The Siege of La Rochelle, 1627-28

From Foe to Family William Child-Villiers (OKS)

The Siege of La Rochelle in 1627/28 ended the Huguenot (protestant) revolts in France, instigated the murder of the 1st Duke of Buckingham in England, and facilitated an exodus of French nationals to the ‘New World.’

The Siege meant the paths of two ancestors crossed, as foes. One, the 1st Duke of Buckingham, led an English naval fleet in support of the protestant Huguenots, while the other, a humble catholic trader’s son, fled with his family initially to the French countryside, and eventually to ‘New France,’ i.e., Canada.

La Rochelle was a fortified Huguenot city, the stronghold for the protestant resistance in catholic France. It was protected by the Edict of Nantes, which provided for religious freedom and rights to build fortresses in Huguenot majority cities. This vibrant trading centre, located on the Southwest coast of France, had about 25,000 citizens and was the second or third largest city in France. Its leaders were well educated, wealthy noble men who resisted the French Crown.

Cardinal Richelieu, King Louis XIII of France’s chief minister, disagreed with the Edict of Nantes and its destabilising effect on the catholic Monarchy. He made it a priority to suppress Huguenot resistance with force. On 10th July 1627, the 1st Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers, arrived from protestant England. His aim was to support a revolt by the Huguenots against the French Crown. Buckingham was a colourful character with a mixed reputation. He was rumoured to have bedded the Queen of France, Anne of Austria, and he had been the favourite courtier of King James I, the father of the current King, Charles I. Buckingham was the only courtier who served both King James and King Charles. As Lord Admiral and effective foreign minister, he led a fleet of about 100 ships and 7,000 men to the port of La Rochelle.

His arrival was initially greeted with apprehension in La Rochelle as its leaders feared repercussions from the French Crown. Buckingham therefore proceeded to invade Fort St Martin on the nearby Isle of Re, so it could be used as his base. Unfortunately for Buckingham, his men were poorly trained and baulked at the invasion. Buckingham assessed his early losses, and he strategically implemented a blockade on the fort and isle instead.

In La Rochelle tensions were mounting. La Rochelle had a large middle class, with a protestant majority, but also a sizeable catholic minority victimised by the ruling Huguenots. Many catholic families were worried about being caught up in the fighting. Jean Plante, who was six years old, was the youngest in his catholic family who fled La Rochelle in the summer of 1627. His family had been traders for generations, but they now settled in the countryside learning how to develop and work the land. Like Jean’s family, about 5,000 citizens (one fifth of the population) of La Rochelle fled the city in the months following Buckingham’s arrival. Cardinal Richelieu directed the response against Buckingham and La Rochelle with Duc D’Angoulême in charge in the field. In August, D’Angoulême surrounded La Rochelle by land, while also supporting the

Image: George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham Isle de Re by sea. In September, the Huguenots asked for Buckingham’s help and fired shots, launching war with the French Crown. Richelieu was convinced of the need to stop Buckingham. He organised a fleet of 47 ships to attack Buckingham while also supplying critical food supplies to the island’s fort. He then led reinforcements of 9,000 troops to defend the Isle de Re. In November Buckingham retreated back to England with his remaining forces - fewer than half had survived.

Richelieu continued the blockade of La Rochelle by cutting it off from land with a nine-mile trench supported by forts and soldiers. After Buckingham’s retreat, he built a seawall, to block any further assistance to the city from the sea. Indeed, the English sent two further fleets, but neither was able to assist the city. Richelieu had implemented a total Siege of La Rochelle.

La Rochelle suffered famine and disease, and it finally surrendered in October 1628. Approximately 14,000 citizens (70% of those who had remained in La Rochelle) died, including all catholic families. Jean Plante’s extended family had remained and perished during the siege. The success of Richelieu eventually led to the end of the protestant resistance in France and therefore the solidification of the catholic monarchy. The siege had decimated La Rochelle, although protestants initially retained religious freedom and remained the majority in the region. Catholics continued to suffer at their hand, and on 15th April 1643, Jean Plante, aged 22, departed La Rochelle on the ship Le Saint Clemente, arriving at St John’s River, Acadia in ‘New France,’ now Canada.

Years later, in 1685, France revoked the Edict of Nantes which led to more emigration, this time of Huguenots who had lost their religious and civil liberties in France. The mass exodus in the years following the Siege of La Rochelle is noted as one of the reasons that France fell behind in industrialisation as many who left took valuable agricultural and trading skills with them. Jean Plante, for example, who died aged 85, was recognised for his significant role in developing the virgin lands which became the thriving community of Chateau-Richer in Eastern Quebec. The Siege of La Rochelle in 1627/28 led to an end of protestant resistance in France, and therefore the solidification of the French Monarchy. Cardinal Richelieu and his army suffered negligible losses while La Rochelle was decimated. However, there was a cost to the French Crown as it led to a mass exodus of Protestants and Catholics to the ‘New World,’ taking valuable expertise with them.

It also was the final straw for the controversial 1st Duke of Buckingham. His failure in La Rochelle, illustrated by the death of 4,000 of his 7,000 men, led to his murder. In England, Buckingham initially sought to strengthen his forces and return to battle. However, his significant losses meant many of his forces were angry and blamed him. One disgruntled officer stabbed Buckingham to death in August 1628. The officer, John Fenton, was hanged, but considered a hero by locals and his fellow troops. Buckingham, aged just 35, was buried in an opulent tomb at Westminster Abby. His tomb has a Latin inscription meaning “The Enigma of the World.” Buckingham remains an intriguing historical figure to this day, immortalised in artworks by Van Dyke and Rubens. He was part-fictionalised by author Dumas in his novel The Three Musketeers in which he describes Buckingham as: “The favourite of two kings, immensely rich, all-powerful in a kingdom which he disordered at his fancy and calmed again at his caprice, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, had lived one of those fabulous existences which survive, in the course of centuries, to astonish posterity.”

Buckingham and Jean Plante never met, however, their lives were both significantly impacted by the Siege of La Rochelle. In December 2000, almost 400 years later, Buckingham’s descendant met Jean Plante’s descendant at a dinner party in London. The two married fifteen months later, the same amount of time as La Rochelle was under siege. These descendants are my parents, and the rest, as they say, is history.