La Rochelle, a fortified town

The origins of the town

In the 1130s, under the impetus of Duke William X of Aquitaine, the new city of La Rochelle came into being. In addition to the political and commercial privileges that encouraged the rapid growth of the town, the Duke ordered the construction of a fortified wall. Numerous towers and gates protected the city.

Between France and England

After the death of William X, his daughter, Eleanor of Aquitaine, married the King of France, Louis VII, and then the King of England, Henry II Plantagenet. As a result, the Duchy of Aquitaine passed successively under the authority of the two kings.

La Rochelle, disputed between France and England, was an important strategic and commercial centre. King Henry II Plantagenet had a large royal fortress built, Château Vauclerc. It occupied what is now the Place de Verdun, covering an area of around 10,000 m².

The River Lafond, in which the port of La Rochelle was established, was also a good way to reach the castle by boat.

The king had the city walls extended northwards to protect the adjacent suburbs.

The first tower

In 1199, Jean sans Terre, King of England and son of Eleanor and Henry II, came into conflict with Philip II Augustus, King of France. He ordered the fortification of two new districts on the islets of Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Jean-du-Pérot. It was probably during this construction campaign that the first tower was built on the site of the Lanterne tower. The work was completed in 1209.

As the River Lafond silted up and traffic increased, the beaching was abandoned in favour of the "Havre Neuf", now the Old Port (during the 13^th century).

The construction of the three towers

During the Hundred Years' War in 1372, La Rochelle sided with Charles V, King of France. This agreement resulted in a number of privileges being granted to the town, the demolition of the Château Vauclerc and, above all, a programme to make the port safe, including the construction of three large towers . Since then, the Saint-Nicolas and de la Chaîne towers have guarded the entrance to the port. The Moreille tower, which stood at the end of the port at the mouth of the Maubec canal, was demolished in the 18^th century when the Arsenal was built.

A Protestant stronghold

By the 16^th century, La Rochelle was a major Protestant stronghold. The fortifications were modified and extended. In 1628, after the Great Siege led by Cardinal de Richelieu, King Louis XIII ordered the destruction of the town's fortifications , but spared the large towers on the seafront. Since then, they have been the property of the State.

From the 17^th century to the present day

During the Fronde period in 1651, rebels entrenched themselves in the towers to oppose the royal troops. The fighting caused extensive damage. In 1689, as part of a programme to secure Rochefort's naval arsenal, King Louis XIV decided that the towers should be preserved and incorporated into the town's new fortifications, the construction of which was supervised by Marshal de Vauban.

These fortifications were never completed and were partly demolished as the town expanded in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Some vestiges still remain: the Porte de la grosse horloge (William X), traces of the Château Vauclerc, the Porte Royale (Vauban) and the Porte Maubec (16^th century walls).