History of the Charente-Maritime

The Charente-Maritime is made of two provinces of the old mode: the Aunis and the Saintonge.

Antiquity

It is at the time of the conquest of the Gaulle S (58 with 51 av. J. - C.) by Jules César that one finds mention, for the first time, of the inhabitants of the Charente-Maritime: the Santons. The Roman intervention is done on the request of certain Gallic people threatened by displacement of the Helvètes towards the country santons. After the conquest, Rome organizes the Gaulle in several provinces whose Aquitaine which goes from the the Loire to the the Pyrenees, of the Atlantique to the Auvergne and whose first capital, with the I {{er}} and beginning of the 2nd century, is Médiolanum Santonum (“in the middle of Santons”) the current town of Saintes. There remain important vestiges of this time like the Arc of Germanicus, the Amphithéâtre Holy, many columns and other sculptures of this time. The “ pagus ” (country) of Saintes is rich by the maritime activity ( Portus Santonum in the course of excavations in the south of Royan) and by these exports of Eau-de-vie and Laine towards the whole of Gaulle until Cologne.

The Middle Ages

The Saintonge is conquered by the Visigoths which occupy the whole of Aquitaine of the time: it is the kingdom of Toulouse. Clovis at the end of the 5th century extends the franque domination on the whole of the south-west of Gaulle. La Rochelle is founded at the 11th century. The city is equipped by the dukes with Aquitaine and counts with Poitou with a commune. This right allows a local autonomy and is favorable to the maritime activities of this port. La Rochelle, but also Brouage, becomes important centers of trade. The salt, or “white gold”, is the principal trade with the merchants of the Hanseatic League (England, Holland, Germany, Scandinavia and Russia). The Charente-Maritime is the principal salt producer of the time. Each year, from the ships of the whole of the north of the Europe come in the ports from Aunis and Saintonge to buy salt necessary to the conservation of food. They are also provided in Vin which, at the time, is one of rare has not to turn in Vinaigre during the maritime transport. The benefit of the trade and the richness (cereals and breeding) of the back-country take part in the artistic activity of this department. “The Saintonge is covered with a white veil”. This expression refers to the trade of the salt which makes it possible to build many religious buildings whose white calcareous stone is the characteristic. The careers are numerous and the stones of quality (later the careers of Crazannes and Port-with Envaux will provide the base of the Statue of Freedom to New York). The Romanesque art develops and will be diffused in South-west. An important religious activity develops: Abbey with the Ladies, Saint-Eutrope with Holy, the royal Abbaye of Saint-Jean-in Angély… the abbeys takes part much in the draining of the coastal Marais and in the exploitation of salt. During the War One hundred Year old the Aunis and the Saintonge become important issues. The Charente-Maritime sudden of many destruction, agriculture and the trade are disorganized.

Modern time

The activity begins again gradually. The town of La Rochelle makes new great strides. The appearance of the Protestantisme upsets Charente-Maritime. The coast becomes an important hearth of the Calvinisme and the back-country mainly remains catholic: évêché Holy. The war of religion is destroying for the area. The edict of Nantes makes La Rochelle one of the fortified towns but in 1627 - 1628 the Cardinal of Richelieu triumph of the resistance of its inhabitants and his mayor Jean Guiton. But the Protestants see themselves confirmed their freedom of worship by Louis XIII. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV will push many inhabitants with the “desert” or the exile. Rochefort becomes one of the centers of naval construction starting from 1666 thanks to Colbert which creates its port and the arsenal, and makes strengthen the city by Vauban. The ports of the coast and in particular Brouage will become one of the principal colonization and starting points for the North America.

Cartier and Champlain is originating in Saintonge and founds the News-France. The inhabitants of the Saintonge and the Aunis will provide important quotas of immigrants towards the News-France (Quebec). Many words of Saintongeais still exists in the Québécois.

La Rochelle will become like Bordeaux or Nantes one of the French main ports of the triangular trade (“Traite blacks”). Bernard Palissy, protesting and thinker of Holy, will develop the technique of the amaille, Réaumur is originating in La Rochelle like the admiral Duperré. The French revolution joins together the two provinces in only one department (less Cognac, which was in Saintonge, and which is attached to Charente): the Charente-Maritime whose capital is initially Saintes, then La Rochelle. Guillotin is originating in Saintes.

Contemporary time

The Charente-Maritime is, like the whole of South-west, in periphery of the industrial development of the 19th century. The agricultural activities (vine: cognac; breeding: butter of Surgères and cereals), maritime (fishing ports) are the main activities. Tourism starts to develop with Royan at the end it 19th century to become one of principal industries of the department. During the Second world war, the Jews of Charente-Maritime are off-set (the community of Saintes was very reduced but was also one of oldest) and the town of Royan is almost completely shaven by a Anglo-American bombardment.

Today, the Charente-Maritime is the department more populated Poitou-Charentes (600 000 inhabitants) and that which with the more demographic strong growth. Electronics industries with Holy and La Rochelle, naval constructions with La Rochelle and Rochefort, agribusiness industries (butter of Surgères, Charentes-Poitou; cakes with Beurlay, Saint-Jean-with Angély and Pons; vine: Pineau and cognac…), fishing ports (Cotinière and La Rochelle), commercial port to Palice (La Rochelle: import/export of wood)… The Charente-Maritime is the tourist department of the Atlantic coast.

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