| Siege of La Rochelle (1224) (Siège de La Rochelle 1224) |
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Siege of La Rochelle by Louis VIII in 1224. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| France | England La Rochelle |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Louis VIII Mathieu II de Montmorency |
Geoffrey de Neuville Savari de Mauléon |
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A Siege of La Rochelle occurred in 1224, when the French King Louis VIII recaptured the city of La Rochelle from the English.[1][2]
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The city of La Rochelle had been under English rule since 1154, when Eleanor of Aquitaine'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.[3]
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.[1]
The siege of La Rochelle was the crowning event of the French reconquest of the Poitou over the English.[1] Niort was conquered on July 5, after a siege of 2 days.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1]
Following the 1224 siege, Louis VIII committed to maintain all the privileges of the city.[2] Trade was encouraged by giving a safe conduct for all goods from or to the city, although usual taxes were applied.[3] 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.[3]
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.[3] The city comprensated this loss by increased trade with the northern countries of Flanders.[3] 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.[3] In exchange for the wine, cereals and cloth were imported from the Flanders, while tin was imported from Cornwall, and lead from Ireland.[3]