Eloges et discovrs svr la triomphante reception dv Roy [Lovis [XIII] en sa ville de Paris, apres la reduction de la Rochelle: accompagnez des figvres, tant des arcs de triomphe, que des autres preparatifs. A Paris : chez Pierre Rocolet, 1629.
Call Number: SpC. 944.032 E48r1629v
An intractable problem facing the Bourbon monarchy was the kingdom’s Protestant minority. Henry IV’s former co-religionists won real concessions in the Edict of Nantes (1585). However, the French Catholic church and the papacy remained un-reconciled to any form of toleration. Neither side believed a divided religious status quo within the kingdom was desirable or viable. The Huguenots, under the leadership of the Duke de Rohan and his brother Soubise, bolstered their resistance to the reinvigorated Catholic monarchy.
After a series of rebellions in the early 1620s Cardinal Richelieu set out to destroy Huguenot power once and for all. England intervened on the side of the French Protestants after the failure of the Anglo-French alliance in 1624. In August 1627 the French laid siege to the fortified city of La Rochelle. Miles of fortified trenches, and an ingenious seawall were built. Louis XIII and Richelieu at various times personally oversaw the battle. Several English attempts to lift the siege by sea failed.
La Rochelle endured for fourteen months until its unconditional surrender on 28 October 1628. Casualties were immense; the city’s population fell from 27,000 to 5,000. Louis XIII entered at the head of his army and immediately restored Catholic worship. The Peace of Alais trimmed many of the Huguenot rights granted by the Edict of Nantes. From this point on the pressure on French Protestants was relentless.
Catholic France rejoiced at the Protestant defeat, Louis XIII entered Paris as a conquering hero. This volume is a record of the celebrations in Paris that accompanied the king’s triumphal return.
Interestingly Vincent would later comment on this famous battle: “At the time of the siege of La Rochelle, some thought that it necessary to first capture the other allied towns, while others thought that La Rochelle should be taken first. The reason, they said, was that if La Rochelle were taken as the main and chief town, the others would soon surrender. They said that we would find the key to the other cities in that of La Rochelle. And, in fact, that is what happened, since when La Rochelle was taken, the other towns surrendered”
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St. Vincent’s Reading List is recurring blog series exploring texts known to have been read and recommended by St. Vincent de Paul, those which can be presumed to have been read by him, and important works published during his lifetime (1581-1660). All materials discussed are held by DePaul’s Special Collections and Archives. The entire series may be viewed here.