Since the Vendée held a considerable number of influentialProtestants, including control byJeanne d'Albret mother of Henry IV of France, the region was greatly affected by theFrench Wars of Religion which broke out in 1562 and continued until 1598. In April of that yearKing Henri IV issued theEdict of Nantes and the Wars came to an end. The revocation of theEdict of Nantes in 1685 caused manyHuguenots to flee from the Vendée. In the void, the region became rigorously Catholic due to the influence of a preacher and Marian missionaryLouis de Montfort who radically changed the spirituality of the region. Many attribute the effect of his preaching to prepare the Vendeans for their revolt against the French Revolution.[4]
TheVendeans revolted against theRevolutionary government in 1793. They resented the harsh oppression imposed on theCatholic Church by the provisions of theCivil Constitution of the Clergy act (1790) and broke into open revolt after the Revolutionary government's imposition of militaryconscription. A massacre of Republicans atMachecoul in March was followed byguerrilla warfare, led at the outset by peasants who were chosen in each locale, and cost more than 240,000 lives before it ended in 1796 (190,000 Vendeans who were republicans or royalists and 50,000 non-Vendean republican soldiers; according to the Jacques Hussenet and Centre Vendéen de Recherche Historique's bookDétruisez la Vendée).
The Revolt in the Vendée must not be confused with the revolt of theChouans, which took place at the same time in Maine andBrittany. The revolt was led by able officers, mostly aristocrats with some commoners. England provided funds and weapons but various plans for military support were thwarted or cancelled, such as the ill-fated 1795Quiberon Expedition. In 1804,Napoleon I choseLa Roche-sur-Yon to be the capital of thedepartment. At the time, most of La Roche had been eradicated in theVendée Revolt (1793–96); the renamed Napoléonville was laid out and a fresh population of soldiers and civil servants was brought in. Napoléonville had a square-grid street network and was designed to accommodate 15,000 people.[5]
In 1850,English authorAnthony Trollope published his bookLa Vendée, detailing the history of the region and the war. In the preface he pays tribute toMadame de la Rochejaquelein, on whose memoirs of the war he based his story.
The nameVendée is taken from the riverVendée which runs through the southeastern part of the department. The river is attested asFluvium Vendre in the 10th century, and asFlumen Vendee andVendeia by the 11th century. According to Pierre-Henri Billy, the name ultimately derives from theCeltic toponym*vindo- meaning white or brilliant in a sacred context (as in theModern Welshgwyn/wyn). The name likely originates inProto-Celtic orGaulish, but may also have originated in theGallo orOld Breton languages.[7]
The department is crossed by four rivers: the Sèvre Nantaise (135 kilometres (84 mi) long), the Vendée (70 kilometres (43 mi)), the Lay (110 kilometres (68 mi)) and the Sèvre Niortaise (150 kilometres (93 mi)).
The most populous commune isLa Roche-sur-Yon, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The 10 most populous communes are:[3]
The main University of this department is theCatholic Institute of Higher Studies - ICES[10] in La Roche-sur-Yon. The main goal of this institute is to achieve academic excellence through an enhancement of the Christian and human dimension in seven areas of study. Founded in 1989,Catholic Institute of Higher Studies - ICES has pioneered a new concept in higher education, that of the "University School": halfway between the French Grande École and the traditional state university.
The Vendée has been cited as the most economically dynamic department in France by L'Express magazine in a 2006 survey.[11] Its economy is characterised by a low rate of unemployment (around 7% in late 2006 compared to more than 9% nationally) and a very high proportion of small and medium-sized businesses (one business for every 14 inhabitants).
The coast of the Vendée extends over 200 kilometres (120 mi) of mostly sandy beaches. Tourists from overseas and locally frequent them. Some resorts includeLes Sables-d'Olonne, La Tranche-sur-Mer andSaint-Jean-de-Monts. Some beaches are certified for theFEEBlue Flag for cleanliness.
With more than 160 kilometres (100 mi)[clarification needed] of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pine woods. There are severalnude beaches including just south of La Faute sur Mer on the Pointe d'Arçay. The department also has churches and abbeys, museums, and—for nature lovers—thousands of marked footpaths, a signposted bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats, and marshes that attract unusual birds. There is fishing in the Vendée's rivers and lakes.
Inland, the chief attractions include theMarais Poitevin (an area of marshlands famed for wildlife), the forested area around the village of Mervent and the rolling countryside of the Bocage. In the north of the department, the historical theme parkPuy du Fou attracts more than 1.45 million of visitors per year.
Agriculture remains a significant source of employment in the Vendée. Among departments, it has the second highest level of revenue from agriculture in France. The major arable crops grown are maize,colza, wheat and sunflowers. Meat and dairy production also feature, as does the offshore farming of shellfish (oysters and mussels). Poultry from Challans is highly regarded nationwide as is lamb produced from the salt marshes in the North of the Vendée.
Demonstrating its support for the agricultural sector, the Conseil Général of the Vendée has a stated policy to promote the construction of irrigation reservoirs to reduce dependence on ground water during key summer growing seasons.
The Vendée is home to a number of food processing firms.[12] A manufacturer of ready-meals andcharcuterie employs the majority of its workforce (some 3000 people) at local plants. Other employers include bakeries and biscuit producers.[citation needed]
The department also has some speciality products, includingbrioche (Label Rouge) and a raw cured ham (Jambon de Vendée) similar in flavour to bacon.[citation needed]
Wine is also produced in the area around the communes of Vix, Brem, Pissotte and Mareuil-sur-Lay, and is marketed under the "Fiefs Vendéens" designation. Production quality has improved markedly over recent years, and, having already achieved the classificationVin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS), the wines are on their way towards A.O.C status (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée).[13]
Much of the manufacturing industry in the Vendée reflects its status as a major tourist destination. Mobile homes are manufactured at plants inLuçon and the building of motor and sail yachts takes place at locations all over the department. The service sector too is strongly inclined towards tourism with campsites, restaurants and other tourism businesses being important sources of revenue and employment.
In the writings ofKarl Marx regarding revolutionary struggles in various countries, he uses the term "a Vendée" as meaning "a focus of persistent counter-revolutionary activities".Vladimir Lenin, when speaking aboutCossacks as potential counter-revolutionary opposition, identified them asRussian Vendée.[14]
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