Editing Charente-Maritime (section)

=== Early modern period ===
==== Renaissance ====
[[File:Lonzac eglise3.JPG|thumb|The church of [[Lonzac]], a rare [[Renaissance architecture]] example in Saintonge.|left]]
Post-war recovery in Saintonge and Aunis was rapid, with lords granting land to peasants, spurring population growth and agricultural revival.<ref name=":10">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=30}}</ref> [[Louis XI]] confirmed communal charters, and towns like [[Marennes, Charente-Maritime|Marennes]] (1452) and [[Jonzac]] (1473) gained fair rights.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=209}}</ref> La Rochelle’s trade flourished, welcoming foreign ships despite plagues (1500–1515) and a 1518 hurricane.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1846b|p=412}}</ref> In 1542, [[Francis I of France|François I]]’s attempt to impose the ''[[gabelle]]'' tax on salt sparked revolt, initially subdued by [[Gaspard de Saulx]], but he granted amnesty after arriving in La Rochelle.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1846b|p=441}}</ref> The ''[[Revolt of the Pitauds|Jacquerie des Pitauds]]'' erupted in 1548, spreading regionally; rebels seized Pons, Saintes, and Royan, but [[Anne de Montmorency, 1st Duke of Montmorency|Anne de Montmorency]]’s harsh repression crushed it, though [[Henry II of France|Henri II]] later restored the old tax system in 1555.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Audiat |first=Louis |date=2008 |title=La révolte des Pitaux |trans-title=The Pitaux Revolt |url=http://www.histoirepassion.eu/?1547-1548-La-revolte-des-Pitaux-par-Louis-Audiat |access-date=March 16, 2025 |website=histoirepassion.eu |language=fr}}</ref> Cod fishing grew from ports like [[La Tremblade]] and Royan by 1546, and Jacopolis-sur-Brouage was founded in 1555 as a salt trade hub.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=36}}</ref>

==== The Reformation ====
[[File:Jean Calvin.png|left|thumb|[[John Calvin]].|198x198px]]
The [[Reformation]] gained traction in Aunis and Saintonge after [[Martin Luther]]’s 1517 ''[[Ninety-five Theses|95 Theses]]'', fueled by clerical abuses and trade with Protestant Northern Europe.<ref name=":13">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=40}}</ref> [[John Calvin]] briefly preached in Saintonge in 1534 as Charles d’Espeville.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neuenschwander |first=René |title=Réformateur: 6 - Jean Calvin |trans-title=Reformer: 6 - John Calvin |url=https://www.bible-ouverte.ch/messages/series-etudes-bibliques/les-reformateurs/691-reformateur-jean-calvin.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=bible-ouverte.ch |language=fr-fr}}</ref> Coastal areas like [[Marennes, Charente-Maritime|Marennes]] and [[Oléron]] became Reformed strongholds.<ref>{{Cite web|title=La naissance de la Réforme en Pays Royannais|language=fr|trans-title=The birth of the Reformation in the Royannais region|url=http://www.pays-royannais-patrimoine.com/themes/patrimoine-cultuel/memoire-protestante-en-pays-royannais/la-naissance-de-la-reforme/|website=Musée du patrimoine du Pays Royannais|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611115120/http://www.pays-royannais-patrimoine.com/themes/patrimoine-cultuel/memoire-protestante-en-pays-royannais/la-naissance-de-la-reforme/ |access-date=May 25, 2010|archive-date=11 June 2009 }}</ref> Repression began in 1548, with public penance in La Rochelle and executions in 1552.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1836|p=28}}</ref> Protestant churches emerged, including La Rochelle (1557) and [[Saint-Jean-d'Angély|Saint-Jean-d’Angély]] (1558), though leaders like Philibert Hamelin faced execution.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Crottet|1841|p=16-26}}</ref> Tensions escalated with the 1562 [[Massacre of Vassy]], igniting the [[French Wars of Religion|Wars of Religion]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Malet|2022|p=143}}</ref>

==== Wars of Religion ====
[[File:Louis Ier de Bourbon, 1er prince de Condé (1530-1569).jpg|thumb|[[Louis I, Prince of Condé|Louis I of Bourbon-Condé]], Protestant leader.|224x224px]]
La Rochelle’s growing Calvinist population led to the 1562 [[Edict of toleration|Edict of Toleration]] by [[Charles IX of France|Charles IX]], but the [[Massacre of Vassy]] sparked uprisings led by [[Louis I, Prince of Condé|Louis de Condé]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le texte intégral de l'édit de pacification, dit édit de janvier |trans-title=The full text of the Edict of Pacification, known as the January Edict |url=http://elec.enc.sorbonne.fr/editsdepacification/ |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=elec.enc.sorbonne.fr |language=fr}}</ref> Iconoclastic attacks hit Saint-Jean-d’Angély’s abbey in 1562.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008 |title=Le sac de l'abbaye par les habitants de la ville |trans-title=The sack of the abbey by the townspeople |url=http://www.histoirepassion.eu/?1562-Saint-Jean-d-Angely-17-Le-sac-de-l-abbaye-par-les-habitants-de-la-ville |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=histoirepassion.eu |language=fr}}</ref> The [[Edict of Amboise]] (1563) ended the first war. In 1565, Charles IX visited Saintes and La Rochelle, noting Protestant resistance.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1836|p=93}}</ref> By 1567, La Rochelle became a Protestant stronghold under mayor [[François Ponsard|François Pontard]], aligning with Condé.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |date=May 17, 2006 |title=La Rochelle et le parti protestant (1567-1573) |trans-title=La Rochelle and the Protestant party (1567-1573) |url=http://www.larochelle-info.com/larochelle/f-4-9-3.histoire-le-parti-protestant.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=La Rochelle Info |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517071926/http://www.larochelle-info.com/larochelle/f-4-9-3.histoire-le-parti-protestant.html |archive-date=17 May 2006 |language=fr}}</ref> The [[Battle of Jarnac]] (1569) killed Condé, but the [[Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye|Edict of Saint-Germain]] (1570) made La Rochelle a Protestant safe haven.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=271}}</ref> The [[St. Bartholomew's Day massacre|St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre]] (1572) led to the [[Siege of La Rochelle (1572–1573)|Siege of La Rochelle]], which ended in 1573.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1836|p=246}}</ref> Later wars saw [[Henry IV of France|Henri de Navarre]] lead Protestants, culminating in the [[Edict of Nantes]] (1598), designating La Rochelle and others as security strongholds.<ref name=":16">{{Cite book|last=Le Roux|first=Nicolas|year=2001|title=La faveur du roi: mignons et courtisans au temps des derniers Valois|language=fr|trans-title=The King's Favor: Minions and Courtiers in the Time of the Last Valois|publisher=Editions Champ Vallon|isbn=9782876733114|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AHuTP5Vs9ZcC|page=734}}</ref>