Atlas of Battles

siege, major, early modern

Siege of La Rochelle

Siege of La Rochelle was a siege conducted on 10 September 1627 at La Rochelle, in what is now France; it lasted 14 months. It was part of Huguenot rebellions, which ran from 1621 to 1629. The recorded result: French Royalist victory.

See it on the globe Read the article

Richelieu in the center is represented on a dike. At his side, in retreat, his general staff. This dike, which no longer exists today, was built at the time of the Great Siege in 1628 to prevent aid f
Richelieu in the center is represented on a dike. At his side, in retreat, his general staff. This dike, which no longer exists today, was built at the time of the Great Siege in 1628 to prevent aid f. Henri-Paul Motte, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 September 1627lasted 14 months
WhereLa Rochelle, France46.167N, 1.150W
OutcomeFrench Royalist victory
BelligerentsFrench colonial empire; (French Royalists); Spanish Empireagainst20px La Rochelle; 20px Huguenots; Kingdom of England
Part ofHuguenot rebellions1621 to 1629

Where it sits in Huguenot rebellions

Capture of Saumur, 1621Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, 1621Siege of Sainte-Foy, 1622Nègrepelisse massacre, 1622Naval battle of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, 1622Recovery of Ré island, 1625Siege of La Rochelle, 1627Battle of Pont du Feneau, 1627Siege of Privas, 1629Siege of Alès, 162916211629Siege of La Rochelle, 1627
10 placed engagements of Huguenot rebellions in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date10 September 1627
to 28 October 1628
PlaceLa Rochelle, France
46.167N, 1.150W
KindSiege, early modern
StrengthSiege army: 22,000; Toiras: 1,200 alongside 30–40 Spanish shipsLa Rochelle: 27,000 civilians and soldiers; Buckingham: 80 ships, 7,000 soldiers
Casualties and lossesSiege army: Unknown; Toiras: 500 killedLa Rochelle: 22,000 killed; Buckingham: 5,000 killed
Commanders
  • Louis XIII
  • Cardinal Richelieu
  • Jean Caylar d'Anduze de Saint-Bonnet
  • Île de Ré
  • François de Bassompierre
Siege of La RochelleSiege of La RochelleBattle of La RochelleSiege of La RochelleAllied Siege of La RochelleBlockade of La RochelleSiege of La RochelleBattle of La RochelleNantesPoitier100 km46.167N, 1.150W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of La Rochelle
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of La Rochelle today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-10-16. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 10 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 38 m, 39 m of relief, flat country and today it is 53% built-up, 16% grassland, 12% cropland.

built-up: 53%grassland: 16%cropland: 12%tree cover: 10%water: 8%built-up 53%grassland 16%cropland 12%tree cover 10%water 8%
west to east, 10.0 km3 to 24 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 27 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

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

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1627

Siege of La Rochelle is one of 1,470 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 1,383 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815170, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of La Rochelle, revision 1381095963, 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.