de Coligny, the Calvinists attempted to colonise theNew World to find a new home for their religion, with the likes ofPierre Richier andJean de Léry. After the short-lived attempt ofFrance Antarctique, they failed to establish a colony in Brazil, and finally resolved to make a stand in La Rochelle itself.[17]Pierre Richier became "Ministre de l'église de la Rochelle" ("Minister of the Church of La Rochelle") when he returned from Brazil in 1558, and was able to considerably increase the Huguenot presence in La Rochelle, from a small base of about 50 souls who had been secretly educated in theLutheran faith byCharles de Clermont the previous year. He has been described, byLancelot Voisin de La Popelinière, as "le père de l'église de La Rochelle" ("The Father of the Church of La Rochelle").
Protestant "Grand Temple" of La Rochelle, built on thePlace du Château, modernPlace de Verdun, in 1600–1603, accidentally burned down in 1687
La Rochelle was the first French city, withRouen, to experienceiconoclastic riots in 1560, at the time of the suppression of theAmboise conspiracy, before the riots spread to many other cities.[18] Further cases ofReformation iconoclasm were recorded in La Rochelle from 30 May 1562, following theMassacre of Vassy. Protestants pillaged churches, destroyed images and statues, and also assassinated 13 Catholic priests in theTower of the Lantern.[19]
From 1568, La Rochelle became a centre for theHuguenots, and the city declared itself an independent Reformed Republic on the model ofGeneva.[20] During the subsequent period, La Rochelle became an entity that has been described as a "state within a state".[21] This led to numerous conflicts with the Catholic central government. The city supported the Protestant movement ofWilliam of Orange in the Netherlands, and from La Rochelle the Dutch underLouis of Nassau and theSea Beggars were able to raid Spanish shipping.[22][23]
Under Henry IV, and under the regency of his sonLouis XIII, the city enjoyed a certain freedom and prosperity. However, La Rochelle entered into conflict with the authority of the adult Louis, beginning with a1622 revolt.[25] A fleet from La Rochelle fought a royal fleet of 35 ships underCharles, Duke of Guise, in front ofSaint-Martin-de-Ré, but was defeated on 27 October 1622, leading to the signing of thePeace of Montpellier.[25]
In 1625, a new Huguenot revolt led by DukeHenri de Rohan and his brotherSoubise led to theCapture of Ré island by the forces of Louis XIII. Soubise conquered large parts of the Atlantic coast, but the supporting fleet of La Rochelle was finally defeated byMontmorency, as was Soubise with 3,000 when he led a counter-attack against the royal troops who had landed on the island of Ré.[26]
Following these events,Louis XIII and his Chief MinisterCardinal Richelieu declared the suppression of the Huguenot revolt the first priority of the kingdom. The English came to the support of La Rochelle, startingthe Anglo-French War, by sending a major expedition under theDuke of Buckingham. The expedition however ended in a fiasco for England with thesiege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. Meanwhile, cannon shots were exchanged on 10 September 1627 between La Rochelle and Royal troops. This resulted in the siege of La Rochelle in whichCardinal Richelieu blockaded the city for 14 months, until the city surrendered and lost its mayor and its privileges.
Expulsion from La Rochelle of 300 Protestant families in November 1661,Jan Luiken (1649–1712)
The remaining Protestants of La Rochelle suffered new persecutions, when 300 families were again expelled in November 1661, the yearLouis XIV came to power. The reason for the expulsions was that Catholics deeply resented a degree of revival of Protestant ownership of property within the city.[27]
The growing persecution of the Huguenots culminated with theRevocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685. Many Huguenots emigrated, founding such cities asNew Rochelle in the vicinity of today's New York in 1689. La Rochelle, and the siege of 1627 form much of the backdrop to the later chapters ofAlexandre Dumas' classic novel,The Three Musketeers.
Because of its western location, which saved days of sailing time, La Rochelle enjoyed successful fishing in the western Atlantic and trading with theNew World, which served to counterbalance the disadvantage of not being at the mouth of a river (useful for shipping goods to and from the interior). ItsProtestant ship-owning and merchant class prospered in the 16th century until the Wars of Religion devastated the city.[28] The British navy in wartime were alert that shore watchers at La Rochelle were employed.[29]
The period following the wars was a prosperous one, marked by intense exchanges with the New World (Nouvelle France in Canada, and theAntilles). La Rochellearmateurs (shipowners) became very active[30] intriangular trade with the New World, dealing in theslave trade with Africa,sugar trade withplantations of theWest Indies, andfur trade with Canada. This was a period of high artistic, cultural and architectural achievements for the city.[citation needed] La Rochelle was also the port city from which the Carignan-Salieres Regiment departed for Nouvelle France. In 1664, based upon attacks by the Iroquois against the Quebec inhabitants and following the request of the New France Sovereign Council, the French finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert ordered the 24 companies composing the Carignan-Salières Regiment to duty in New France. Beginning with departures from the port of La Rochelle, France on 19 Apr 1665, five troop ships and one supply ship left the French coast. A sixth troop ship, Le Breze, began the journey from the Antilles island in the West Indies. All of the seven ships arrived at Quebec City during the three-month period between 19 Jun 1665 and 14 Sep 1665. They carried approximately 1,200 men of the regiment. Additionally, it was from this port city that many of the estimated 768 women known as theFilles du Roi (Daughters of the King), set sail for Quebec during the period of 1663 to 1673.[citation needed]
The city eventually lost its trade and prominence during the decades spanning theSeven Years' War, theFrench Revolution and theNapoleonic Wars. During that period France lost many of the territorial possessions which it had had in the New World, and also saw a significant decrease in itssea power in the continuing conflicts with Britain, ultimately diminishing the role of such harbours as La Rochelle. After abolitionist movements led by such people asSamuel de Missy, the slave trade of La Rochelle ended with the onset of the French Revolution and the war with England in the 1790s, the last La Rochelle slave ship, theSaint-Jacques being captured in 1793 in theGulf of Guinea.[32] In February 1794, the National Convention passed theLaw of 4 February 1794, which effectively freed all colonial slaves.[citation needed]
La Rochelle became one of the French centres forfaience at the end of the 18th century.[33][34]Bernard Palissy was born in the region and had some bearing in this development. During the 18th century, its style was greatly influenced by Chinese themes and JapaneseKakiemon-type designs.[35][36] Many of these ceramics can be viewed at theMusée d'Orbigny-Bernon.
In 1864, the harbour of La Rochelle (area of the "Bassin à flot" behind the water locks), was the site for the maiden dive experiments of the first mechanically-poweredsubmarine in the World,Plongeur, commanded byMarie-Joseph-Camille Doré, a native of La Rochelle.
During the Second World War, Germany established asubmarine naval base at La Pallice (the main port of La Rochelle).
A German stronghold, La Rochelle was the last French city to be liberated at the end of the war. TheAllied siege of La Rochelle took place between 12 September 1944 and 7 May 1945. The stronghold, including the islands ofRé andOléron, was held by 20,000 German troops under German vice-admiralErnst Schirlitz. Following negotiations by theFrench Navy frigate captain Meyer, the general German capitulation occurred on 7 May and French troops entered La Rochelle on 8 May.
La Rochelle possesses a commercial deep water harbour, namedLa Pallice. The largesubmarine pens built during World War II still stand there, although they are not in use. La Pallice is equipped with oil unloading equipment, and mainly handlestropical wood. It is also the location of the fishing fleet, which was moved from the old harbour in the centre of the city during the 1980s.
La Rochelle harbour by Vernet in 1762 and the same view 2019
TheCalypso, the ship used byJacques-Yves Cousteau as a mobile laboratory for oceanography, and which was sunk after a collision in the port ofSingapore (1996) is now on display (rotting) at the Maritime Museum of La Rochelle.[citation needed]
The Festival de la Fiction is afilm festival that films screens new films in official competitions (French, European, andother Francophone countries), out of competition, and also in special screenings. The first ten years of the festival, from around 1998, took place inSaint-Tropez, before moving to La Rochelle in around 2013 or 2014.[37]
One of the biggest music festivals in France,Les Francofolies de La Rochelle, takes place each summer in La Rochelle, where Francophone musicians come together for a week of concerts and celebration. 2004 marked the 20th anniversary of this event.[citation needed]
La Rochelle's main feature is the "Vieux Port" ("Old Harbour"), which is at the heart of the city, picturesque and lined with seafood restaurants. The city walls are open to an evening promenade. The old town has been well preserved. Three medieval towers are a prominent tourist attraction at the entrance to the harbor:The Chain Tower,The Lantern Tower andSaint Nicolas Tower. From the harbour, boating trips can be taken to theÎle d'Aix andFort Boyard (home to the TV show of the same name). NearbyÎle de Ré is a short drive to the North. The countryside of the surrounding Charente-Maritime is very rural and full of history (Saintes). To the North isVenise Verte, a marshy area of country, crisscrossed with tiny canals and a resort for inland boating. Inland is the country ofCognac andPineau. The nearbyÎle de Ré is accessible via a bridge from La Rochelle.[38]
La Rochelle is served byLa Rochelle - Île de Ré Airport, which has progressively developed over the last 5 years. However, the airport provides direct routes to some European and Middle East destinations. The nearest international airports areNantes Atlantique Airport, located 137 km (85 mi) north andBordeaux-Mérignac Airport, located 191 km (119 mi) south east of La Rochelle.
The train stationGare de La Rochelle offers connections to Bordeaux, Nantes, Poitiers, Paris and several regional destinations.
The original university in La Rochelle wasUniversity Institutes of Technology, established in 1968. Then,University of La Rochelle was incorporated to the technology institute in 1993. And, the second university in the city is theExcelia Group (La Rochelle Business School), which was established in 1988. The city has more than 10,000 students each year,[40][41] with 7,000 and 3,500 students respectively.
Located in La Rochelle is Les Minimes, a marina considered the city's new port for around 5,000 boat vessels.[42] The newly built area also houses university campuses for 10,000 students, which has shops, restaurants, a cinema, and other amenities. There are many residences in a student village, which are accommodation for locals, students or tourists.[43][40] The port is the biggest in Europe, and has a long boat-building past, which today includes companies such asAmel Yachts.[44]
La Rochelle seen from Spot SatelliteThe limestone cliffs around La Rochelle reveal theJurassic geology of the area
The bedrock of La Rochelle and surrounding areas is composed of layers oflimestone dating back to the Sequanian stage (upperOxfordian stage) of theJurassic period (circa 160 million years ago), when a large part of France was submerged. Many of these layers are visible in the white cliffs that border the sea, which contain many small marinefossils. Layers of thick white rock, formed during period of relatively warm seas, alternate with highly fragile layers containing sand and remains of mud, formed during colder periods, and with layers containing various corals, that were formed during warmer, tropical times.[45] The limestone thus formed is traditionally used as the main building material throughout the region.
The area ofLa Pointe du Chay about five kilometres (three miles) from La Rochelle is a cliff area visited for leisurely geological surveys.[citation needed]
UnderKöppen's climate classification, La Rochelle features anoceanic climate. Although at the same latitude asQuebec City in Canada or theKuril Islands in Russia, the area experiences mild weather throughout the year due to the influence of theGulf Stream waters, the summers are relatively warm, andinsolation is remarkably high—the highest in Western France, including sea resorts much further to the south such asBiarritz. La Rochelle seldom experiences very cold or very warm weather. These specific conditions – summer: dry and sunny, winter: mild and wet – have led to the establishment of a Mediterranean-type vegetation cohabiting with more continental and oceanic types of vegetation.
Climate data for La Rochelle, France (1991–2020 averages, extremes 1955–present)
Its inhabitants are called "les Rochelaises" and "les Rochelais" in French.[51] The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of La Rochelle proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of La Rochelle absorbed part of the former commune of Saint-Maurice in 1858 and Laleu in 1880.[52]
La Rochelle is the setting for the best-selling series of French languagetextbooks in the UK, titledTricolore. The central character, Martine Dhome,[58] lives with her family at the fictional address of 12, rue de la République.
Ambrette Town inPokémon X and Y's Kalos region is inspired by La Rochelle.[59]
Since 1991 the city has annually hosted theMarathon de La Rochelle, the second-most popular marathon of France and an international-level race which featured 10,000 participants in 2010.[60]
^Kurlansky, Mark.Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World. Walker and Co., New York, 1997 pp. 51–52.ISBN0-8027-1326-2.
^"Charles II - volume 161: July 1–7, 1666."Calendar of State Papers Domestic: Charles II, 1665-6. Ed. Mary Anne Everett Green. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1864. 485-510.British History Online Retrieved 26 June 2021.
^"Heavily potted plates with crude red and green Chinese figures were made in large numbers " inCollecting European delft and faience Diana Imber, Praeger, 1968, p.60
^"The industry only really started to flourish in La Rochelle towards the middle of the 18th century (...) new everyday vessels were decorated "au petit feu" with flowers and Chinese figures then in fashion."Cahiers de la céramique du verre et des arts du feu, Issues 41–45 Musée national de céramique (France). Société des amis du Musée national de céramique, 1968
^"About".Festival de la Fiction. Retrieved22 May 2024.
^"La Rochelle (17)"(PDF).Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records (in French). Meteo France. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 10 March 2018. Retrieved10 March 2018.
^"La Rochelle (17)"(PDF).Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1991–2020 et records (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved10 March 2018.
Boardman, John (1993),The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity,Princeton,ISBN0-691-03680-2{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
Heebøll-Holm, Thomas Kristian (2013), "Guerra Maritima",Ports, Piracy, and Maritime War: Piracy in the English Channel and the Atlantic, c. 1280–c. 1330,Medieval Law and Its Practice, Vol. 15, vol. 15, Leiden: Brill, pp. 83–126,JSTOR10.1163/j.ctv4cbhhw.9.
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