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Île de Ré (; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin: ''ile de Rét''; en, Isle of Ré, ) is an
island 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 isla ...
off the Atlantic coast of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
near
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. Wi ...
,
Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche
strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean chan ...
. Its highest point has an elevation of . It is long and wide. The
Île de Ré bridge The Île de Ré bridge connects La Rochelle to the Île de Ré, on the western coast of France. It was built by Bouygues and financed by the Charente-Maritime It received a ''déclaration d'utilité publique A ''déclaration d'utilité publique' ...
, completed in 1988, connects it to
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. Wi ...
on the mainland.


Administration

Administratively, the island is part of the
Charente-Maritime Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
department,
Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...
(before 2015:
Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes (; oc, Peitau-Charantas; Poitevin-Saintongese: ) is a former administrative region on the southwest coast of France. It is part of the new region Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprises four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, D ...
). The island is also a part of the
Charente-Maritime's 1st constituency The 1st constituency of Charente-Maritime ( French: ''Première circonscription de la Charente-Maritime'') is one of five electoral districts in the department of the same name, each of which returns one deputy to the French National Assembly i ...
. Located in the
arrondissement of La Rochelle The Arrondissement of La Rochelle (french: arrondissement de La Rochelle, link=no) is an arrondissement of France, located in the Charente-Maritime department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It has 58 communes. Its population is 215,707 (2016), a ...
, Île de Ré includes two cantons:
Saint-Martin-de-Ré Saint-Martin-de-Ré (, literally ''Saint-Martin of Ré''; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Martin-de-Ré'') is a commune in the western French department of Charente-Maritime.Ars-en-Ré westwards. The island is divided into 10 communes, from East to West:
Rivedoux-Plage Rivedoux-Plage () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is situated on the Île de Ré. The commune includes the beach of Sablanceau. People who live on the island are called the ''Rivedousais'' and the '' ...
, La Flotte,
Sainte-Marie-de-Ré Sainte-Marie-de-Ré (, literally ''Saint Mary of Ré'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. Geography Sainte-Marie-de-Ré is a small village, on the southern coast of the Île de Ré, facing the Île d' ...
,
Saint-Martin-de-Ré Saint-Martin-de-Ré (, literally ''Saint-Martin of Ré''; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Martin-de-Ré'') is a commune in the western French department of Charente-Maritime.Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré,
La Couarde-sur-Mer La Couarde-sur-Mer (, literally ''La Couarde on Sea'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is situated on the Île de Ré. Population See also *Communes of the Charente-Maritime department The follow ...
,
Loix Loix () is a commune in the south-west of France, located on the north coast of the Île de Ré, in the department of Charente-Maritime (region Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Its inhabitants are called ''Loidais'' and ''Loidaises'' . Geography * Loix is ...
, Ars-en-Ré,
Saint-Clément-des-Baleines Saint-Clément-des-Baleines () is a commune on Île de Ré, a coastal island in the French department of Charente-Maritime, located in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (formerly Poitou-Charentes). Population Geography This commune has no harb ...
,
Les Portes-en-Ré Les Portes-en-Ré () is a commune of southwestern France, located on the Ré Island, in the French department of Charente-Maritime, historical region of Poitou-Charentes, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Population See also * Î ...
.


History

During Roman times, Île de Ré was an archipelago consisting of three small islands. The space between the islands was progressively filled by a combination of human activity (
salt field A dry lake bed, also known as a playa, is a basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body, which disappears when evaporation processes exceeds recharge. If the floor of a dry lake is covered by deposits of alkaline c ...
s gained from the sea) and silting. In the seventh and eighth centuries the island, along with
Oléron The Isle of Oléron or Oléron Island (french: île d'Oléron, ; Saintongese: ''ilâte d'Olerun''; oc, illa d'Olairon or ; la, Uliarus insula, ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort), on the southern side of t ...
, formed the ''Vacetae Insulae'' or Vacetian Islands, according to the '' Cosmographia''. Since ''Vaceti'' is another name for the
Vascones The Vascones were a pre-Roman tribe who, on the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century, inhabited a territory that spanned between the upper course of the Ebro river and the southern basin of the western Pyrenees, a region that coincides wi ...
, this reference is evidence of Basque (Gascon) settlement or control of the islands by that date. In 745,
Hunald Hunald, also spelled Hunold, Hunoald, Hunuald or Chunoald (french: Hunaud; la, Hunaldus or ''Chunoaldus''), is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It may refer to: *Hunald I, duke of Aquitaine (735–45) *Hunald II, duke of Aquitaine (768� ...
, the Duke of Aquitaine, retired to a monastery on the island. In the mid-twelfth century, a
Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...
monastery was founded on the isle, where the Abbot
Isaac of Stella Isaac of Stella, also referred to as Isaac de l'Étoile, (c. 1100, in England – c. 1170s, Étoile, Archigny, France) was a Cistercian and later a Carthusian monk, theologian and philosopher. Life Born in England, after studies in Paris, h ...
sojourned amid the Becket controversy. The island became English in 1154, when
Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of Henry II of England, King Henry I ...
became queen of England through her marriage with
Henry Plantagenet Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
. The island reverted to France in 1243, when
Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry ...
returned it to
Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the House of Capet, Direct Capetians. He was Coronation of the French monarch, c ...
through a treaty. In 1360, however, with the
Treaty of Brétigny The Treaty of Brétigny was a treaty, drafted on 8 May 1360 and ratified on 24 October 1360, between Kings Edward III of England and John II of France. In retrospect, it is seen as having marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years ...
, Île de Ré briefly became English again, until the 1370s. The first fishing locks were constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries. The locks consist of fixed fish traps which become submerged at high tide and retain the fish when the tide goes out.


Capture (1625)

In February 1625, the Protestant Duke of Soubise led a
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
revolt against 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 crow ...
, and after publishing a manifesto, invaded and occupied the island of Ré. He seized Ré with 300 soldiers and 100 sailors. From there he sailed up to Brittany, where he led his successful attack on the royal fleet in Blavet, although he could not take the fort after a three-week siege. Soubise then returned to Ré with 15 ships and soon occupied the
Ile d'Oléron Ile may refer to: * iLe, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino acid * Another ...
as well, thus giving him command of the Atlantic coast from
Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
to
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...
. Through these actions, he was recognized as the head of the reform, and named himself "Admiral of the Protestant Church". A few months later, in September 1625, Charles, Duke of Guise, organized a landing in order to recapture the islands, with the support of the Dutch (20 ships) and English navies. The fleet 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. Wi ...
was defeated, as was Soubise with 3,000 men, when he led a counter-attack against the royal troops who had landed on the island. The island was invested forcing Soubise to flee to England.


Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (1627)

In 1627, an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
invasion force under the command of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, attacked the island in order to relieve the Siege of La Rochelle. After three months of combat in the Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré against the French under Marshal
Toiras Jean Caylar d'Anduze de Saint-Bonnet, Marquis de Toiras (1585–1636), often just called Toiras, was a Marshal of France of the 17th century. Toiras fought against Soubise in the Capture of Ré island in 1625. After his victory, he received the ...
, the Duke was forced to withdraw. The English lost more than 4,000 out of 7,000 troops during the campaign.


Later history

The main port, Saint-Martin, was fortified by Vauban in 1681 as a component of the belt of forts and citadels built to protect the military harbour of Rochefort. It was later used as a depot for
convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as " prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former conv ...
s on their way to the penal settlements of
New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
and
French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label= French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas ...
. Prisoners included
Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus ( , also , ; 9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. ...
, en route to the penal colony of
Devil's Island The penal colony of Cayenne (French: ''Bagne de Cayenne''), commonly known as Devil's Island (''Île du Diable''), was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953 in the Salvation Island ...
after his conviction for treason. The old city of Saint-Martin, within the walls of the citadel, was added in 2008 to the
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
list, along with 11 others Fortifications of Vauban across
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. During World War II, the beaches of the Île de Ré were fortified by German forces with bunkers, in order to block a possible seaward invasion. Many of the bunkers are still visible, in a more or less derelict state. Several scenes of the 1962 movie '' The Longest Day'' were filmed on the beaches of the island.


Connection to the mainland

In 1987, a
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...
was built to connect the island to the mainland. Previously, the island was connected through roll-on roll-off ferries (called "''bacs''"), which could accommodate vehicles and passengers. In peak summer time periods, the waiting time to board a ferry could reach several hours. The bridge was built by
Bouygues Bouygues S.A. () is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on the Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by F ...
. Since then, tourism on the island has developed considerably, with
real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...
prices reaching high levels. The easier transportation system has stimulated the purchase of holiday homes by people from as far as Paris, who can visit for week-ends, mostly in spring and summer. Using the bridge requires the payment of a toll (either €8 or €16 return for a normal car depending on the season) and makes it the most expensive road to use per kilometre in France. The
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
-
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. Wi ...
high-speed train (
TGV The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
) trip takes around three hours, and then taxis or buses can be taken to the island. Île de Ré can also be reached from Paris by plane. It takes 85 minutes to fly from Paris to La Rochelle airport.


Life

The area is a popular
tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
destination. It has approximately the same number of hours of sunshine as the southern coast of France. The island has a constant light breeze, and the water temperature is generally cool. The island is surrounded with sandy beaches. The island has a year-round resident population of approximately 17,650 residents and a summer resident population of about 220,000. The island has a network of cycle tracks, with many residents rarely using cars for transportation. American celebrities, including
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Awa ...
,
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her campy style, she has been referred to ...
, and British actor
Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series '' The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001), '' The Two Towers'' (2002), ...
, have vacationed there. Visiting French celebrities include
Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...
,
Claude Nougaro Claude Nougaro (, oc, Claudi Nogaròu; 9 September 1929 – 4 March 2004) was a French songwriter and singer. Life and career Claude Nougaro was born in Toulouse to a respected French opera singer, Pierre Nougaro, and a piano teacher, Liette ...
, Bernard Giraudeau,
Claude Rich Claude Rich (8 February 1929 – 20 July 2017) was a French stage and screen actor. He began his career in the theater before his film debut in 1955. Personal life He married actress Catherine Renaudin on 26 June 1959. They had two daughters, ...
,
Carole Bouquet Carole Bouquet (born 18 August 1957) is a French actress who has appeared in more than 60 films since 1977. In 1990, she was awarded the César Award for Best Actress for her role in ''Too Beautiful for You''. She was the face of Chanel No. 5 f ...
,
Philippe Sollers Philippe Sollers (; born Philippe Joyaux; 28 November 1936) is a French writer and critic. In 1960 he founded the ''avant garde'' literary journal ''Tel Quel'' (along with writer and art critic Marcelin Pleynet), which was published by Le S ...
, and Caroline of Monaco. French politicians, including
Jean Monnet Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet (; 9 November 1888 – 16 March 1979) was a French civil servant, entrepreneur, diplomat, financier, administrator, and political visionary. An influential supporter of European unity, he is considered one of the ...
and ex-Prime Minister
Lionel Jospin Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002. Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
, have lived on the island.
Oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...
s and fresh fish are caught year-round. A tradition sees fishermen sell a small quantity of their catch directly on the quays after a harvest, enabling them to buy a drink. Markets are open in the main towns. The island is known for donkeys wearing (trousers), originally a bite prevention method but now a tourist attraction.


Miscellaneous

Nearby Fort Boyard, a Napoleonic maritime fort, is currently used for a television
game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...
series of the same name.


Media

Ré à la Hune
: free information newspaper and website founded in 2007.


See also

*
Ernest Cognacq Museum The Ernest Cognacq Museum ( French: ''Musée Ernest Cognacq'') is a French regional history museum, located in the city of Saint Martin de Ré, Île de Ré, France. The museum is housed in the "Hotel de Clerjotte", built in 1470-1480 by Louis C ...
* *
Cross sea A cross sea (also referred to as a squared sea or square waves) is a sea state of wind-generated ocean waves that form nonparallel wave systems. Cross seas have a large amount of directional spreading. This may occur when water waves from one w ...


Gallery

File:Soubise 12 15 Septembre 1625.jpg, Capture of Île de Ré by Charles, Duke of Guise on September 16, 1625. File:Pont-Île-de-Ré_1.jpg,
Île de Ré bridge The Île de Ré bridge connects La Rochelle to the Île de Ré, on the western coast of France. It was built by Bouygues and financed by the Charente-Maritime It received a ''déclaration d'utilité publique A ''déclaration d'utilité publique' ...
from Sablanceau/
Rivedoux-Plage Rivedoux-Plage () is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is situated on the Île de Ré. The commune includes the beach of Sablanceau. People who live on the island are called the ''Rivedousais'' and the '' ...
. File:Baleines_04.jpg, The ''Phares des Baleines'' lighthouse. File:Salz_01.JPG, Salt fields in Loix-en-Ré File:GermanBunker.JPG, A WWII German bunker on a beach in Île de Ré (Plage des Quatre Sergents). File:Jielbeaumadier ane de provence culotte st-martin-de-re 2013.jpeg, ''Âne en culotte'' donkey at Saint-Martin-de-Ré. File:Conchedesbaleinesiledere.jpg, German bunkers in the northern part of the island (Conche des Baleines). File:Carte-ile-de-re.png, Map of the island File:Ré SPOT 1156.jpg, The island photographed by the Spot-5 satellite File:Le Phare de la Baleine.jpg, Le Phare des Baleines


References


Sources

*Collins, Roger. "The ''Vaccaei'', the ''Vaceti'', and the rise of ''Vasconia''". ''Studia Historica VI''. Salamanca, 1988. Reprinted in Roger Collins, ''Law, Culture and Regionalism in Early Medieval Spain''. Variorum, 1992. .


External links


Official Website of the Tourist Office



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