Aunis
Encyclopedia
Aunis is a historical province of France
, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime
. Its historic capital is La Rochelle
, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon)
the historic capital which gives its name to the province.
It was a fief of the Duchy of Aquitaine. It extended to Marais Poitevin
in the north, Basse Saintonge
(and Niortais) in the east, and Rochefortais in the south. Aunis had an influence approximately 20–25 km into the Isle of Ré
(l'Île de Ré).
The province was officially recognised during the reign of Charles V of France
in 1374:"In 1374, Charles V separated La Rochelle from Saintonge to set up a provincial government, comprising the jurisdictions of Rochefort, Marennes and, for a time, Benon. It was thus that Aunis legally became a separate province."
Aunis was the smallest province in France, in terms of area. Nowadays it is a part of the Charente-Maritime
département together with Saintonge
.
People from Aunis were called Aunisien (masculine) or Anisienne (feminine).
The region is coastal, with varied seafronts and offshore islands, from which maritime activities diversified. Nowadays tourism is of great importance.
in the north, and the Charente River
in the south. To the west is the Atlantic Ocean and two islands, the Île de Ré
and the Île d'Aix. To the east it is bordered by the valley of the Mignon River (the main left tributary of the Sèvre Niortaise), by the hills of Saintonge
around Saint-Félix
, and by the valleys of the Trézence and Boutonne
.The territorial boundaries of Aunis have changed a lot over time. Those described here omit enlargement eastwards; for practical reasons, the borders are "usually" confined to administrative limits of the cantons of Surgères and Tonnay-Charente
Aunis is a chalk plain of the Jurassic
period, characterised by gently rolling hills, where no valley is completely enclosed, and where the land has a regular descent towards the sea. The islands of Ré and Aix were made at the same time and from the same type of rock. The chalk table completes the triangular promontory which juts into the Atlantic, forming the northern extremity of the Aquitaine Basin.
Large freshwater and seawater marshes have formed in places that have been drained, hardly altering the general relief. The seawater marshes correspond to ancient marine gulfs, made from marine or fluvial sediments. Since the Middle Ages they have been continuously drained by man. In the north, the Marais Poitevin
dries up, at the centre there are the valleys of the small river Curé and its main tributary the Virson
and in the east the valley of the Mignon River). In the south is the marshland of "Little Flanders" , drained since the 17th century. Together these constitute an important reservoir of fresh water, essential for the agricultural and snail-farming activities of the north of the department.
, Marais de Rochefort – which were for much of history obstacles for overland travel
Huge efforts were made to break this geographical isolation. Without doubt the most spectacular was the coming of the railway in 1857, running from La Rochelle
and Rochefort
to Paris. This line has been repeatedly modernised (made double track
, and electrified in 1993 for use by the TGV
).
The regional railways connecting Nantes
to Bordeaux
also serve Aunis, passing through La Rochelle
, Châtelaillon-Plage
and Rochefort
.
Roads have also been considerably modernised, notably the roads from La Rochelle to Rochefort, from La Rochelle to Niort, the A837 autoroute
from Rochefort to Saintes, the viaduct over the Charente River
at Rochefort, the ring road around La Rochelle
, and the bridge to the Île de Ré
, all of which are now dual carriageway
s.
The modernisation of communication infrastructure had its heyday in the second half of the 19th century, at the end of the Second French Empire
, and economic activity diversified.
(wheat, maize, oil seed) and livestock farming. Dairy cows have long been the mainstay, but more and more cows and bulls are raised for beef (principally in the marshy areas).
Vineyards were virtually abandoned after phylloxera
wiped them out in 1876, although there are still some on the Île de Ré
.
At sea, between the estuary of the Sèvre Niortaise
and the north of La Rochelle, mussel farming has an important place, while Fouras
and the Marais d'Yves Nature Reserve are the main centres for oyster farming. La Rochelle keeps its place as a fishing port thanks to its modern port of Chef-de-Baie, but even so fishing is in decline.The port of La Rochelle is no longer practically used for industrial-scale fishing, but was ranked the 4th largest French fishing port in the early 1970s. Nowadays it is the second fishing port of the Charente-Maritime department, behind Cotinière, on the Île d'Oléron
Reclamation of sea salt
from the marshes of Aunis brought the region its riches in the Middle Ages, but this has now completely disappeared from the coast of mainland Aunis. However, it still takes place on the Île de Ré and notably on the nearby Île d'Ars, and has lately achieved a certain notability for its small-volume craft production and minimal postprocessing.
In the north-east of Aunis there is a huge forest of hardwood trees, the Forest of Benon, which has been protected because it is unique to the region. With an area of 3300 hectares (8,154.5 acre), it is the Aunisiens' "green belt
".
Aunis does not have the strong industrial tradition which is the trademark of regions of the North and of Lorraine, and it was only at the end of the 19th century that factories started to be developed. After World War II, industry in Aunis continued, was reinforced, diversified and brought up-to-date.
Three industrial hubs emerged in Aunis to bring together the industries of Charente-Maritime:
In addition there are two smaller, newer industrial areas: Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
and Marans
.
and Fouras
gained notability, while the larger beaches such as those of the Île de Ré became national treasures from the 1960s. The Pertuis d'Antioche
, which is effectively an inland sea, was popular for pleasure boating in the 1970s. La Rochelle, with its immense Port des Minimes, can hold pleasure boats, and has become the largest pleasure boating port on the French Atlantic. Ars-en-Ré
, La Flotte
et Saint-Martin-de-Ré
are also well-known pleasure ports, while the river ports of Marans on the Sèvre niortaise, and Rochefort, on the Charente, had disused port basins that have become home to pleasure boats, and can each take more than 200 craft.
The Île de Ré
lives totally by tourism and can accommodate up to tourists during the summer season. This "invasion" is even more pronounced on the Île d'Aix which accommodates up to tourists each year, even though it does not have a car bridge.
Aunis has also developed its cultural and urban tourism with its two great historical towns of La Rochelle and Rochefort. The small towns of the interior are not without interest and have enhanced their heritage sites, like Surgères
(Notre-Dame church, castle, renovated town centre) and Marans
(port and river site), Tonnay-Charente
(management of Charente quays). Aunis has made huge efforts to put in place green tourism and has developed, notably at Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
, quality tourist bases (lac de Frace, tourist complex of La Taillée).
In 2010, the northwest of the department had ten of the seventeen towns of over inhabitants, and 31 of the department's 60 communes of over inhabitants.
The region covers 1497.16 km² (578.1 sq mi), 21.8% of the whole department.
The population density of the region is more than twice that of the departmental average:abbr=on 192, compared to abbr=on 87 for Charente-Maritime as a whole. It is nearly thrice that of the Poitou-Charentes region at abbr=on 67 and is higher than the national average, which in 2006 was abbr=on 113.
The ratio of urban to rural population is comparable to the national average, which is 3:4. This is considerably different from Charente-Maritime as a whole, where the ratio is nearer 3:5.
The region became considerably more urban after World War II, though the population is unevenly distributed. Above all, the Aunis coastal towns have expanded to provide the larger part of employment and leisure.
La Rochelle and Rochefort are the most populous urban areas not just in Aunis but in all Charente-Maritime. The two towns are becoming twin cities
with many suburbs, connected by regular railway trains. This heavily built-up area is now home to over inhabitants ( inhabitants in 2006).La Rochelle contributing and Rochefort This urban area is second in the region after the "Clain
corridor", which runs between Poitiers
and Châtellerault
. Near the coast the towns have formed a dense urban web and the population density is particularly high: abbr=on 288 in the three cantons of Rochefort,The cantons of Rochefort Centre, North and South – 2006 census (municipal population) abbr=on 686 in the canton of Aytré
,This canton combines the communes of Angoulins-sur-Mer, Châtelaillon-Plage
and Aytré
– 2006 census (municipal population) abbr=on 919 in the combined cantons of La Rochelle.La Rochelle cantons 1 – 9 and the canton of Aytré – 2006 census (municipal population) The La Rochelle-Rochefort twin city area alone includes nine towns of the seventeen with more than inhabitants, and twenty communes with more than inhabitants, of the sixty in Charente-Maritime in 2006.
The concentration of the population is even greater in the immediate neighbours of La Rochelle, where the canton of La Jarrie
had a population density of abbr=on 149 in 2006.In the community of communes of the Aunis Plain, where the small towns of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
and La Jarrie
are found, the density is nearly abbr=on 100 (abbr=on 98 in 2006)
Beyond the La Rochelle-Rochefort twin city area, the population density is lower, and is indeed lower than the departmental average, which was abbr=on 87 in 2006. The cantons of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
, Surgères
and Marans
had respectively abbr=on 70, abbr=on 62 and abbr=on 62. Only the Canton of Courçon
had a density of less than abbr=on 50 (46 abbr=on in 2006), even though its population surged between 1999 and 2006 by 28.4%. The Pays d'Aunis, an administrative region comprising four communes (Courçon, Pays Marandais, Plaine d'Aunis and Surgères), returned a census in 2006 of inhabitants in an area of 939 square kilometres (362.5 sq mi), giving a density of abbr=on 65. It is still a mostly rural region, but is rapidly becoming more built-up.
Urbanisation has been just as fast on the Île de Ré, especially in the east. In the Canton of Saint-Martin-de-Ré
all the communes have over inhabitants, and the population density is one of the highest of the entire department, at abbr=on 299 in 2006 compared to abbr=on 87 for the whole department and abbr=on 242 for the urban area of La Rochelle. In 2006 the population density of the Île de Ré was the highest of the entire French coast, being a record high of abbr=on 207.
The principal towns of Aunis are:For this purpose is meant the administrative area of La Rochelle and the "rural" areas of the Île de Ré, of Pays d'Aunis and of Rochefortais
in 778, the name of Aunis, written as , appeared in the last will and testament of Count Roger.
But the etymology of the name has been given many different interpretations and folk etymologies that are still used today. Even so, some people think "The most probable origin is that the town of Aulnay
(Aulnay en Saintongeais
), which was more important in the Middle Ages than it is today. Aulnay marked the frontier between Santones
and Pictones
. Little by little the province shrank until the frontier was situated a long way from Aulnay. It is the smallest province in France". This interpretation does not pass muster, because there is absolutely no connection between the original names of Aulnay which, in Latin, were written (in 951) or (in 970), so that Aunis, with its older name as seen above, was written or instead . Even now, there is no consensus among historians and etymologists.
Etymologists have proposed three possible interpretations which deserve consideration:
times, the northern part of Santonie,, "Santone Country" which became called "Aunis", was a long-neglected region far from civilisation, with no communications.
The old "Forest of Argenson" covered the entire region. For many centuries this huge forest made a near-impenetrable natural frontier stretching from the Boutonne
and Charente River
s to the east, which kept it apart from the ancient province of the Pictones
. This was the (Alder
Region), where the trees had established themselves on rivebanks and in the marshy valleys, but where beech
es and oak
s also made up a dark and mysterious forest, awe-inspiring and full of superstition.Some of these feelings and superstitions are still around
Moreover, the deep sea gulfs (Gulf of Pictones, to the north, Gulf of Santones
, to the south) made it a slender peninsula. Its seclusion lent its name as , now Saintonge
. This geographic isolation made communications and trade very poor. One can see from a road map of Gallo-Roman times, Aunis is entirely absent. The old Roman road which ran from (now the town of Saintes
) to (now the town of Angers
) was routed entirely to the east of Aunis. The name of this Roman road remains in some modern place names as ("St Felix's Way") and ("Marshland Way"): this is Route départmentale D.120, which runs from Saint-Jean-d'Angély until the department's border with Deux-Sèvres
. This Roman road is found in the "Table de Peutinger
", where again no Roman road goes into Aunis.
Finally, the valleys of the rivers Curé, Virson, Mignon, and Gères, which were much larger than today, cut deeply through the region's invading forest. But they had the inconvenience of being marshy and prone to floods that turned them into real marshes and bogs, making the region particularly difficult to reach.
All these natural phenomena combined, so that it has been said "this region [...], often flooded and marshy, has its riches, is easy to defend, but cannot become the fulcrum for an attack".
The coast was occupied by the Celts, even during the time of – they preferred to call the area Saintonge and themselves Santones
– and then the Romans
in the 1st century BC. Saintonge offered better living and working conditions than the northern area (Aunis) thanks to the large valleys of the Charente River and its two principal tributaries, the Seugne
and the Boutonne
. The huge Gironde Estuary
of the Seudre
alllowed direct contact with the more advanced civilisation of the Roman Empire to the south, via notably, the Garonne
valley. Transport was largely on the waterways, even after the Romans had built their more advanced – and more expensive – roads.
Before the Roman conquest around the middle of the 1st century AD, the Celts had a stronghold over the northern shores of the Gulf of Santones. They had even colonised some of the islands in the gulf, which today are part of the Marais (marsh) de Rochefort.These comprise the marsh of "la Petite Flandre", drained in the 17th century The Santones had worked laboriously to perfect a technique of saltwater extraction, and their ancient production sites were put right on the shoreline. These are ("salt sites").Thanks to archaeology, dozens of have been found along the ancient shoreline of Aunis, mainly in the area that is now the Marais de Rochefort These small-scale production sites were particularly numerous in the north of the Gulf of Santones, equally along the coastline, in the deep estuaries, and all around the islands (notably the Île d'Albe).Commune of Muron
The salt sites were quickly abandoned after the Roman conquest, because the new colonists brought with them a better-performing and more-productive technique for producing salt. Nevertheless, the Romans preferred to have their first salt marshes in the south, notably at Marennes
, and on the banks of the Seudre
River. Salt production, which before had been driven by profit, could be done faster around the Gironde,where the great port of lies which became an important arterial river for the transport of goods to and from the southern provinces of the Roman Empire.
During the first three centuries of the Gallo-Roman period, the Romans were especially keen to colonise the area between the coastline of Aunis and the ancient sylve d'Argenson ("Forest of Argenson"), taking lands latterly in Santone hands. The new colonists, somewhat turning their backs to the sea, set up their – large farms of some dozens of acres, predating the towns themselves – at Ardillières
, Le Thou
, Ballon
, and Thairé
. All these sites left numerous archaeological finds: at Ballon, the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa have been found; at Ardillières, tombs with Gallo-Roman objects have been recovered; at Thou, a Gallo-Roman villa and some coins were discovered in the 19th century.
However, near the end of the 3rd century AD, the entered a new age of prosperity, and its northern part was just as prosperous, after it was integrated into Aquitaine. The Romans also had interests in the "Pays des Aulnes" and had started to clear the Forest of Argenson on its eastern border. During the 1st century AD they had built the Roman road connecting (Saintes) to (Angers) but it passed Aunis by, so clearings were opened into this vast forest, notably at Vouhé
. Here remains of a Gallo-Roman villa have been restored, together with many fragmentary finds. At Saint-Georges-du-Bois
, previously Argenton, the Romans built a small amphitheatre
.
In the 4th century AD the Romans decided to clear the Forest of Argenson along the southern shores of the Gulf of Pictones, which had been occupied by Celts since ancient times. The present Forest of Benon is in this area, where the Romans also established , whose names still linger on, such as that of the Gallo-Roman site in the commune of Saint-Ouen-d'Aunis
., or the old – nowadays the commune of Nuaillé-d'Aunis
, or indeed that of at Saint-Sauveur-d'Aunis
.
These attempts at deforestation and colonisation did succeed, albeit belatedly, but came to a halt with the invasions of the 5th century AD. So, the "barbarous" peopleA term used by the Romans to refer to anyone outside the Empire's borders; here it means the invaders of Gaul
sealed the fall of the western Roman Empire, with pillage and destruction from which Santonie did not escape. The province was then occupied by the Visigoths from the start of the 5th century AD, and then by the Franks
, who took over after their victory in Vouillé
in 507 AD.
It was under Carolingian rule that Saintonge truly entered recorded history.
Its name, , appears for the first time in 785. It was under the control of the Counts of Poitou
. Towards the end of the 10th century, after Carolingian power collapsed, Aunis separated from Saintonge and had its first capital, Châtelaillon.
In the 9th and 10th centuries the Counts of Poitou hastened to fortify the Aunis coast. They built the four-tower fortress at Châtelaillon as their stronghold to deal with the Viking
threat. But repeated Norman
incursions into the interior, reached by river and stream, caused great insecurity. So in the 9th century the Duke of Poitou built the fortified city of Surgères
, also called the of Benon, with "a tower that stood in the middle of a square, encircled by two paths and three moats".
At the end of the 11th century, the Counts of Poitou started to pay attention to the forsaken backwaters of the region, and made them a priority. Above all, they encouraged powerful abbeys to be founded after clearing the Forest of Argenson. (God's Grace) Abbey was built in Benon
, being the first Cistercian abbey to be founded in Aunis, and an active participant in the forest clearing movement. The clearings opened the way into the ancient forest to set up villages and farming (wheat, oats, barley) and to plant vine
s. The powerful monasteries, backed up by the lords, helped with the clearings of Aunis in the 11th century. But it is mostly during the 12th and 13th centuries that these earthworks were completed; much later that they became the "plain" of Aunis.
On the coast, the salt waters had become amenable and created Aunis's wealth, and by the end of the 11th century its prosperity was assured. Châtelaillon rapidly became the largest fortified city in Aunis and an important port for the transport of salt from Aunis, and wine from Saintonge.
After the demise of Châtelaillon in 1130, La Rochelle
quickly rose to prominence and became the new capital of Aunis: "The demise of Châtelaillon dates to 1130, but it was only in 1144 that Alon family control was removed. A party assembled at Mauléon, the nearest island to Aunis, and they built the new town of La Rochelle there starting in 1151".
The province was thus controlled in 1130 by William X, Duke of Aquitaine, bringing the dowry
of Eleanor of Aquitaine
to Louis VII of France
, then, after their divorce and her remarriage, to King Henry II of England
. Aunis was returned to the French with Louis VIII of France
in 1224, but was restored by the Treaty of Brittany in 1360 by John II of France
. This yoke was shaken off in 1371, and the province restored to King Charles V of France
.
The province was much larger in mediaeval times, and underwent numerous changes to its borders. It extended from the Marais Poitevin
in the north, to the lower valley of the Charente River
in the south; to the west, it included the islands of Île de Ré
and the Île d'Aix, at the mouth of the Charente. However, in the east the borders were often ill defined and subject to change. It is likely that Aunis extended to the ports ot Niort
and also included the of Saint-Jean d'Angély. With the official establishment of the province in 1374, during the reign of Charles V of France, Aunis recovered Rochefort and Marennes, but its eastern boundaries were still vague.
, started in the time of Francis I of France
, gave Aunis much greater power: it was the last stand of the resistance movement, which survived until La Rochelle fell in 1628.
, Aunis was a very small province both in area and population. Despite the resistance of its inhabitants and the energetic interventions of its leaders, in 1790 it was coalesced with the much larger region of Saintonge
to form the Department of Charente-Maritime
.From its creation in 1790 until 1941, the department was named because it was at the downstream end of the Charente River; the neighbouring Department of Charente
was farther upstream and so called
In Surgères:
In Rochefort:
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
. Its historic capital is La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon)
Châtelaillon-Plage
Châtelaillon-Plage is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is twinned with Knebworth in England.-Population:-History:...
the historic capital which gives its name to the province.
It was a fief of the Duchy of Aquitaine. It extended to Marais Poitevin
Marais Poitevin
The Marais Poitevin is a large area of marshland in Western France, a remnant of the former Gulf of Poitou...
in the north, Basse Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
(and Niortais) in the east, and Rochefortais in the south. Aunis had an influence approximately 20–25 km into the Isle of Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
(l'Île de Ré).
The province was officially recognised during the reign of Charles V of France
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
in 1374:"In 1374, Charles V separated La Rochelle from Saintonge to set up a provincial government, comprising the jurisdictions of Rochefort, Marennes and, for a time, Benon. It was thus that Aunis legally became a separate province."
Aunis was the smallest province in France, in terms of area. Nowadays it is a part of the Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
département together with Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
.
People from Aunis were called Aunisien (masculine) or Anisienne (feminine).
Geography
Aunis is mostly a rolling chalk plain, whose navigable rivers have always been important modes of communication, and from which came economic development and the urbanisation of the region.The region is coastal, with varied seafronts and offshore islands, from which maritime activities diversified. Nowadays tourism is of great importance.
Geographic framework
Aunis has two river borders, those of the Sèvre NiortaiseSèvre Niortaise
The Sèvre Niortaise is a river in western France, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres département, near Sepvret, north of Melle.It flows through the following départements and towns:...
in the north, and the Charente River
Charente River
The Charente is a 381 km long river in southwestern France.Its source is in the Haute-Vienne département at Chéronnac, a small village near Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime...
in the south. To the west is the Atlantic Ocean and two islands, the Île de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
and the Île d'Aix. To the east it is bordered by the valley of the Mignon River (the main left tributary of the Sèvre Niortaise), by the hills of Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
around Saint-Félix
Saint-Félix, Charente-Maritime
Saint-Félix is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, and by the valleys of the Trézence and Boutonne
Boutonne
The Boutonne is a long river in the Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime départements, western France. Its source is in the village of Chef-Boutonne . It flows generally southwest...
.The territorial boundaries of Aunis have changed a lot over time. Those described here omit enlargement eastwards; for practical reasons, the borders are "usually" confined to administrative limits of the cantons of Surgères and Tonnay-Charente
Aunis is a chalk plain of the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
period, characterised by gently rolling hills, where no valley is completely enclosed, and where the land has a regular descent towards the sea. The islands of Ré and Aix were made at the same time and from the same type of rock. The chalk table completes the triangular promontory which juts into the Atlantic, forming the northern extremity of the Aquitaine Basin.
Large freshwater and seawater marshes have formed in places that have been drained, hardly altering the general relief. The seawater marshes correspond to ancient marine gulfs, made from marine or fluvial sediments. Since the Middle Ages they have been continuously drained by man. In the north, the Marais Poitevin
Marais Poitevin
The Marais Poitevin is a large area of marshland in Western France, a remnant of the former Gulf of Poitou...
dries up, at the centre there are the valleys of the small river Curé and its main tributary the Virson
Virson
Virson is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean is situated to the west.-Population:-External links:* *...
and in the east the valley of the Mignon River). In the south is the marshland of "Little Flanders" , drained since the 17th century. Together these constitute an important reservoir of fresh water, essential for the agricultural and snail-farming activities of the north of the department.
Transport
The geography of the plain was always very unfavourable for communications. The region was almost an enclave, and for a long time on the margins of the French kingdom politically as well as geographically.This regional enclave was even more isolated by the marshes – Marais PoitevinMarais Poitevin
The Marais Poitevin is a large area of marshland in Western France, a remnant of the former Gulf of Poitou...
, Marais de Rochefort – which were for much of history obstacles for overland travel
Huge efforts were made to break this geographical isolation. Without doubt the most spectacular was the coming of the railway in 1857, running from La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
and Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
to Paris. This line has been repeatedly modernised (made double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
, and electrified in 1993 for use by the TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
).
The regional railways connecting Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
to Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
also serve Aunis, passing through La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, Châtelaillon-Plage
Châtelaillon-Plage
Châtelaillon-Plage is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is twinned with Knebworth in England.-Population:-History:...
and Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
.
Roads have also been considerably modernised, notably the roads from La Rochelle to Rochefort, from La Rochelle to Niort, the A837 autoroute
A837 autoroute
The A837 autoroute is a motorway in western France it is also known as the Autoroute des Oiseaux.Approximately 38 km long it connects Saintes to Rochefort.-Junctions:*Exchange A10-A837 Junction with A10 to Bordeaux to Paris....
from Rochefort to Saintes, the viaduct over the Charente River
Charente River
The Charente is a 381 km long river in southwestern France.Its source is in the Haute-Vienne département at Chéronnac, a small village near Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime...
at Rochefort, the ring road around La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, and the bridge to the Île de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
, all of which are now dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
s.
The modernisation of communication infrastructure had its heyday in the second half of the 19th century, at the end of the Second French Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
, and economic activity diversified.
Agricultural and maritime activities
The two principal agricultural resources are intensive arable farmingAgronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
(wheat, maize, oil seed) and livestock farming. Dairy cows have long been the mainstay, but more and more cows and bulls are raised for beef (principally in the marshy areas).
Vineyards were virtually abandoned after phylloxera
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
wiped them out in 1876, although there are still some on the Île de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
.
At sea, between the estuary of the Sèvre Niortaise
Sèvre Niortaise
The Sèvre Niortaise is a river in western France, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres département, near Sepvret, north of Melle.It flows through the following départements and towns:...
and the north of La Rochelle, mussel farming has an important place, while Fouras
Fouras
Fouras is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France. It lies 34 km south of La Rochelle.-Geography:Fouras is on a peninsula...
and the Marais d'Yves Nature Reserve are the main centres for oyster farming. La Rochelle keeps its place as a fishing port thanks to its modern port of Chef-de-Baie, but even so fishing is in decline.The port of La Rochelle is no longer practically used for industrial-scale fishing, but was ranked the 4th largest French fishing port in the early 1970s. Nowadays it is the second fishing port of the Charente-Maritime department, behind Cotinière, on the Île d'Oléron
Reclamation of sea salt
Sea salt
Sea salt, salt obtained by the evaporation of seawater, is used in cooking and cosmetics. It is historically called bay salt or solar salt...
from the marshes of Aunis brought the region its riches in the Middle Ages, but this has now completely disappeared from the coast of mainland Aunis. However, it still takes place on the Île de Ré and notably on the nearby Île d'Ars, and has lately achieved a certain notability for its small-volume craft production and minimal postprocessing.
In the north-east of Aunis there is a huge forest of hardwood trees, the Forest of Benon, which has been protected because it is unique to the region. With an area of 3300 hectares (8,154.5 acre), it is the Aunisiens' "green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
".
Industrial diversification
- La Rochelle Chamber of Commerce
- Rochefort and Saintonge Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Aunis does not have the strong industrial tradition which is the trademark of regions of the North and of Lorraine, and it was only at the end of the 19th century that factories started to be developed. After World War II, industry in Aunis continued, was reinforced, diversified and brought up-to-date.
Three industrial hubs emerged in Aunis to bring together the industries of Charente-Maritime:
- La RochelleLa RochelleLa Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
specialised in railway construction (AlstomAlstomAlstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
) and naval construction (Chantiers navals Gamelin), motor parts (Delphi Corporation), food industries (Senoble), chemicals and pharmaceuticals (RhodiaRhodia (company)Rhodia is a group specialized in fine chemistry, synthetic fibers and polymers. Rhodia is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange on NYSE Euronext. The company services the consumer goods, automotive, energy, manufacturing and processes and electronics markets...
) and pleasure boats (DufourDufour YachtsDufour Yachts is a French sailboat manufacturer which was founded in 1964 by designer Michael Dufour.-History:* Dufour 365 Grand Large* Dufour 375 Grand Large * Dufour 405 Grand Large* Dufour 425 Grand Large* Dufour 455 Grand Large...
, Fontaine-Pajot). It is by far the largest hub of the department. It is also a large commercial port, the eighth largest in all France. In 2007 it was granted the status of ("self-governing port"). - RochefortRochefort, Charente-MaritimeRochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
and Tonnay-CharenteTonnay-CharenteTonnay-Charente is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.In the 18th century it was the home town of Prominent Irish Physician Dr...
developed port activities on the Charente River. The two towns have diverse industrial activities with aerospace (EADSEADSThe European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
, Simair), automotive industry, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, chemical and plastics industries, pleasure boating, among them. The industrial area of Rochefort-Tonnay-Charente is the second hub of the department. - SurgèresSurgèresSurgères is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.-Surrounding communes:...
has become a hub for the food industry, augmented by metallurgical and plastic industries.
In addition there are two smaller, newer industrial areas: Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Neighbouring communes:*Saint-Christophe, La Jarrie, Croix-Chapeau, Le Thou, Forges, Virson-Population:-External links:*...
and Marans
Marans
The Marans is a breed of chicken originating in France. It is a medium breed compared to others, popular for poultry shows and is a dual purpose fowl known both for its extremely dark eggs as well as for its very fine meat qualities.-Appearance:...
.
Tourism
Thanks to the sea, Aunis developed its tourist potential which, in the late 19th century, came to the fore with the trend for sea bathing. Bathing beaches such as Châtelaillon-PlageChâtelaillon-Plage
Châtelaillon-Plage is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is twinned with Knebworth in England.-Population:-History:...
and Fouras
Fouras
Fouras is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France. It lies 34 km south of La Rochelle.-Geography:Fouras is on a peninsula...
gained notability, while the larger beaches such as those of the Île de Ré became national treasures from the 1960s. The Pertuis d'Antioche
Pertuis d'Antioche
The Pertuis d'Antioche is a strait on the Atlantic coast of Western France, located between the two islands Île de Ré and Île d'Oléron and the continental coast, between the cities of La Rochelle and the naval arsenal of Rochefort...
, which is effectively an inland sea, was popular for pleasure boating in the 1970s. La Rochelle, with its immense Port des Minimes, can hold pleasure boats, and has become the largest pleasure boating port on the French Atlantic. Ars-en-Ré
Ars-en-Ré
Ars-en-Ré is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.It is one of the 10 communes located on the Île de Ré in the northwestern part of the island.-Population:-Sights:...
, La Flotte
La Flotte
La Flotte is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is situated on the Île de Ré.-Population:-References:*...
et Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Saint-Martin-de-Ré is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is one of the 10 communes located on the Île de Ré.-History:Saint-Martin-de-Ré has extensive fortifications, reflecting the strategic importance of the Île de Ré...
are also well-known pleasure ports, while the river ports of Marans on the Sèvre niortaise, and Rochefort, on the Charente, had disused port basins that have become home to pleasure boats, and can each take more than 200 craft.
The Île de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
lives totally by tourism and can accommodate up to tourists during the summer season. This "invasion" is even more pronounced on the Île d'Aix which accommodates up to tourists each year, even though it does not have a car bridge.
Aunis has also developed its cultural and urban tourism with its two great historical towns of La Rochelle and Rochefort. The small towns of the interior are not without interest and have enhanced their heritage sites, like Surgères
Surgères
Surgères is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.-Surrounding communes:...
(Notre-Dame church, castle, renovated town centre) and Marans
Marans
The Marans is a breed of chicken originating in France. It is a medium breed compared to others, popular for poultry shows and is a dual purpose fowl known both for its extremely dark eggs as well as for its very fine meat qualities.-Appearance:...
(port and river site), Tonnay-Charente
Tonnay-Charente
Tonnay-Charente is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.In the 18th century it was the home town of Prominent Irish Physician Dr...
(management of Charente quays). Aunis has made huge efforts to put in place green tourism and has developed, notably at Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Neighbouring communes:*Saint-Christophe, La Jarrie, Croix-Chapeau, Le Thou, Forges, Virson-Population:-External links:*...
, quality tourist bases (lac de Frace, tourist complex of La Taillée).
Demography
In 2006 the region had inhabitants,That is, the urban area of La Rochelle and the "rural" areas of the Île de Ré, Aunis and Rochefortais nearly half the total population of Charente-Maritime (47.9%).In 2010, the northwest of the department had ten of the seventeen towns of over inhabitants, and 31 of the department's 60 communes of over inhabitants.
The region covers 1497.16 km² (578.1 sq mi), 21.8% of the whole department.
The population density of the region is more than twice that of the departmental average:abbr=on 192, compared to abbr=on 87 for Charente-Maritime as a whole. It is nearly thrice that of the Poitou-Charentes region at abbr=on 67 and is higher than the national average, which in 2006 was abbr=on 113.
The ratio of urban to rural population is comparable to the national average, which is 3:4. This is considerably different from Charente-Maritime as a whole, where the ratio is nearer 3:5.
The region became considerably more urban after World War II, though the population is unevenly distributed. Above all, the Aunis coastal towns have expanded to provide the larger part of employment and leisure.
La Rochelle and Rochefort are the most populous urban areas not just in Aunis but in all Charente-Maritime. The two towns are becoming twin cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
with many suburbs, connected by regular railway trains. This heavily built-up area is now home to over inhabitants ( inhabitants in 2006).La Rochelle contributing and Rochefort This urban area is second in the region after the "Clain
Clain
The Clain is a 144 km long river in western France, left tributary of the river Vienne. Its source is near Hiesse, in the Charente department.The Clain flows generally north through the following departments and towns:*Charente...
corridor", which runs between Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
and Châtellerault
Châtellerault
Châtellerault is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in France.It is located to the north of Poitou, and the residents are called Châtelleraudais.-Geography:...
. Near the coast the towns have formed a dense urban web and the population density is particularly high: abbr=on 288 in the three cantons of Rochefort,The cantons of Rochefort Centre, North and South – 2006 census (municipal population) abbr=on 686 in the canton of Aytré
Canton of Aytré
The Canton of Aytré is a canton of the Charente-Maritime département, in France. The lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean near Angoulins, the highest point is in Aytré at 21 m, the average elevation is 4 m.-Communes of Aytré:...
,This canton combines the communes of Angoulins-sur-Mer, Châtelaillon-Plage
Châtelaillon-Plage
Châtelaillon-Plage is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is twinned with Knebworth in England.-Population:-History:...
and Aytré
Aytré
Aytré is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.Aytré is especially known for its long beach, which is easily accessible from neighbouring La Rochelle, or Les Minimes...
– 2006 census (municipal population) abbr=on 919 in the combined cantons of La Rochelle.La Rochelle cantons 1 – 9 and the canton of Aytré – 2006 census (municipal population) The La Rochelle-Rochefort twin city area alone includes nine towns of the seventeen with more than inhabitants, and twenty communes with more than inhabitants, of the sixty in Charente-Maritime in 2006.
The concentration of the population is even greater in the immediate neighbours of La Rochelle, where the canton of La Jarrie
Canton of La Jarrie
The Canton of La Jarrie is a canton of the Charente-Maritime department, in France.The lowest point is 1 m in the commune of Saint-Vivien, Charente-Maritime, the highest point is Croix-Chapeau at 51 m, the average elevation is 24 m...
had a population density of abbr=on 149 in 2006.In the community of communes of the Aunis Plain, where the small towns of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Neighbouring communes:*Saint-Christophe, La Jarrie, Croix-Chapeau, Le Thou, Forges, Virson-Population:-External links:*...
and La Jarrie
La Jarrie
La Jarrie is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Geography:The commune consists of the small town La Jarrie and parts of the hamlets Grolleau, Chassagné] and Puyvineux.-Population:-External links:* *...
are found, the density is nearly abbr=on 100 (abbr=on 98 in 2006)
Beyond the La Rochelle-Rochefort twin city area, the population density is lower, and is indeed lower than the departmental average, which was abbr=on 87 in 2006. The cantons of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
Canton of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis
The Canton of Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis is a canton of the Charente-Maritime department, in France.The lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean in the commune of Ardillières, the highest point is Le Thou at 48 m, the average elevation is 16 m...
, Surgères
Surgères
Surgères is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.-Surrounding communes:...
and Marans
Canton of Marans
The Canton of Marans is a canton of the Charente-Maritime département, in France. The lowest point is sea level, the highest point is in Saint-Ouen-d'Aunis at 25 m, the average elevation is 6 m...
had respectively abbr=on 70, abbr=on 62 and abbr=on 62. Only the Canton of Courçon
Canton of Courçon
The Canton of Courçon is a canton of the Charente-Maritime département, in France. The lowest point is the Atlantic Ocean, the highest point is in Benon at 56 m, the average elevation is 12 m...
had a density of less than abbr=on 50 (46 abbr=on in 2006), even though its population surged between 1999 and 2006 by 28.4%. The Pays d'Aunis, an administrative region comprising four communes (Courçon, Pays Marandais, Plaine d'Aunis and Surgères), returned a census in 2006 of inhabitants in an area of 939 square kilometres (362.5 sq mi), giving a density of abbr=on 65. It is still a mostly rural region, but is rapidly becoming more built-up.
Urbanisation has been just as fast on the Île de Ré, especially in the east. In the Canton of Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Canton of Saint-Martin-de-Ré
The Canton of Saint-Martin-de-Ré is a French administrative division situated in the département of Charente-Maritime and the region of Poitou-Charentes.-Geography:The canton is organized around the Île de Ré of the arrondissement de La Rochelle...
all the communes have over inhabitants, and the population density is one of the highest of the entire department, at abbr=on 299 in 2006 compared to abbr=on 87 for the whole department and abbr=on 242 for the urban area of La Rochelle. In 2006 the population density of the Île de Ré was the highest of the entire French coast, being a record high of abbr=on 207.
The principal towns of Aunis are:For this purpose is meant the administrative area of La Rochelle and the "rural" areas of the Île de Ré, of Pays d'Aunis and of Rochefortais
- La Rochelle with inhabitants is by far the most populous town in the Charente-Maritime department. Including its suburbs its population is nearly , and in the Poitou-Charentes region it is second only to Poitiers.
- Rochefort is the third town of Charente-Maritime, after La Rochelle and SaintesSaintesSaintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
,Saintes returned inhabitants at the 2006 census and remained second in Charente-Maritime (municipal population) but together with Tonnay-CharenteTonnay-CharenteTonnay-Charente is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.In the 18th century it was the home town of Prominent Irish Physician Dr...
it is the second largest urban area in the department with inhabitants, making it equal fifth in the Poitou-Charentes region.In 2006 ChâtelleraultChâtelleraultChâtellerault is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in France.It is located to the north of Poitou, and the residents are called Châtelleraudais.-Geography:...
was the sixth largest urban area in the region. With the neighbouring commune of Cenon-sur-VienneCenon-sur-VienneCenon-sur-Vienne is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.-Demographics:-References:*...
, it had a combined urban population of inhabitants in 2006. - Surgères with inhabitants, is the twelfth largest town in Charente-Maritime.In 2006, Surgères was one of the 17 towns in Charente-Maritime having over inhabitants, of which the ten largest are (in order of municipal population) La Rochelle (1), Saintes (2), Rochefort (3), Royan (4), Aytré (5), Saint-Jean-d'Angély (6), LagordLagordLagord is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
(7), Tonnay-CharenteTonnay-CharenteTonnay-Charente is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.In the 18th century it was the home town of Prominent Irish Physician Dr...
(8), PérignyPérigny, Charente-MaritimePérigny is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
(9), SaujonSaujonSaujon is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
(10) - Marans, with inhabitants, is the largest commune in the department by area, at 82.49 square kilometre. It is nearly as large as the whole of the Île de Ré at 85.32 square kilometre.
- FourasFourasFouras is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France. It lies 34 km south of La Rochelle.-Geography:Fouras is on a peninsula...
regenerated into a vibrant small seaside resort in the 1990s. The town now has about inhabitants.It had inhabitants in the 1962 census, its largest ever and a record still not surpassed - Aigrefeuille d'Aunis, with inhabitants, leads the Communauté de communes Plaine d'Aunis whici, with inhabitants, is the most populated of the Pays d'Aunis.Do not confuse the territories of the Pays d'Aunis with those of the historical province of Aunis. The Pays d'Aunis groups together the four 4 "communautés de communes" of Courçon, Marans, Plaine d'Aunis and Surgères, whereas the historical province of Aunis, the subject of this article, constitutes all the north-west of the departement of Charente-Maritime, thus including La Rochelle, the Île de Ré, and Rochefort.
- On the Île de Ré, Saint-Martin-de-Ré and La Flotte make up a small urban area with inhabitants, but Sainte-Marie-de-Ré is the most populous single commune, with inhabitants.
Toponymy
The name of the province appears for the first time in history in 785 AD. Following the partition of Aquitaine into nine counties, as decreed by CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
in 778, the name of Aunis, written as , appeared in the last will and testament of Count Roger.
But the etymology of the name has been given many different interpretations and folk etymologies that are still used today. Even so, some people think "The most probable origin is that the town of Aulnay
Aulnay, Charente-Maritime
Aulnay, commonly referred to as Aulnay-de-Saintonge, is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-Saint-Pierre Church:...
(Aulnay en Saintongeais
Saintongeais
Saintongeais is a dialect spoken halfway down the western coast of France in the former provinces of Saintonge, Aunis and Angoumois, all of which have been incorporated into the current départements of Charente and Charente-Maritime as well as in parts of their neighbouring départements of...
), which was more important in the Middle Ages than it is today. Aulnay marked the frontier between Santones
Santones
The Santones or Santoni were a tribe of ancient Gaul located in the modern region of Saintonge and around the city of Saintes, city to which they gave their name. The Romans occupied the territory of the Santones from the 1st century BC....
and Pictones
Pictones
The Pictones were a tribe inhabiting a region along the Bay of Biscay in what is now western France, along the south bank of the Loire. During the reign of Augustus , the Pictones were included in the larger province of Gallia Aquitania, along with most of western Gaul...
. Little by little the province shrank until the frontier was situated a long way from Aulnay. It is the smallest province in France". This interpretation does not pass muster, because there is absolutely no connection between the original names of Aulnay which, in Latin, were written (in 951) or (in 970), so that Aunis, with its older name as seen above, was written or instead . Even now, there is no consensus among historians and etymologists.
Etymologists have proposed three possible interpretations which deserve consideration:
- the name should be linked to the forest, because the (AlderAlderAlder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
) was very common in mediaeval times; the province became the . - the etymology must be interpreted as being cognate with that of an ancient barbaric people. According to some historians, Aunis was populated by a tribe of Alani, who invaded GaulGaulGaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
in 406 AD. Delayant in his time described the idea that the Alani would have settled in Aunis: "Their attacks were at first aimed at looting rather than conquest. The VandalsVandalsThe Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
had merely passed through. We must think of their stragglers. Some of them, turned back by the Visigoths, hid (so it is said) in this refuge between SèvreSèvreSèvre is the name of two rivers in France. Their name are both related to the important city they each flow through.* Sèvre Nantaise, Nantes* Sèvre Niortaise, Niort...
and the Charente RiverCharente RiverThe Charente is a 381 km long river in southwestern France.Its source is in the Haute-Vienne département at Chéronnac, a small village near Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime...
, and their name furnished one of numerous etymologies that have been given to the word Aunis." - the name of Aunis is related to the eventful history of the town of Châtelaillon in mediaeval times. The first capital of Aunis was in practice Châtelaillon (today Châtelaillon-PlageChâtelaillon-PlageChâtelaillon-Plage is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is located south of the city of La Rochelle and is also a suburb. It is twinned with Knebworth in England.-Population:-History:...
), designated by its Latin name heard as , Aunis castle. This last theory has found favour with a large number of historians.
History
In ancient times the region was a long way from civilisation. It was not until the Middle Ages that the province entered history, when La Rochelle sealed its fate and became its capital.The "pays des aulnes" in antiquity
In Celtic and Gallo-RomanRoman Gaul
Roman Gaul consisted of an area of provincial rule in the Roman Empire, in modern day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany. Roman control of the area lasted for less than 500 years....
times, the northern part of Santonie,, "Santone Country" which became called "Aunis", was a long-neglected region far from civilisation, with no communications.
The old "Forest of Argenson" covered the entire region. For many centuries this huge forest made a near-impenetrable natural frontier stretching from the Boutonne
Boutonne
The Boutonne is a long river in the Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime départements, western France. Its source is in the village of Chef-Boutonne . It flows generally southwest...
and Charente River
Charente River
The Charente is a 381 km long river in southwestern France.Its source is in the Haute-Vienne département at Chéronnac, a small village near Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime...
s to the east, which kept it apart from the ancient province of the Pictones
Pictones
The Pictones were a tribe inhabiting a region along the Bay of Biscay in what is now western France, along the south bank of the Loire. During the reign of Augustus , the Pictones were included in the larger province of Gallia Aquitania, along with most of western Gaul...
. This was the (Alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
Region), where the trees had established themselves on rivebanks and in the marshy valleys, but where beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
es and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s also made up a dark and mysterious forest, awe-inspiring and full of superstition.Some of these feelings and superstitions are still around
Moreover, the deep sea gulfs (Gulf of Pictones, to the north, Gulf of Santones
Santones
The Santones or Santoni were a tribe of ancient Gaul located in the modern region of Saintonge and around the city of Saintes, city to which they gave their name. The Romans occupied the territory of the Santones from the 1st century BC....
, to the south) made it a slender peninsula. Its seclusion lent its name as , now Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
. This geographic isolation made communications and trade very poor. One can see from a road map of Gallo-Roman times, Aunis is entirely absent. The old Roman road which ran from (now the town of Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
) to (now the town of Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
) was routed entirely to the east of Aunis. The name of this Roman road remains in some modern place names as ("St Felix's Way") and ("Marshland Way"): this is Route départmentale D.120, which runs from Saint-Jean-d'Angély until the department's border with Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres is a French département. Deux-Sèvres literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department.-History:...
. This Roman road is found in the "Table de Peutinger
Tabula Peutingeriana
The Tabula Peutingeriana is an itinerarium showing the cursus publicus, the road network in the Roman Empire. The original map of which this is a unique copy was last revised in the fourth or early fifth century. It covers Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa...
", where again no Roman road goes into Aunis.
Finally, the valleys of the rivers Curé, Virson, Mignon, and Gères, which were much larger than today, cut deeply through the region's invading forest. But they had the inconvenience of being marshy and prone to floods that turned them into real marshes and bogs, making the region particularly difficult to reach.
All these natural phenomena combined, so that it has been said "this region [...], often flooded and marshy, has its riches, is easy to defend, but cannot become the fulcrum for an attack".
The coast was occupied by the Celts, even during the time of – they preferred to call the area Saintonge and themselves Santones
Santones
The Santones or Santoni were a tribe of ancient Gaul located in the modern region of Saintonge and around the city of Saintes, city to which they gave their name. The Romans occupied the territory of the Santones from the 1st century BC....
– and then the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
in the 1st century BC. Saintonge offered better living and working conditions than the northern area (Aunis) thanks to the large valleys of the Charente River and its two principal tributaries, the Seugne
Seugne
The Seugne is an long river in the Charente-Maritime département, in western France, left tributary of the Charente. Its source is in the commune of Montlieu-la-Garde, west of the village...
and the Boutonne
Boutonne
The Boutonne is a long river in the Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime départements, western France. Its source is in the village of Chef-Boutonne . It flows generally southwest...
. The huge Gironde Estuary
Gironde estuary
The Gironde is a navigable estuary , in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just below the centre of Bordeaux...
of the Seudre
Seudre
The Seudre is a river in the Charente-Maritime département, southwestern France, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its source is near Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge. It flows northwest through Saint-André-de-Lidon, Saujon and La Tremblade. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Marennes...
alllowed direct contact with the more advanced civilisation of the Roman Empire to the south, via notably, the Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
valley. Transport was largely on the waterways, even after the Romans had built their more advanced – and more expensive – roads.
Before the Roman conquest around the middle of the 1st century AD, the Celts had a stronghold over the northern shores of the Gulf of Santones. They had even colonised some of the islands in the gulf, which today are part of the Marais (marsh) de Rochefort.These comprise the marsh of "la Petite Flandre", drained in the 17th century The Santones had worked laboriously to perfect a technique of saltwater extraction, and their ancient production sites were put right on the shoreline. These are ("salt sites").Thanks to archaeology, dozens of have been found along the ancient shoreline of Aunis, mainly in the area that is now the Marais de Rochefort These small-scale production sites were particularly numerous in the north of the Gulf of Santones, equally along the coastline, in the deep estuaries, and all around the islands (notably the Île d'Albe).Commune of Muron
Muron
Muron is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
The salt sites were quickly abandoned after the Roman conquest, because the new colonists brought with them a better-performing and more-productive technique for producing salt. Nevertheless, the Romans preferred to have their first salt marshes in the south, notably at Marennes
Marennes, Charente-Maritime
Marennes is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.For a long time it was one of the most prosperous cities of the Saintonge due to its location in the middle of the salt-water marshes at a time where salt was a valuable commodity.Marennes is a center for oyster...
, and on the banks of the Seudre
Seudre
The Seudre is a river in the Charente-Maritime département, southwestern France, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its source is near Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge. It flows northwest through Saint-André-de-Lidon, Saujon and La Tremblade. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Marennes...
River. Salt production, which before had been driven by profit, could be done faster around the Gironde,where the great port of lies which became an important arterial river for the transport of goods to and from the southern provinces of the Roman Empire.
During the first three centuries of the Gallo-Roman period, the Romans were especially keen to colonise the area between the coastline of Aunis and the ancient sylve d'Argenson ("Forest of Argenson"), taking lands latterly in Santone hands. The new colonists, somewhat turning their backs to the sea, set up their – large farms of some dozens of acres, predating the towns themselves – at Ardillières
Ardillières
Ardillières is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Population:-External links:* * *Map and aerial photos:**Street map: , or or **Satellite images: or - image now available...
, Le Thou
Le Thou
Le Thou is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean is situated about 10 km to the west. In the mid-1960s, Le Thou's population surpassed Thairé and made it the second most populated commune in the...
, Ballon
Ballon
-Places:* Ballon, County Carlow , a village in Ireland* Grand Ballon, the apex of the Vosges Mountains in France-Other:* Ballon , the appearance of being lightweight and light-footed while jumping...
, and Thairé
Thairé
Thairé is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France. The Atlantic Ocean is situated to the west.-Population:-External links:* *...
. All these sites left numerous archaeological finds: at Ballon, the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa have been found; at Ardillières, tombs with Gallo-Roman objects have been recovered; at Thou, a Gallo-Roman villa and some coins were discovered in the 19th century.
However, near the end of the 3rd century AD, the entered a new age of prosperity, and its northern part was just as prosperous, after it was integrated into Aquitaine. The Romans also had interests in the "Pays des Aulnes" and had started to clear the Forest of Argenson on its eastern border. During the 1st century AD they had built the Roman road connecting (Saintes) to (Angers) but it passed Aunis by, so clearings were opened into this vast forest, notably at Vouhé
Vouhé, Charente-Maritime
Vouhé is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
. Here remains of a Gallo-Roman villa have been restored, together with many fragmentary finds. At Saint-Georges-du-Bois
Saint-Georges-du-Bois, Charente-Maritime
Saint-Georges-du-Bois is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
, previously Argenton, the Romans built a small amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
.
In the 4th century AD the Romans decided to clear the Forest of Argenson along the southern shores of the Gulf of Pictones, which had been occupied by Celts since ancient times. The present Forest of Benon is in this area, where the Romans also established , whose names still linger on, such as that of the Gallo-Roman site in the commune of Saint-Ouen-d'Aunis
Saint-Ouen-d'Aunis
Saint-Ouen-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Population:-External links:* *...
., or the old – nowadays the commune of Nuaillé-d'Aunis
Nuaillé-d'Aunis
Nuaillé-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Population:-External links:* *...
, or indeed that of at Saint-Sauveur-d'Aunis
Saint-Sauveur-d'Aunis
Saint-Sauveur-d'Aunis is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Population:-Points of interest:...
.
These attempts at deforestation and colonisation did succeed, albeit belatedly, but came to a halt with the invasions of the 5th century AD. So, the "barbarous" peopleA term used by the Romans to refer to anyone outside the Empire's borders; here it means the invaders of Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
sealed the fall of the western Roman Empire, with pillage and destruction from which Santonie did not escape. The province was then occupied by the Visigoths from the start of the 5th century AD, and then by the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, who took over after their victory in Vouillé
Vouillé, Deux-Sèvres
Vouillé is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. It sits about ten kilometers from Niort on the banks of the Lambon, where that small river empties into the Sèvre Niortaise....
in 507 AD.
The "pagus alnensis" in the Middle Ages
Aunis was once again neglected throughout the Middle Ages, "ignoring" the barbarians who had, after all, appropriated the great Roman roads during their invasions. From the time the Franks settled in the 6th century to the Carolingian dynasty in the 9th power in the province was unstable and autarchic.Records relating to this time in Aunis are very rare, and so is archaeology, which goes to show the complete isolation of Aunis at this timeIt was under Carolingian rule that Saintonge truly entered recorded history.
Its name, , appears for the first time in 785. It was under the control of the Counts of Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
. Towards the end of the 10th century, after Carolingian power collapsed, Aunis separated from Saintonge and had its first capital, Châtelaillon.
In the 9th and 10th centuries the Counts of Poitou hastened to fortify the Aunis coast. They built the four-tower fortress at Châtelaillon as their stronghold to deal with the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
threat. But repeated Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
incursions into the interior, reached by river and stream, caused great insecurity. So in the 9th century the Duke of Poitou built the fortified city of Surgères
Surgères
Surgères is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is the home of the Surgères 48 Hour Race.-Surrounding communes:...
, also called the of Benon, with "a tower that stood in the middle of a square, encircled by two paths and three moats".
At the end of the 11th century, the Counts of Poitou started to pay attention to the forsaken backwaters of the region, and made them a priority. Above all, they encouraged powerful abbeys to be founded after clearing the Forest of Argenson. (God's Grace) Abbey was built in Benon
Benon
Benon is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in the Poitou-Charentes region in southwestern France.-Population:Its population, unlike other parts of the department, slowly grew, but saw a small decline between the late-1960s and the 1980s...
, being the first Cistercian abbey to be founded in Aunis, and an active participant in the forest clearing movement. The clearings opened the way into the ancient forest to set up villages and farming (wheat, oats, barley) and to plant vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s. The powerful monasteries, backed up by the lords, helped with the clearings of Aunis in the 11th century. But it is mostly during the 12th and 13th centuries that these earthworks were completed; much later that they became the "plain" of Aunis.
On the coast, the salt waters had become amenable and created Aunis's wealth, and by the end of the 11th century its prosperity was assured. Châtelaillon rapidly became the largest fortified city in Aunis and an important port for the transport of salt from Aunis, and wine from Saintonge.
After the demise of Châtelaillon in 1130, La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
quickly rose to prominence and became the new capital of Aunis: "The demise of Châtelaillon dates to 1130, but it was only in 1144 that Alon family control was removed. A party assembled at Mauléon, the nearest island to Aunis, and they built the new town of La Rochelle there starting in 1151".
The province was thus controlled in 1130 by William X, Duke of Aquitaine, bringing the dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
to Louis VII of France
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
, then, after their divorce and her remarriage, to King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
. Aunis was returned to the French with Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
in 1224, but was restored by the Treaty of Brittany in 1360 by John II of France
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
. This yoke was shaken off in 1371, and the province restored to King Charles V of France
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
.
Birth of the province
In 1374 the King officially separated Saintoinge in 1374 and set up Aunis: "In 1374, Charles V separated La Rochelle from Saintonge to set up a provincial government, comprising the jurisdictions of Rochefort, Marennes and, for a time, Benon. It was thus that Aunis legally became a separate province."The province was much larger in mediaeval times, and underwent numerous changes to its borders. It extended from the Marais Poitevin
Marais Poitevin
The Marais Poitevin is a large area of marshland in Western France, a remnant of the former Gulf of Poitou...
in the north, to the lower valley of the Charente River
Charente River
The Charente is a 381 km long river in southwestern France.Its source is in the Haute-Vienne département at Chéronnac, a small village near Rochechouart. It flows through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Charente, Vienne and Charente-Maritime...
in the south; to the west, it included the islands of Île de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
and the Île d'Aix, at the mouth of the Charente. However, in the east the borders were often ill defined and subject to change. It is likely that Aunis extended to the ports ot Niort
Niort
Niort is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.The Latin name of the city was Novioritum.The population of Niort is 60,486 and more than 137,000 people live in the urban area....
and also included the of Saint-Jean d'Angély. With the official establishment of the province in 1374, during the reign of Charles V of France, Aunis recovered Rochefort and Marennes, but its eastern boundaries were still vague.
During the Reformation
The Protestant ReformationProtestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, started in the time of Francis I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
, gave Aunis much greater power: it was the last stand of the resistance movement, which survived until La Rochelle fell in 1628.
End of the Ancien Régime
When the were established under the French Constitution of 1791French Constitution of 1791
The short-lived French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution of France. One of the basic precepts of the revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing popular sovereignty, following the steps of the United States of America...
, Aunis was a very small province both in area and population. Despite the resistance of its inhabitants and the energetic interventions of its leaders, in 1790 it was coalesced with the much larger region of Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
to form the Department of Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
.From its creation in 1790 until 1941, the department was named because it was at the downstream end of the Charente River; the neighbouring Department of Charente
Charente
Charente is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.-History:Charente is one of the original...
was farther upstream and so called
Quote
Places of interest
In La Rochelle:- The Towers of St Nicholas, Tower of la la Chaîne, Tower of the Lantern (or Towers of the Four Sergeants).
- La Rochelle Town Hall, in the RenaissanceRenaissance architectureRenaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
style.
In Surgères:
- The RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church of Notre-Dame.
In Rochefort:
- The Royal Ropemakers.
Sources
)|place=La Rochelle|publisher=H. Petit (publisher/editor)|date=1872|language=French}})|publisher=Nathan|year=1985|language=French}})|editor=Princi Néguer|year=2000|language=French}})|publisher=Éditions Bordessoules|language=French}}) (collected works)|publisher=Flohic éditions|year=2002|series=Collection le patrimoine des communes|language=French}}External links
- The history of Aunis from old records (database of at histoirepassion.eu
- Flags, coats of arms and emblems of Poitou-Charentes at free.fr
- The Forest of Argenson between Santones and Pictones, the story of a disappearing act at histoirepassion.eu