Rochele, LA

Rochele, LA, a seaport and second-class fortress of France, capital of the department of Charente-Inférieure, on an inlet of the Bay of Biscay, formed by the islands Ré and Oléron, 91 miles WSW. of Poitiers and 297 SW. of Paris. Its harbour, which consists of an outer tidal basin and an inner wet-dock, is still sheltered by the remains of Richelieu's famous dyke, and is surrounded by fine quays, close to which lie the principal streets and squares. Many of the latter are regular and well built, and present a handsome appearance from the number of houses which are adorned with porticoes and balconies. The most noteworthy public buildings are the hôtel-de-ville (1486-1607), the palais-de-justice (1614), and the heavy Grecian cathedral (1742-1862). Besides the fine promenade of the Place du Château, there are, outside the city, two extensive public gardens, known as La Promenade du Mail and the Champs de Mars. Shipbuilding is actively carried on, especially in connection with the Newfoundland fishing trade; and besides this branch of industry, and the manufacture of briquettes and cotton yarns, Rochelle has numerous glass-works, sugar-refineries, and brandy distilleries. Pop. (1872) 19,070; (1891) 23,467. Rochelle, which was known till the 12th century under its Latin name of Rupella, 'Little Rock,' of which its present name is a mere translation, originated in a colony of serfs of Lower Poitou, who, fleeing from the persecution of their lord, settled on the rocky promontory between the ocean and the neighbouring marshes. On the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine with Henry II. of England, Rochelle, as part of her dowry, came into the possession of the English kings, by whom it was retained till 1224, when it was taken by Louis VIII.; and, although it was ceded to England at the treaty of Bretigny in 1360, in the subsequent wars it was retaken by France, under whose sway it has remained since 1372. A stronghold of the Huguenots (q.v.), it was unsuccessfully besieged in 1573, and in 1627-28 it for fourteen months again offered a heroic though unavailing resistance, under its mayor Guiton, to Cardinal Richelieu. Buckingham's expedition to relieve it failed, and at last the defenders, reduced from 27,000 to 5000, had to surrender to the troops of Louis XIII. With the exception of three towers (1334-1476) its old fortifications were destroyed, and new lines of defences subsequently erected by the great Vauban. Réaumur, Bonpland, Billaud-Varenne, Fromentin, Bouguereau, and Admiral Duperré (1775-1846) were natives. Of the last a statue was erected in 1869. See Barbot's Histoire de la Rochelle (ed. by Denys d'Aussy, 1886-91).