Atlas of Battles

siege, early modern

Siege of La Rochelle

Siege of La Rochelle was a siege conducted on 6 November 1572 at La Rochelle, in what is now France; it lasted 8 months. It was part of the French Wars of Religion, which ran from 1562 to 1598. The recorded result: Stalemate. Recorded strength: Siege army: 28,000 against Defending army: 1,500; Huguenot refugees..

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Le_Siège_de_La_Rochelle_par_le_Duc_d_Anjou_en_1573
Le_Siège_de_La_Rochelle_par_le_Duc_d_Anjou_en_1573. Anonymous tapestry, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought6 November 1572lasted 8 months
WhereLa Rochelle, France46.159N, 1.151W
OutcomeStalemate
BelligerentsKingdom of FranceagainstLa Rochelle; Kingdom of England (support)
Part ofFrench Wars of Religion1562 to 1598

Where it sits in the French Wars of Religion

Battle of Dreux, 1562Siege of Orléans, 1562Battle of Cognat, 1568Siege of Chartres, 1568Battle of Jarnac, 1569Battle of La Roche-l'Abeille, 1569Siege of Poitiers, 1569Battle of Orthez, 1569Battle of Moncontour, 1569Battle of Pamproux, 1569Siege of Rabastens, 1570Siege of La Rochelle, 1572Siege of Sancerre, 1572Battle of Besançon, 1575Battle of Coutras, 1587Battle of Vimory, 1587Battle of Auneau, 1587Battle of Chuyer, 1587Battle of Tours, 1589Attack on Paris, 1589Battle of Ivry, 1590Siege of Paris, 1590Siege of Autun, 1591Battle of Port-Ringeard, 1593Siege of Morlaix, 1594Battle of Fontaine-Française, 1595Siege of Doullens, 1595Siege of Calais, 1596Siege of Montauban, 1621Blockade of La Rochelle, 1621Siege of Montpellier, 1622Siege of Saint-Antonin, 1622Blockade of La Rochelle, 1622Siege of Royan, 1622Battle of Blavet, 162515621625Siege of La Rochelle, 1572
35 placed engagements of the French Wars of Religion in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date6 November 1572
to 26 June 1573
PlaceLa Rochelle, France
46.159N, 1.151W
KindSiege, early modern
StrengthSiege army: 28,000Defending army: 1,500; Huguenot refugees.
Casualties and lossesSiege army: 12,000 (including sickness and desertion); 73% casualty rate among officers.Almost entire army and all refugees dead
Commanders
  • Henry III of France
  • Gabriel de Lorges, Count of Montgomery
Siege of La RochelleSiege of La RochelleAllied Siege of La RochelleBlockade of La RochelleSiege of La RochelleSiege of La RochelleBlockade of La RochelleAllied Siege of La RochelleNantesPoitier100 km46.159N, 1.151W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between 1224 and 1944.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1572

Siege of La Rochelle is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 1,383 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q650082, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of La Rochelle (1572–1573), revision 1370742729, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.