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Siege of La Rochelle (1572-1573)
Encyclopedia
The Siege of La Rochelle of 1572–1573 was a massive military assault
on the Huguenot
-held city of La Rochelle
by Catholic
troops during the fourth phase of the French Wars of Religion
, following the August 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
. The conflict began in November 1572 when inhabitants of the city refused to receive Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron
as royal governor. Beginning 11 February 1573, the siege was led by the Duke of Anjou (the future Henry III
). Political considerations following the duke's election to the throne of Poland
in May 1573 resulted in negotiations, culminating on 24 June 1573, that lifted the siege on 6 July 1573. The Edict of Boulogne
signed shortly thereafter brought an end to this phase of the civil war.
The siege of La Rochelle was contemporaneous with Catholic assaults on the cities of Sommières
(led by Henri I de Montmorency) and Sancerre
.
Since 1568, La Rochelle had been the main base of the Huguenots in France. A city of 20,000 inhabitants and a port of strategic importance with historic links to England
, La Rochelle benefited from administrative autonomy (lack of seigneur, bishop or parlement) and had become overwhelmingly Huguenot (Calvinist).
As soon as 1571, the Royal fleet was more or less blockading the city, led by Captain Polin
and Filippo di Piero Strozzi
.
After the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
and other massacres across France in the fall of 1572, numerous Huguenots fled to the city La Rochelle as a last refuge. The city was well fortified, with access to the sea.
as royal governor. Charles IX
ordered the city to be sieged. In the middle of November, François de la Noue
, sent by Charles IX to negotiate with the city, was invited by the inhabitants to take up their defense. With the king's acceptance, La Noue joined the assieged city, but was unable to effect a solution to the crisis, and on 12 March 1573 he left the city, to watch the subsequent events from the royal camp.
On 11 February 1573, the Duke of Anjou
arrived to take command of the siege with 28,000 men. His massive resources – munitions, cannons, gunpowder, cannonballs, food – were gathered from Paris, Picardy
, Normandy
, Poitou
, Saintonge
and Angoumois
. The army included the Duke's brother François d'Alençon
; the two former leaders of the Huguenots, Henry of Navarre
and Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé
(both recently converted to Catholicism); members of the Guise family, Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
, Claude, Duke of Aumale
(killed on 21 February), Henry I, Duke of Guise
; and other nobles including: Louis IV de Nevers, Guillaume de Thoré, Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne
, Filippo di Piero Strozzi
, Albert de Gondi
, Blaise de Monluc, Artus de Cossé-Brissac, Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme
, Armand de Gontaut. Among these nobles were some who remain suspicious of the present political tact or of the violence of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, and some who were sympathetic to the Protestant cause; political intrigues traversed the royal camp.
Eight assaults of the city were waged from February to June. These attacks, along with cold winter, resulted in large the losses on the royal army's side. (Brantôme, who participated in the siege, exaggerated the death toll as 22,000 men; records show that of 155 commanders, 66 were killed and 47 were wounded.) On 26 March 1573, 150 attackers were killed in an accidental explosion of a mine intended to destroy the ramparts. The Duke of Anjou was himself wounded several times during these conflicts. On 23 May 1573, 6,000 Swiss guard
mercenaries arrived as reinforcements to the royal army, but the attack three days later was a disaster for the royal troops.
The inhabitants of the city sent an ambassador to Queen Elizabeth I of England
seeking her assistance, but Elizabeth – still bound by her 1572 treaty with France (the Treaty of Blois (1572)
) – was only able to send a limited number of ships led by Gabriel, comte de Montgomery
. Six ships arrived in February 1573, but a larger group of ships were forced to turn back by the French navy in April 1573 (retreating to Belle Île
and then Jersey
). The majority of the city's dwindling resources were supplied through small naval raids on Catholic (principally Spanish) ships (which were also being attacked by the Dutch gueux de mer corsair
s). To block La Rochelle's ships' access to the sea, the Duke of Nevers sank a large barge, with no effect. (In the siege of 1627-28, Cardinal Richelieu would construct a massive sea barricade to block the city).
At the end of May 1573, Henry of Anjou learned that he had been elected King of Poland
, a country with a large Protestant minority, and political considerations forced him to negotiate an end the assault. An agreement was reached on 24 June 1573 and Catholic troops ended the siege on 6 July 1573.
signed in July 1573. La Rochelle was designated as one of the three cities in France where the Protestant faith was permitted, but only under strict conditions.
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
on the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
-held city of 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...
by Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
troops during the fourth phase of the French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
, following the August 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
. The conflict began in November 1572 when inhabitants of the city refused to receive Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron
Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron
Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron was a celebrated French soldier of the 16th century.-Biography:His family, one of the numerous branches of the House of Gontaut, took its title from the territory of Biron in Périgord, where on a hill between the Dropt and the Lide still stands the magnificent...
as royal governor. Beginning 11 February 1573, the siege was led by the Duke of Anjou (the future Henry III
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
). Political considerations following the duke's election to the throne of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in May 1573 resulted in negotiations, culminating on 24 June 1573, that lifted the siege on 6 July 1573. The Edict of Boulogne
Edict of Boulogne
The Edict of Boulogne, also called the Edict of Pacification of Boulogne and the Peace of La Rochelle, was signed in July, 1573 by King Charles IX of France in the Château de Madrid in the Bois de Boulogne. It was officially registered by the Parlement of Paris on 11 August 1573. The treaty...
signed shortly thereafter brought an end to this phase of the civil war.
The siege of La Rochelle was contemporaneous with Catholic assaults on the cities of Sommières
Sommières
Sommières is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.It lies from Nîmes, from Montpellier.-Geography:Sommières is to the south of the garrigues and on the edge of the Vaunage, a wine growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle.-History:...
(led by Henri I de Montmorency) and Sancerre
Siege of Sancerre
The Siege of Sancerre was a siege of the fortified hilltop city of Sancerre in central France during the Wars of Religion where the Huguenot population held out for nearly eight months against the Catholic forces of the king.-Background:...
.
Background
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, La Rochelle benefited from administrative autonomy (lack of seigneur, bishop or parlement) and had become overwhelmingly Huguenot (Calvinist).
As soon as 1571, the Royal fleet was more or less blockading the city, led by Captain Polin
Antoine Escalin des Aimars
Antoine Escalin des Aimars , also known as Captain Polin or Captain Paulin, later Baron de La Garde, was French ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1541 to 1547, and "Général des Galères" from 1544.-Italian Wars:Polin was noticed by Guillaume du Bellay as a valuable officer of the French Army...
and Filippo di Piero Strozzi
Filippo di Piero Strozzi
Filippo di Piero Strozzi was an Italian condottiero, a member of the Florentine family of the Strozzi. He fought mainly for France.-Biography:...
.
After the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations, followed by a wave of Roman Catholic mob violence, both directed against the Huguenots , during the French Wars of Religion...
and other massacres across France in the fall of 1572, numerous Huguenots fled to the city La Rochelle as a last refuge. The city was well fortified, with access to the sea.
The Siege
The conflict started in November 1572 when inhabitants of the city refused to receive Armand de Gontaut, baron de BironArmand de Gontaut, baron de Biron
Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron was a celebrated French soldier of the 16th century.-Biography:His family, one of the numerous branches of the House of Gontaut, took its title from the territory of Biron in Périgord, where on a hill between the Dropt and the Lide still stands the magnificent...
as royal governor. Charles IX
Charles IX of France
Charles IX was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. His reign was dominated by the Wars of Religion. He is best known as king at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.-Childhood:...
ordered the city to be sieged. In the middle of November, François de la Noue
François de la Noue
François de la Noue , called Bras-de-Fer, one of the Huguenot captains of the 16th century, was born near Nantes in 1531, of an ancient Breton family....
, sent by Charles IX to negotiate with the city, was invited by the inhabitants to take up their defense. With the king's acceptance, La Noue joined the assieged city, but was unable to effect a solution to the crisis, and on 12 March 1573 he left the city, to watch the subsequent events from the royal camp.
Henry III of France
Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...
arrived to take command of the siege with 28,000 men. His massive resources – munitions, cannons, gunpowder, cannonballs, food – were gathered from Paris, Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
, Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, 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....
, 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 Angoumois
Angoumois
Angoumois was a county and province of France, nearly corresponding today to the Charente département. Its capital was Angoulême....
. The army included the Duke's brother François d'Alençon
François, Duke of Anjou
Francis, Duke of Anjou and Alençon was the youngest son of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.-Early years:...
; the two former leaders of the Huguenots, Henry of Navarre
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
and Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Henri I de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Henri de Bourbon-Condé was a French Prince du Sang and Huguenot general like his more prominent father, Louis I, Prince of Condé....
(both recently converted to Catholicism); members of the Guise family, Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne
Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne , or Charles de Guise, was a French nobleman of the house of Guise and a military leader of the Catholic League, which he headed during the French Wars of Religion, following the assassination of his brothers at Blois in 1588...
, Claude, Duke of Aumale
Claude, Duke of Aumale
Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Aumale was the third son of Claude, Duke of Guise and Antoinette de Bourbon. He was a prince of Lorraine by birth....
(killed on 21 February), Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Duke of Guise
Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu , sometimes called Le Balafré, "the scarred", was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este...
; and other nobles including: Louis IV de Nevers, Guillaume de Thoré, Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne
Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne, duc de Bouillon
Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne was a member of the powerful, House of La Tour d'Auvergne, Prince of Sedan and a marshal of France.-Biography:The vicomte de Turenne was born at the castle of...
, Filippo di Piero Strozzi
Filippo di Piero Strozzi
Filippo di Piero Strozzi was an Italian condottiero, a member of the Florentine family of the Strozzi. He fought mainly for France.-Biography:...
, Albert de Gondi
Albert de Gondi
Albert de Gondi seigneur du Perron, comte, then marquis de Belle-Isle , duc de Retz , was a marshal of France and a member of the Gondi family. His father was Guidobaldo, seigneur de Perron, who became a banker at Lyon, and his mother was Marie-Catherine de Pierrevive - his siblings included...
, Blaise de Monluc, Artus de Cossé-Brissac, Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme
Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme
Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme was a French historian, soldier and biographer.-Life:Brantôme was born in Périgord, Aquitaine, the third son of the baron de Bourdeille...
, Armand de Gontaut. Among these nobles were some who remain suspicious of the present political tact or of the violence of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, and some who were sympathetic to the Protestant cause; political intrigues traversed the royal camp.
Swiss Guard
Swiss Guards or Schweizergarde is the name given to the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. They have had a high reputation for discipline, as well as loyalty to their employers...
mercenaries arrived as reinforcements to the royal army, but the attack three days later was a disaster for the royal troops.
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
seeking her assistance, but Elizabeth – still bound by her 1572 treaty with France (the Treaty of Blois (1572)
Treaty of Blois (1572)
The Treaty of Blois was signed on April 19, 1572 in Blois between Queen Elizabeth of England and Catherine de' Medici of France. Based on the terms of the treaty, France and England relinquished their historic rivalry and established an alliance against Spain...
) – was only able to send a limited number of ships led by Gabriel, comte de Montgomery
Gabriel, comte de Montgomery
Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, seigneur de Lorges , a French nobleman, was a captain in Henry II's Scots Guards...
. Six ships arrived in February 1573, but a larger group of ships were forced to turn back by the French navy in April 1573 (retreating to Belle Île
Belle Île
Belle-Île or Belle-Île-en-Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is 14 km from the Quiberon peninsula.Administratively, the island forms a canton: the canton of Belle-Île...
and then Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
). The majority of the city's dwindling resources were supplied through small naval raids on Catholic (principally Spanish) ships (which were also being attacked by the Dutch gueux de mer corsair
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s). To block La Rochelle's ships' access to the sea, the Duke of Nevers sank a large barge, with no effect. (In the siege of 1627-28, Cardinal Richelieu would construct a massive sea barricade to block the city).
At the end of May 1573, Henry of Anjou learned that he had been elected King of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, a country with a large Protestant minority, and political considerations forced him to negotiate an end the assault. An agreement was reached on 24 June 1573 and Catholic troops ended the siege on 6 July 1573.
Aftermath
The fourth phase of the Wars of Religion was brought to a close by the Edict of BoulogneEdict of Boulogne
The Edict of Boulogne, also called the Edict of Pacification of Boulogne and the Peace of La Rochelle, was signed in July, 1573 by King Charles IX of France in the Château de Madrid in the Bois de Boulogne. It was officially registered by the Parlement of Paris on 11 August 1573. The treaty...
signed in July 1573. La Rochelle was designated as one of the three cities in France where the Protestant faith was permitted, but only under strict conditions.