La Rochelle Falls: Richelieu Crushes Huguenot Fortress
The siege of La Rochelle lasted 14 months, from September 1627 to October 28, 1628. Cardinal Richelieu built a 1,500-meter sea wall across the harbor to prevent English ships from resupplying the city. The fortification was an engineering feat: constructed on foundations sunk into the harbor floor, it blocked all maritime access. Inside the walls, the population of 27,000 starved. Dogs, cats, horses, leather, and grass were consumed. By the time the city surrendered, fewer than 5,000 inhabitants remained alive. Richelieu allowed the survivors to keep their Protestant faith but stripped the Huguenots of their military and political rights. La Rochelle's fall ended the Huguenots as an independent political force in France and consolidated royal power under Louis XIII, exactly as Richelieu intended.
October 28, 1628
398 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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