Siege of La Rochelle (1224)
Encyclopedia
A Siege of La Rochelle occurred in 1224, when the French King Louis VIII
recaptured the city of La Rochelle
from the English.
's husband Henry Plantagenet became king of England as Henry II of England
. In 1202, 1204 and 1207, King John of England
awarded tax privileges to the city, such as exempting the city from certain taxes, as well as from certain military obligations, and allowing to tax anybody entering or leaving it.
France had been in intense conflict with England for sometime, especially under the rule of Philippe Auguste. The reconquest of Poitou
and La Rochelle by the French Crown followed by a few years the French invasion of a large part of England in the 1216-1217 First Barons' War
. After 1216 however, the new English ruler Henry III
was embroiled in internal war, successfully leading the Siege of Bedford in 1224, but was financially strained and had considerably less resources than his French counterpart to successfully resist an attack of his French territories of Poitou
and Aquitaine
.
over the English. Niort
was conquered on July 5, after a siege of 2 days. The siege of La Rochelle began on July 15, defense of the city being led by Savari de Mauléon
, and a contingent of English troops under Geoffrey de Neuville. The siege ended between August 3 and August 13, with some conditions being seemingly put by the citizens of the city for the reversal to the French throne. The English troops were allowed to leave the city with their arms, and it seems that the inhabitants surrendered when only minimal support from the English crown was received.
The reversal of La Rochelle to the French Crown compromissed the close trading relations with England and Ireland that La Rochelle had enjoyed, especially in the export of wine. La Rochelle wine had been recording in England since the end of the 12th century, and numerous English and Irishmen had been present in the city. The city comprensated this loss by increased trade with the northern countries of Flanders
. Until Bordeaux
became the prominent harbour for wine, La Rochelle was the leading wine exporter on the Atlantic coast, during the 13th and the 14th century. In exchange for the wine, cereals and cloth were imported from the Flanders, while tin
was imported from Cornwall
, and lead
from Ireland.
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
recaptured the 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...
from the English.
Context
The city of La Rochelle had been under English rule since 1154, when Eleanor of AquitaineEleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
's husband Henry Plantagenet became king of England as Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
. In 1202, 1204 and 1207, King John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
awarded tax privileges to the city, such as exempting the city from certain taxes, as well as from certain military obligations, and allowing to tax anybody entering or leaving it.
France had been in intense conflict with England for sometime, especially under the rule of Philippe Auguste. The reconquest of 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....
and La Rochelle by the French Crown followed by a few years the French invasion of a large part of England in the 1216-1217 First Barons' War
First Barons' War
The First Barons' War was a civil war in the Kingdom of England, between a group of rebellious barons—led by Robert Fitzwalter and supported by a French army under the future Louis VIII of France—and King John of England...
. After 1216 however, the new English ruler Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
was embroiled in internal war, successfully leading the Siege of Bedford in 1224, but was financially strained and had considerably less resources than his French counterpart to successfully resist an attack of his French territories of 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....
and Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
.
The siege
The siege of La Rochelle was the crowning event of the French reconquest of the PoitouPoitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
over the English. Niort
Niort
Niort is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.The Latin name of the city was Novioritum.The population of Niort is 60,486 and more than 137,000 people live in the urban area....
was conquered on July 5, after a siege of 2 days. The siege of La Rochelle began on July 15, defense of the city being led by Savari de Mauléon
Savari de Mauleon
Savari de Mauléon , French soldier, was the son of Raoul de Mauléon, Viscount of Thouars and Lord of Mauléon ....
, and a contingent of English troops under Geoffrey de Neuville. The siege ended between August 3 and August 13, with some conditions being seemingly put by the citizens of the city for the reversal to the French throne. The English troops were allowed to leave the city with their arms, and it seems that the inhabitants surrendered when only minimal support from the English crown was received.
Consequences
Following the 1224 siege, Louis VIII committed to maintain all the privileges of the city. Trade was encouraged by giving a safe conduct for all goods from or to the city, although usual taxes were applied. In case of a declaration of war between France and the country of a trader, that trader's goods were protected from bein seized for a period of 20 days, during which the trader could leave the city with his goods unharmmed.The reversal of La Rochelle to the French Crown compromissed the close trading relations with England and Ireland that La Rochelle had enjoyed, especially in the export of wine. La Rochelle wine had been recording in England since the end of the 12th century, and numerous English and Irishmen had been present in the city. The city comprensated this loss by increased trade with the northern countries of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. Until Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
became the prominent harbour for wine, La Rochelle was the leading wine exporter on the Atlantic coast, during the 13th and the 14th century. In exchange for the wine, cereals and cloth were imported from the Flanders, while tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
was imported from Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
from Ireland.