The Battle of the Blave River is a battle between the French Royal Navy led by Charles I Gonzaga and César de Vand and the Huguenot fleet led by Duke Subiz in 1625 at Fort Port Louis, Brittany , as part of the Huguenot uprisings .
| Battle of the Blave River | |||
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| Main Conflict: Huguenot Uprising | |||
 Fort Louis at the mouth of the Blave River | |||
| date of | January 17, 1625 | ||
| A place | Blavay River , France . | ||
| Total | Huguenot victory | ||
| Opponents | |||
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| Commanders | |||
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| Forces of the parties | |||
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Background
A major Huguenot rebellion against the pro-Catholic king of France Louis XIII took place several years ago, in 1621-1622, and ended in a stalemate and the conclusion of an agreement in Montpellier .
However, the king did not comply with the terms of the contract, which provoked the indignation of the leaders of the Huguenots [1] . Not a single condition, they claimed, was met, for example, French engineers continued to strengthen Fort Louis under the walls of the Huguenot stronghold of La Rochelle , instead of dismantling it, and a strong royal fleet was being prepared at the mouth of the Blave river for a possible siege of the city [1] . The threat of a future siege of La Rochelle was obvious to both the Huguenot leader Duke Subiz and the people of La Rochelle [1] .
At the same time, the Huguenots and Subiz aroused the indignation of the crown due to their demonstration of their intentions to become independent, following the model of the Dutch Republic [2] .
A fleet of five ships is being prepared on the Blave River for the future blockade of La Rochelle [3] . Huguenot emissaries were sent to Paris to achieve the fulfillment of the treaty in Montpellier, but to no avail [4] .
Subiz decided to take preventive measures. With several vessels that he prepared near La Rochelle, Subiz set sail and attacked Blave in January 1625 [5] [6] . He had 12 light ships, 300 well-armed soldiers and 100 sailors [6] . Six heavy royal ships anchored, “all well-armed, but lacking in men and ammunition” [6] .
Subiz took the fleet by surprise and became the master of Port Louis, capturing La Vierge , the largest warship of the time [5] : it weighed 500 tons, had 80 bronze cannons, and about 200,000 kroons were spent on its construction [6] .
The Duke of Cesar de Vendome , Governor of the province, tried to block Subiz in the harbor with a heavy chain and artillery fire. However, after two weeks Subiz still managed to break into the sea with his fleet [5] .
Subiz now had at his disposal a formidable fleet of 70 ships and anchored in front of the island of Re, which he occupied with his ground forces [5] .
These events led to a fierce reaction from the king, who launched a counterattack in September 1625 , captured the island of Re and forced Subiz to flee to England [7] . Subiz will return in two years with a large fleet of the Duke of Buckingham as part of the siege of La Rochelle (1627-1628) .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 The history of France Eyre Evans Crowe, p. 544
- ↑ Quoted in The history of France Eyre Evans Crowe, p. 544
- ↑ The history of France Eyre Evans Crowe, p. 544
- ↑ The history of France Eyre Evans Crowe, p. 455
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 The history of France Eyre Evans Crowe, p. 544
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Huguenot warrior Jack Alden Clarke, p. 120
- ↑ The birth of absolutism by Yves Marie Berce, p.97
Literature
- Eyre Evans Crowe The history of France Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts, 1863
- Jack Alden Clarke Huguenot warrior: the life and times of Henri de Rohan, 1579-1638 Springer, 1967 ISBN 90-247-0193-7
- Yves-Marie Bercé, Richard Rex The birth of absolutism: a history of France, 1598-1661 Palgrave Macmillan, 1996 ISBN 0-312-15807-6