The Blockade of La Rochelle (French: ''Blocus de La Rochelle'') took place in 1621-1622 during the repression of the

Huguenot rebellion The Huguenot rebellions, sometimes called the Rohan Wars after the Huguenot leader Henri de Rohan, were a series of rebellions of the 1620s in which French Calvinist Protestants (Huguenots), mainly located in southwestern France, revolted agains ...

by the French king

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

.''A History of the Huguenots'' William Shergold Browning p.220
/ref>''Europa triumphans'' by J. R. Mulryne, p.123
/ref> In June 1621, Louis XIII besieged and captured

Saint-Jean d'Angély Saint-Jean (French for Saint John) may refer to: Places Belgium * Sint-Jan, a borough of Ypres, sometimes referenced as ''Saint-Jean'' in a World War I-related context Canada *Lac Saint-Jean *Lac-Saint-Jean-Est Regional County Municipality *L ...

, a strategic city controlling the approaches to the Huguenot stronghold of

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

. Louis XIII chose however to move south with his main force for the

Siege of Montauban The siege of Montauban (French: siège de Montauban) was a siege conducted by the young French king Louis XIII from August to November 1621, against the Protestant stronghold of Montauban. This siege followed the siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, i ...

The blockade

Meanwhile, Louis XIII ordered the

Duke of Épernon Duke of Épernon (french: Duc d'Épernon) was a noble title in the peerage of France granted to Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette by Henry III of France in 1581. It is named after Épernon. List of Dukes of Épernon, 1581—1736 Louis de Pa ...

to blockade La Rochelle by sea as well as by land. On the sea, however, efforts were ineffective, as many small ships could easily go through ships of the Royal Navy and the Huguenots generally had mastery of the sea.''A History of the Huguenots'' William Shergold Browning p.221
/ref> At one point they attacked the harbour of

Brouage Hiers-Brouage () is a former commune in the Charente-Maritime department, southwestern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Marennes-Hiers-Brouage. History Brouage was founded in 1555 by Jacques de Pons on the Bay ...

and attempted to block it by sinking ships filled with stones at its entrance. Jehan Guitton

In July 1621, d'Épernon established his headquarters on land in

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 See also * Communes of ...

, in the vicinity of La Rochelle. In August, the shipowner

Jean Guiton Jean Guiton (2 July 1585 – 15 March 1654) was born in La Rochelle, where he followed the occupation of ship-owner. He became a notable Huguenot leader during the Naval battle of Saint-Martin-de-Ré and siege of La Rochelle. Having been nominate ...

was named by the City Council as Admiral of the fleet of La Rochelle, with 16 sails and 90 cannons. The fleet of La Rochelle under Guiton made at least four sorties against the Royal fleet, commanded by the Count of Soissons, the

Duke of Guise Count of Guise and Duke of Guise (pronounced �ɥiz were titles in the French nobility. Originally a seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou. While disputed by the House of Luxembourg (1 ...

, M. de Saint-Luc and

Isaac de Razilly Isaac de Razilly (1587 – 1635) was a member of the French nobility appointed a knight of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem at the age of 18. He was born at the Château d'Oiseaumelle in the Province of Touraine, France. A member of the French ...

, and somewhat managed to hold its own.''A History of the Huguenots'' William Shergold Browning p.225
/ref> In October, Razilly, leading a French fleet of 13 ships with 124 cannons, stationed seaward in the Pertuis Breton, and Jean Guiton managed to force them to disengage in two encounters on 6 October. Jean Guiton then managed to capture the

Island of Oléron An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

. On 6 November Jean Guiton attacked Brouage, where 25 royal ships were stationed, and blocked the entrance of the harbour by sinking ships in it. The Huguenots met with defeat however when Soubise was vanquished by Royal troops at the Riez marches on 16 April 1622. By that time the nearby Siege of Royan was also going on. The blockade of La Rochelle was strengthened under the leadership of the

Count of Soissons This is a list of those who bore the title Count of Soissons (french: Comte de Soissons) and ruled Soissons and its '' civitas'' or diocese as a county in the Middle Ages. The title continued in use into modern times, but without ties to the actual ...

. He started the building of the Fort Louis just outside La Rochelle in order to obtain a commanding position over the approaches to La Rochelle. Bataille navale Re 1622

Another major encounter was the

Naval battle of Saint-Martin-de-Ré The Naval battle of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (French:''Bataille navale de Saint-Martin-de-Ré'') took place on 27 October 1622, between the Huguenot fleet of La Rochelle under Jean Guiton, and a Royal fleet under Charles de Guise. Under Henry IV th ...

in October 1622. As the conflict lengthened into a stalemate, however, the King and the Huguenots agreed to the 1622

Treaty of Montpellier The Treaty of Montpellier (or the Peace of Montpellier) was signed in Montpellier on 18 October 1622 between King Louis XIII of France and Duke Henry II of Rohan. The treaty followed the siege of Montpellier and ended hostilities between French r ...

, which maintained Huguenot privileges. Although La Rochelle demanded the destruction of Fort Louis, Louis XIII temporized and managed to maintain it. This constant threat to the city would be instrumental in encouraging later conflicts, especially the

Capture of Ré island Capture may refer to: *Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body *Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation *"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend *Capture (band), an ...

by Royal troops in 1625, and the 1627-1628

Siege of La Rochelle The siege of La Rochelle (, or sometimes ) was a result of a war between the French royal forces of Louis XIII of France and the Huguenots of La Rochelle in 1627–28. The siege marked the height of the struggle between the Catholics and the Pr ...

Notes

{{reflist 1622 in France 1621 in France Conflicts in 1621 Conflicts in 1622 Military history of the Ancien Régime La Rochelle 1621 History of Charente-Maritime