Les débuts de la ville de la Rochelle

Abstract

La Rochelle only appears in the texts at the end of the Xth century as a place of sait-pans and fishing. The fall of Châtelaillon in 1132 made it the centre of the Aunis. There was then a considerable growth in the population. The Gluniacs, who established themselves in the Ile d'Aix during the XIth century, successively founded three parishes, while a fourth belonged to the abbey of Déols. Already before 1139 the Templers had settled in la Rochelle. A rampart protected the new town during the third quarter of the century. During the seigniorial revolt of 1173/74 the Rochelais remained faithful to Henry II, who in 1175 granted them the first communal charter of the region. Hospitaliers and Fontevrists established themselves in the town at the end of the century. From this time onwards la Rochelle's wine trade expanded considerably, from Britanny to Flanders and the British Isles. In 1224 Louis VIII captured the town, and so gave to his kingdom its flrst port on the Atlantic.