Naval battle of Saint-Martin-de-Ré

46°12′54″N 1°21′58″W / 46.215°N 1.366°W / 46.215; -1.366Result InconclusiveBelligerents

Kingdom of France

French Huguenot forcesCommanders and leaders Louis XIII
Charles, Duke of Guise (Commander)

Jean Guiton (Admiral)Strength 72 warships 56 smaller warships

French Wars of Religion

First; 1562–1563
Conflict in the provinces; Rouen; Vergt; Dreux; Orléans

Second; 1567–1568
Saint-Denis; Chartres

Third; 1568–1570
Jarnac; La Roche-l'Abeille; Poitiers; Orthez; Moncontour; Saint-Jean d'Angély; Arney-le-Duc

Fourth; 1572–1573
Mons; Sommières; Sancerre; La Rochelle

Fifth; 1574–1576
Dormans

Sixth; 1577
La Charité-sur-Loire; Issoire; Brouage

Seventh; 1580
La Fère

War of the Three Henrys (1585–1589)
Coutras; Vimory; Auneau; Day of the Barricades

Succession of Henry IV of France (1589–1594)
Arques; Ivry; Paris; Château-Laudran; Rouen; Caudebec; Craon; 1st Luxembourg; Blaye; Morlaix; Fort Crozon

Franco-Spanish War (1595–1598)
2nd Luxembourg; Fontaine-Française; Ham; Le Catelet; Doullens; Cambrai; Calais; La Fère; Ardres; Amiens

v t e Huguenot rebellions
1621–22 Saumur Saint-Jean-d'Angély La Rochelle Montauban Royan Saint-Foix Nègrepelisse Saint-Antonin Montpellier Treaty of Montpellier Saint-Martin-de-Ré 1625 Blavet Ré island Treaty of Paris 1627–29 Saint-Martin-de-Ré Pont du Feneau La Rochelle Privas Alès Montauban Peace of Alès Aftermath Dragonnades War of the Camisards

The Naval battle of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (French:Bataille navale de Saint-Martin-de-Ré) took place on 27 October 1622, between the Huguenot fleet of La Rochelle under Jean Guiton, and a Royal fleet under Charles de Guise.^[1]

Under Henry IV the city had enjoyed a certain freedom and prosperity until the 1620s, but the city entered in conflict with the central authority of King Louis XIII with the Huguenot rebellion of 1622.^[2] Louis XIII sent a small army for a Blockade of La Rochelle in 1621 and 1622.^[1]

A fleet from La Rochelle fought a much larger royal fleet under the Charles de Guise in front of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, and managed to fight to a standstill on 27 October 1622. The battle lasted two hours, and as many as 20,000 cannon shots were exchanged, but the encounter remained inconclusive.^[3]

A peace had been signed a few days earlier on 19 October 1622, the Peace of Montpellier, which encouraged the people of La Rochelle to end hostilities.^[2] Through the Peace of Montpellier, the fortifications of Montauban and La Rochelle could remain in place, although the fortress of Montpellier had to be razed.^[4]

Conflicts would soon resume with the upraisal of the Huguenot leader Soubise together with La Rochelle against Royal authority in 1625, leading to the Capture of Ré island by Royal forces that year, and of course with the major Siege of La Rochelle in 1627-1628.

Notes

^ ^a ^b Mulryne, J. R. (2004). Europa Triumphans: Court and Civic Festivals in Early Modern Europe. Vol. II. Ashgate Publishing. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-7546-3873-5.
^ ^a ^b Litalien, Raymonde; Vaugeois, Denis (2004). Champlain: The Birth of French America. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 22. ISBN 9780773528505.
^ Clarke, Jack (1966). Huguenot Warrior: The Life and Times of Henri de Rohan, 1579–1638. Springer. p. 108. ISBN 9789024701933.
^ Duffy, Christopher (1996). Siege Warfare: The Fortress in the Early Modern World 1494-1660. Psychology Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-415-14649-4.