Editing Charente-Maritime

{{short description|Department of France}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name                     = Charente-Maritime
| native_name              = 
| native_name_lang         = fr<!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| type                     = [[Departments of France|Department of France]]
| image_skyline            = Hôtel Lanusse, préfecture (La Rochelle).jpg
| image_alt                = 
| image_caption            = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]] building in [[La Rochelle]]
| image_flag               = Flag of the Department of Charente-Maritime.svg
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| map_caption              = Location of Charente-Maritime in France
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| coordinates              = {{coord|45|57|N|0|58|W|region:FR-17_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = France
| subdivision_type1        = [[Regions of France|Region]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]]
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| established_date         = 
| founder                  = 
| seat_type                = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat                     = [[La Rochelle]]
| parts_type               = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefectures]]
| parts_style              = para
| p1                       = [[Jonzac]]<br>[[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]]<br>[[Saintes, Charente-Maritime|Saintes]]<br>[[Saint-Jean-d'Angély]]
| government_footnotes     = 
| leader_party             = [[Miscellaneous right|DVD]]
| leader_title             = [[List of presidents of departmental councils (France)|President of the Departmental Council]]
| leader_name              = Sylvie Marcilly<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/601ef073-d986-4582-8e1a-ed14dc857fba|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=4 May 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
| unit_pref                = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
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| area_total_km2           = 6864
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| population_rank          = [[List of French departments by population|40th]]
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| blank_name_sec1          = [[Departments of France|Department number]]
| blank_info_sec1          = 17
| blank_name_sec2          = [[Arrondissements of France|Arrondissements]]
| blank_info_sec2          = [[Arrondissements of the Charente-Maritime department|5]]
| blank1_name_sec2         = [[Cantons in France|Cantons]]
| blank1_info_sec2         = [[Cantons of the Charente-Maritime department|27]]
| blank2_name_sec2         = [[Communes in France|Communes]]
| blank2_info_sec2         = [[Communes of the Charente-Maritime department|463]]
| timezone1                = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1              = +1
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| area_code                = FR-17
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| footnotes                = {{note|area|1}} French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
}}

'''Charente-Maritime''' ({{IPA|fr|ʃaʁɑ̃t maʁitim|-|Fr-Paris--Charente-Maritime.ogg}}; [[Poitevin-Saintongeais]]: ''Chérente-Marine''; {{langx|oc|Charanta Maritima}}) is a [[Departments of France|department]] in the French [[Regions of France|region]] of [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]], on the country's west coast. Named after the river [[Charente (river)|Charente]], its [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] is [[La Rochelle]]. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kilometres (2,650 sq mi).<ref name="compar">{{Cite web |title=Comparateur de territoires − Département de la Charente-Maritime (17) {{!}} Insee |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=DEP-17 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=www.insee.fr}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Charente-Maritime et provinces.svg|thumb|left|Charente-Maritime and the [[Provinces of France|former provinces]] composing it, mostly [[County of Saintonge|Saintonge]] and [[Aunis]]|234x234px]]
The history of the department begins with a decree from the [[National Constituent Assembly (France)|Constituent Assembly]] on December 22, 1789, which took effect on March 4, 1790, creating it as one of the 83 original departments during the [[French Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doc du mois : 1790 - la naissance des Départements {{!}} La Charente-Maritime - 17 |url=https://la.charente-maritime.fr/actualites/doc-du-mois-1790-naissance-des-departements |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=la.charente-maritime.fr |language=fr |archive-date=9 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709150423/https://la.charente-maritime.fr/actualites/doc-du-mois-1790-naissance-des-departements |url-status=dead }}</ref> Named “Charente-Inférieure” after the lower course of the [[Charente (river)|Charente]], it was renamed Charente-Maritime on September 4, 1941, during [[World War II]], reflecting its [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic coast]] identity.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brégowy |first=Philippe |date=2019-08-24 |title=Le jour où... La Charente-Inférieure est devenue Maritime |newspaper=Sud-Ouest |language=fr-FR |url=https://www.sudouest.fr/charente-maritime/la-rochelle/dans-le-retro-quand-la-charente-inferieure-est-devenue-maritime-2505306.php |access-date=2022-07-09 |issn=1760-6454}}</ref> The department encompasses most of the former province of [[County of Saintonge|Saintonge]] (excluding Cognaçais and [[Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire|Barbezilien]], part of [[Charente]], and the duchy-pairie of [[Frontenay-Rohan-Rohan]], in [[Deux-Sèvres]]), nearly all of [[Aunis]], and the [[Aulnay, Charente-Maritime|Pays d'Aulnay]] from [[Poitou]].

Evidence of human settlement dates back to the [[Paleolithic|Paleolithic era]], with the Celtic [[Santoni (tribe)|Santon]] tribe settling during the [[La Tène culture|La Tène]] period, fostering trade and crafts. Romanization after the [[Gallic Wars|Gallic War]] led to the rise of [[Mediolanum Santonum]] ([[Saintes, Charente-Maritime|Saintes]]), the capital of Augustan Aquitaine. Initially designated the prefecture in 1790 (having been Saintonge’s capital), Saintes lost this status in 1810 when [[Napoleon]] decreed its transfer to [[La Rochelle]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ffw6AAAAcAAJ |title=Annales forestières |date=1810 |pages=341 |language=fr}}</ref> The region, under Merovingian and Carolingian rule, oscillated between kingdom and duchy status until Carolingian decline spurred instability, shaping Aunis’ distinct identity.[[File:Carte de Charente-Inférieure.jpg|thumb|Map of 'Charente-Inférieure' in the 19th century|left]]In the 12th century, [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]]’s remarriage tied the region to the [[Angevin Empire|Plantagenet domain]], boosting trade with England despite revolts. The [[Hundred Years' War]] brought devastation, ending with the French recapture of [[Montguyon]] in 1451. The 16th century saw the [[Reformation]] and [[French Wars of Religion|Wars of Religion]] divide Aunis and Saintonge. The [[French Revolution]] raised hopes but faltered with events like the Rochefort pontoons, amid tensions between the [[War in the Vendée|Vendée]] and [[Girondins|Girondine]] uprisings. The 19th century brought prosperity under the [[Second French Empire|Second Empire]], driven by cognac, until the [[phylloxera]] crisis struck.

During [[World War II]], the German Army occupied the department, integrating it into [[German military administration in occupied France during World War II|occupied France]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Combes |first1=Jean |url=https://www.decitre.fr/livres/la-charente-maritime-dans-la-guerre-1939-1945-9782812907067.html |title=La Charente-Maritime dans la guerre 1939-1945 - Albert-Michel Luc |last2=Luc |first2=Albert-Michel |language=fr}}</ref> The [[Organisation Todt]] built [[Atlantic Wall|sea defences]], including [[Bunker|pillboxes]] along the presqu'île d'[[Arvert]] and [[Oléron]] island, to counter Allied landings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=B.Fleury |date=2019-10-30 |title=Aux abords de Royan : des blockhaus qui se fondent dans le paysage |url=https://desmursalire.fr/aux-abords-de-royan-des-blockhaus-qui-se-fondent-dans-le-paysage/ |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=Des murs à lire |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Station radar de Chassiron (Ro 518 – Rebhurn) |url=https://www.cestenfrance.fr/station-radar-de-chassiron/ |access-date=2022-07-09 |language=fr-FR}}</ref> The war’s end saw German resistance pockets at [[La Rochelle]] and [[Royan]]; Royan was nearly destroyed by an [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] raid on January 5, 1945, and liberated by the [[French Forces of the Interior]] in April, while La Rochelle was freed on May 9, 1945.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-11 |title=Pourquoi Royan a été bombardé en 1945 ? - Destination Royan Atlantique |url=https://www.royanatlantique.fr/2019/05/11/royan-a-ete-bombarde-1945/ |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=Site officiel Destination Royan Atlantique |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=La Libération de Royan avril 1945 |url=https://www.c-royan.com/histoire/histoire-contemporaine/les-guerres/1576-la-liberation-de-royan-avril-1945.html |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=www.c-royan.com |language=fr}}</ref>

===Prehistory===
==== Paleolithic ====
Human occupation in present-day Charente-Maritime dates to the [[Lower Paleolithic]] (Acheulean), evidenced by bifaces found near [[Gémozac]] and [[Pons]] along the [[Seugne]] and Soute rivers, and an Acheulean lithic industry at ''Les Thibauderies'' near [[Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Flohic|2002|p=245}}</ref><ref>{{Harvtxt|Flohic|2002|p=833}}</ref> The [[Middle Paleolithic]] saw [[Mousterian|Mousterian civilizations]] flourish, with artifacts unearthed in the Charente valley (e.g., Gros-Roc cave at [[Le Douhet|Douhet]] and sites at [[Port-d'Envaux]] and [[Saint-Sever-de-Saintonge]]).<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=9-10 }}</ref> In 1979, a [[Neanderthal]] skeleton found at Roche à Pierrot in [[Saint-Césaire]] (dated to ~36,300 years ago) confirmed overlap with [[Cro-Magnon|Cro-Magnons]], leading to the Paléosite center’s opening in 2005.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=30 }}</ref> Notable [[Aurignacian]] and [[Magdalenian]] finds include three engraved stones from [[Saint-Porchaire]]’s caves, the oldest (1924) depicting mammoths.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 12, 2005 |title=L'art préhistorique du Poitou-Charentes |trans-title=Prehistoric art of Poitou-Charentes |url=http://www.poitou-charentes.culture.gouv.fr/pages/section6/artprehisto/aurignacien/aurignacien.htm |access-date=March 15, 2025 |website=poitou-charentes.culture.gouv.fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051012121443/http://www.poitou-charentes.culture.gouv.fr/pages/section6/artprehisto/aurignacien/aurignacien.htm |archive-date=12 October 2005 |language=fr}}</ref> [[Solutrean]] flint points were also discovered at [[Saint-Germain-du-Seudre]] and [[Bois, Charente-Maritime|Bois]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=23 }}</ref>

==== Neolithic Revolution ====
[[File:Allée couverte de Pierre Folle - Montguyon.jpg|thumb|The covered alley of Pierre-Folle, in [[Montguyon]].]]
The [[Neolithic]] “revolution” arrived in the Charente region around the 6th millennium BC, marked by settled agriculture, animal husbandry, and crafts like ceramics.<ref name=":0">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=10-11}}</ref> The Middle Neolithic introduced the [[Chasséen culture|Chassean culture]] and [[Megalith|megalithic]] monuments, including dolmens and menhirs, such as the Pierre-Levée dolmen at [[La Vallée, Charente-Maritime|La Vallée]], Pierre-Folle alley at [[Montguyon]], and the largest menhir at [[Chives, Charente-Maritime|Chives]] (Viviers-Jusseau).<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Colmont |first=Gérard |title=Archéologie et anthropologie des populations mégalithiques du nord de l'Aquitaine : l'exemple charentais |date=1996-01-01 |degree=These de doctorat |publisher=Paris, EHESS |url=https://theses.fr/1996EHES0001}}</ref> In the 4th–3rd millennia BC, the Matignons (e.g., [[Oléron|Ile d'Oléron]], [[Soubise, Charente-Maritime|Soubise]]) and Peu-Richard ([[Thénac, Charente-Maritime|Thénac]], [[Barzan, Charente-Maritime|Barzan]]) civilizations built fortified camps.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fouilles officielles du Peu-Richard en 1965-1966 |trans-title=Official excavations of Peu-Richard in 1965-1966 |url=http://prehistoire17.unblog.fr/2016/12/01/campagnes-de-fouilles-1965-1966-le-peu-richard-thenac-17-2/| access-date=March 15, 2025 |website=Prehistoire17 |language=fr}}</ref> By the early 3rd millennium BC, the [[Artenacian culture|Artenac civilization]] emerged, introducing copper metallurgy.<ref name=":0"/>

=== Antiquity ===
==== The Time of the Santons of Independence ====
[[File:Carte du pays de Santones sous les Romains Pertuis d Antioche.jpg|left|thumb|Probable geography of the [[Saintes, Charente-Maritime|Santon]] country during Roman domination.|238x238px]]
From the [[Bronze Age]], Saintonge inhabitants maintained trade with the Atlantic arc, evidenced by bronze objects in the Meschers deposit.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gachina |first1=Jacques |last2=Gomez de Soto |first2=José |last3=Bourhis |first3=Jean |last4=Veber |first4=Cécile |date=2008 |title=Un dépôt de la fin de l'Âge du bronze à Meschers (Charente-Maritime). Remarques sur les bracelets et tintinnabula du type de Vaudrevange en France de l'Ouest |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/bspf_0249-7638_2008_num_105_1_13709 |journal=Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française |volume=105 |issue=1 |pages=159–185 |doi=10.3406/bspf.2008.13709}}</ref> In the Early Iron Age, a tomb at Courcoury with Mediterranean imports (Etruscan basin, Greek bowl) highlights broader connections.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Boulestin |first1=B. |last2=Gomez de Soto |first2=J. |last3=Vernou |first3=C. |date=1995 |title=Tombe à importations méditerranéennes du VIe siècle près du tumulus du Terrier de la Fade à Courcoury (Charente-Maritime) |trans-title=Tomb with Mediterranean imports from the 6th century near the Terrier de la Fade tumulus in Courcoury (Charente-Maritime) |url=https://biblioarcheo.valdoise.fr/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/125943/tombe-a-importations-mediterraneennes-du-vie-siecle-pres-du-tumulus-du-terrier-de-la-fade-a-courcour?_lg=fr-FR|journal=Mémoires Société archéologique champenoise |language=fr |location=Troyes |volume=199 |pages=137–151}}</ref> During the [[La Tène culture|La Tène]] period, the [[Santoni (tribe)|Santons]] established the Pons oppidum as their political and trading hub, a key example of [[Oppidum|oppida]] civilization.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Le rempart gaulois de l'oppidum de Pons|language=fr|trans-title=The Gallic rampart of the oppidum of Pons|url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/display2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.inrap.fr%2Fuserdata%2Fatlas_chantier_pdf%2F0%2F147%2F147_fichier_GSO_Pons_2009.pdf|website=Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives|access-date=May 25, 2010}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Harvtxt|Combes|Luc|1981|p=36}}</ref> This rural, hierarchical society featured self-sufficient villages and necropolises.<ref name=":2">{{Harvtxt|Combes|Luc|1981|p=38}}</ref> Along the coast, they produced sea salt, while at Novioregum ([[Barzan, Charente-Maritime|Barzan]]), an [[Emporium (antiquity)|emporium]] facilitated trade with the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] via the Gironde estuary.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Julien-Labruyere|1980|p=98-106}}</ref>

==== High Roman Empire and Gallo-Roman Period ====
[[File:09 NAQ - Charente-Maritime - Saintes - Arc de Germanicus (2017-05-02 11-38-45).jpg|thumb|The [[arch of Germanicus]] at [[Saintes, Charente-Maritime|Saintes]].]]
The [[Gallic Wars|Gallic War]] (58–51 BC), sparked by [[Julius Caesar]]’s intervention against the [[Helvetii|Helvetians]], saw mixed Santon involvement: their fleet aided the Romans against the Venetians (56 BC), yet some joined [[Vercingetorix]] at [[Battle of Gergovia|Gergovia]] and [[Battle of Alesia|Alesia]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Caesar |first1=Julius |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001840928 |title=Les Commentaires de César, revue, corrigée et augmentée de notes historiques et geographiques. Et d'une carte nouvelle de la Gaule et du Plan d'Alise |last2=Anville |first2=Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d' |date=1763 |publisher=chez Arkstee & Merkus |series=Works.French.1763 |location=A Amsterdam et à Leipzig |language=fr |trans-title=Caesar's Commentaries, revised, corrected, and expanded with historical and geographical notes. And a new map of Gaul and the Plan of Alise}}</ref> Post-conquest, under [[Augustus]], the Santons’ territory became part of the [[Gallia Aquitania|province of Aquitaine]], with [[Mediolanum Santonum]] ([[Saintes, Charente-Maritime|Saintes]]) as its first capital, boasting monuments like the [[Arch of Germanicus|votive arch]] and amphitheater.<ref name=":46">{{Harvtxt|Delayant|1872|p=34}}</ref> Novioregum ([[Barzan, Charente-Maritime|Barzan]]) emerged as a major port, exporting goods like wine (reallowed by [[Probus (emperor)|Probus]] in 276) and ''santonine'' absinthe.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Julien-Labruyere|1980|p=127}}</ref> Roman infrastructure, including roads to [[Burdigala]] ([[Bordeaux]]) and [[Limonum]] ([[Poitiers]]), and structures like the Pirelonge tower at [[Saint-Romain-de-Benet]], enriched the region.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Salles|2000|p=504}}</ref>

==== Late Roman Empire and First Barbarian Invasions ====
From the late 3rd century, barbarian invasions disrupted Santonia: ''Novioregum'' was destroyed in 256, and ''Mediolanum Santonum'' and [[Pons, Charente-Maritime|Pons]] were burned in 276 by the [[Alemanni|Alamanni]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Julien-Labruyere|1980|p=158}}</ref><ref>{{Harvtxt|Senillou|1990|p=43}}</ref> Saintes retreated behind ramparts, shrinking significantly.<ref name=":3">{{Harvtxt|Combes|Bernard|Daury|1985|p=30}}</ref> In 285, [[Diocletian Lewis|Diocletian]] reorganized it into Aquitaine Seconde, diminishing Saintes’ role.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Deveau|1974|p=18}}</ref> Christianity emerged, led by [[Eutropius of Saintes|Eutrope]], the first bishop, though its spread was slow until the 5th century.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Rayssinguier|2001|p=229}}</ref> After the [[Western Roman Empire]]’s fall in 476, [[Vandals]] and [[Alans]] plundered the region, ending its Gallo-Roman prosperity.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Grimal|1993|p=184}}</ref>

=== Early modern period ===
==== Early Middle Ages ====
[[File:Royaume d'Aquitaine en 584-585.svg|left|thumb|Map of the first kingdom of Aquitaine (584-585).]]
In 418, a ''fœdus'' between [[Visigoth]] king [[Wallia]] and Roman emperor [[Honorius|Flavius Honorius]] allowed Visigoths to settle in Aquitaine II, including Saintonge, forming the [[Visigothic Kingdom|Visigothic kingdom]] with [[Toulouse]] as its capital.<ref name=":48">{{Harvtxt|Cassagne|Korsak|2002|p=147}}</ref> They occupied the region until 507, leaving toponymic traces like Goutrolles and Aumagne.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Flohic|2002|p=846}}</ref> Frankish king [[Clovis I|Clovis]] ousted them after defeating [[Alaric II|Alaric]] at Vouillé.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Delayant|1872|p=42-44}}</ref> In 584, [[Gundoald|Gondovald]] briefly ruled a Merovingian kingdom of Aquitaine, supported by Bishop [[Palladius of Saintes]].<ref name=":49">{{Cite journal|last=Rouche|first=Michel|year=1979|title=L'Aquitaine : des Wisigoths aux Arabes, 418 – 781|journal=Revue du Nord|language=fr|trans-title=Aquitaine: from the Visigoths to the Arabs, 418 – 781|volume=252|page=73-75|url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/rnord_0035-2624_1982_num_64_252_3866_t1_0210_0000_1|access-date=March 16, 2025}}</ref> A second kingdom under [[Charibert II|Caribert II]] became a duchy after his death, with [[Odo the Great|Eudes]] resisting [[Saracen]] incursions in 732, halted by [[Charles Martel]] near Poitiers.<ref name=":49" /> [[Charlemagne]] established a new kingdom of Aquitaine in 781 for his son Louis.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Lebègue|1992|p=77}}</ref> Viking raids began in 843, devastating [[Royan]], [[Saujon]], Saintes (845, 863), and [[Saint-Jean-d'Angély|Saint-Jean-d’Angély]] (865), weakening Carolingian control and fostering feudalism.<ref name=":50">{{Harvtxt|Jacques|Robert|Christian|René|1996|p=11}}</ref><ref name=":51">{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=125}}</ref> By the 10th century, Aunis split from Saintonge, with castles like Broue built for defense.<ref name=":51" />

==== Late Middle Ages ====
[[File:Entree vieux port La Rochelle.JPG|thumb|The {{Ill|Old Port of La Rochelle|fr|Vieux-Port de La Rochelle}}]]
[[La Rochelle]] grew in the 12th century under the [[Duke of Aquitaine|Dukes of Aquitaine]], gaining a communal charter from [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] in 1175 and boosting trade with the [[Hanseatic League]].<ref name=":4">{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=168}}</ref> Saintonge and Aunis prospered from salt, wine, and stone exports.<ref name=":5">{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=166}}</ref> The Via Turonensis pilgrimage route spurred religious growth, with a hospice in Pons and a basilica for [[Eutropius of Saintes|Eutropius]] in Saintes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Chemin de Saint-Jacques en Saintonge |trans-title=The Way of Saint James in Saintonge |url=http://www.saintonge.online.fr/stjacques.htm |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=saintonge.online.fr |language=fr}}</ref> In 1137, [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]] inherited the region, marrying [[Louis VII of France|Louis VII]], then [[Henry II of England|Henry Plantagenet]] in 1152, tying Aquitaine to England.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Malet|2022|p=62-63}}</ref> Her [[Rolls of Oléron|Roles of Oléron]] maritime code emerged in 1169.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Calvo|first=Carlos|year=2009|title=Dictionnaire Manuel de Diplomatie et de Droit International Public et Privé|language=fr|trans-title=Dictionary Manual of Diplomacy and Public and Private International Law|publisher=The Lawbook Exchange|isbn=9781584779490|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7DXvH0k3lcC|page=371}}</ref> Rebellions in 1174 and sieges like Saintes strained Plantagenet rule.<ref name=":53">{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1846a|p=63-67}}</ref> After [[John, King of England|John]]’s contested reign, [[Philip II of France|Philippe Auguste]] seized most of Saintonge and Aunis by 1204, though La Rochelle resisted until 1224 under [[Louis VIII of France|Louis VIII]].<ref name=":6">{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1846a|p=178-184}}</ref> The [[Battle of Taillebourg]] (1242) saw [[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]] defeat [[Henry III of England|Henry III]], solidified by the [[Treaty of Paris (1259)]].<ref name=":54">{{Harvtxt|Rymer|1739|p=325-326}}</ref>

==== Hundred Years' War ====
[[File:Traité de Bretigny.svg|thumb|upright|France in [[1365]]. {{Legend|#EA8B9D|Territories controlled by Edward III}} {{Legend|#FDDCFB|Territories ceded by France to England under the [[Treaty of Brétigny]]}} {{Legend|#FFFFFF|Territory of the Duchy of Brittany, allied with the English}}]]
The [[Hundred Years' War]] began when [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] claimed the French throne in 1337, sparking the “Saintonge Wars.”<ref name=":55">{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=195-196}}</ref> In 1345, [[Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster|Henry of Lancaster]] raided Saintonge, capturing key towns.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1846b|p=52-59}}</ref> The [[Black Death]] (1347) paused fighting, but in 1351, [[John II of France|John II]] retook Saint-Jean-d’Angély.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1846b|p=64}}</ref> The [[Treaty of Brétigny]] (1360) ceded Saintonge and Aunis to [[Edward the Black Prince|Edward of Woodstock]], but [[Charles V of France|Charles V]]’s forces, led by [[Bertrand du Guesclin|Du Guesclin]], reversed this. The [[Battle of La Rochelle]] (1372) and subsequent sieges secured French control by 1374.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Favier|1980|p=335-338}}</ref> After truces, [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]]’s reconquest ended with the siege of [[Montguyon]] (1451) and the [[Battle of Castillon]] (1453), leaving the region devastated.<ref name=":10">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=30}}</ref>

=== 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>

=== 17th century ===
==== From the Edict of Nantes to the Assassination of Henri IV ====
[[File:Samuel de champlain.jpg|left|thumb|A fake portrait of [[Samuel de Champlain]], founder of [[Quebec]].|193x193px]]
Under [[Henry IV of France|Henri IV]], the [[Edict of Nantes]] (1598) brought civil peace, though tensions persisted between Catholics and Protestants. Tax increases, like the 1602 “''pancarte''” extension, sparked revolts in Aunis and Saintonge, with La Rochelle’s privileges causing regional envy.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1836|p=185}}</ref> Henri IV ordered land reclamation in [[Marans, Charente-Maritime|Marans]]’ marshes, led by Flemish and Brabantine experts.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Papy|1940|p=229}}</ref> Explorers [[Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons|Pierre Dugua de Mons]] and [[Samuel de Champlain]] from Saintonge founded Québec in 1608, boosting [[New France]] migration.<ref name=":57">{{Cite web |date=2008 |title=1608 - Québec fondé par Samuel Champlain et Pierre Dugua de Mons |trans-title=1608 - Quebec founded by Samuel Champlain and Pierre Dugua de Mons |url=http://www.histoirepassion.eu/?1608-Quebec-fonde-par-Samuel-Champlain-et-Pierre-Dugua-de-Mons-saintongeais |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=histoirepassion.eu |language=fr}}</ref> Henri IV’s assassination in 1610 raised Protestant fears under regent [[Marie de' Medici|Marie de Médicis]], who favored Catholics, prompting leaders like [[Henry III of France|Henri II]] de Rohan to emerge.<ref name=":57" />

==== Aunis and Saintonge Under the Reign of Louis XIII ====
[[File:Charente-Maritime et provinces.svg|thumb|[[Charente-Maritime]]’s pre-1790 provinces: Aunis, Saintonge, Poitou, and Angoumois.|214x214px]]
From 1615–1620, Aunis and Saintonge saw skirmishes due to [[Louis XIII]]’s pro-Spanish policies and Catholic restoration in [[Navarre]], inciting Protestant unrest.<ref name=":58">{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=274}}</ref> In 1621, Louis XIII besieged [[Saint-Jean-d'Angély|Saint-Jean-d’Angély]], defended by [[Benjamin, Duke of Soubise|Benjamin de Soubise]], capturing it after a month, abolishing privileges, and razing defenses.<ref name=":17">{{Harvtxt|Ducluzeau|2001|p=99}}</ref> Pons surrendered, but Royan’s 1622 siege ended with its destruction.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Delmas|1991|p=24-25}}</ref> La Rochelle resisted longer, facing a year-long blockade.<ref name=":58" />

==== Siege of La Rochelle (1627-1628) ====
[[File:RichelieuRochelle.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Siege of La Rochelle]] by [[Cardinal Richelieu]], painted by [[Henri-Paul Motte]].|188x188px]]
La Rochelle, dubbed the “metropolis of heresy” by [[Cardinal Richelieu]], defied Louis XIII, leading to the 1622 Treaty of Montpellier, which faltered over Fort-Louis’ demolition.<ref name=":18">{{Harvtxt|Massiou|1836|p=278}}</ref> Renewed conflict in 1625 saw [[Jean Guiton]]’s fleet lose to [[Henri de Montmorency, 4th Duke of Montmorency|Henri II de Montmorency]], and [[Saint-Martin-de-Ré]] fell.<ref name=":19">{{Cite web |title=Siège de la Rochelle |trans-title=Siege of La Rochelle |url=http://filsab.chez-alice.fr/batailles/siegelarochelle.htm |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=filsab.chez-alice.fr |language=fr}}</ref> In 1627, England’s [[George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham|Duke of Buckingham]] blockaded Île de Ré, while Richelieu’s siege of La Rochelle, with a dike blocking sea access, began.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Jacques|Robert|Christian|René|1996|p=50}}</ref> Famine and disease reduced the population from 28,000 to 5,000, forcing surrender on October 28, 1628.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Le grand siège de La Rochelle|language=fr|trans-title=The great siege of La Rochelle|url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/display2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fww2.ac-poitiers.fr%2Fcivique%2FIMG%2Fpdf%2FDossier_de_presse_-_Expo_Le_Grand_Siege_de_La_Rochelle.pdf|website=Académie de Poitiers|access-date=May 25, 2010}}</ref>

==== The Peace of Alès and the Counter-Reformation ====
The [[Peace of Alès]] (1629) stripped Protestants of safe havens but allowed worship, though the [[Counter-Reformation]] pushed Catholic resurgence with Jesuit colleges and church restorations.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=277}}</ref> In 1648, the diocese of La Rochelle was created, converting its grand temple into a cathedral.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1648 à aujourd’hui - Histoire du diocèse de La Rochelle |trans-title=1648 to today - History of the diocese of La Rochelle |url=http://www.histoirepassion.eu/?1648-a-aujourd-hui-Histoire-du-diocese-de-La-Rochelle |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=histoirepassion.eu |language=fr}}</ref> By 1660, 80,000 Protestants remained in Saintonge and Aunis.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 18, 2003 |title=Organisation des églises protestantes en Aunis et Saintonge vers 1660 |trans-title=Organization of Protestant churches in Aunis and Saintonge around 1660 |url=http://membres.lycos.fr/vissac/protestants.htm |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=Les protestants en Aunis et Saintonge |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030118111928/http://membres.lycos.fr/vissac/protestants.htm |archive-date=18 January 2003 |language=fr}}</ref>

==== The Reign of Louis XIV and the 1685 Revocation of the Edict of Nantes ====
[[Louis XIV]] intensified Protestant persecution with [[dragonnades]], taxes, and temple destruction, culminating in the 1685 [[Edict of Fontainebleau]], revoking the [[Edict of Nantes]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=290}}</ref> Clandestine “desert church” gatherings persisted, and many Protestants emigrated from Marennes and Arvert to England, Holland, and North America.<ref name=":20">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=53}}</ref>

==== 1666: Creation of Rochefort ====
[[File:Prefecture maritime rochefort.JPG|thumb|The King’s house in [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]].]]
In 1666, [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]] established Rochefort as a naval arsenal on the Charente, designed on a grid plan with key facilities like the Corderie Royale.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Flohic|2002|p=629}}</ref> Fortifications by [[Sébastien Le Prestre, Marquis of Vauban|Vauban]] bolstered coastal defenses.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2010 |title=Les fortifications en Charente-Maritime |trans-title=Fortifications in Charente-Maritime |url=https://charente-maritime.fr/CG17/jcms/ehe20091119_7614/decouvrir-les-fortifications |access-date=May 30, 2010 |website=charente-maritime.fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530065410/https://charente-maritime.fr/CG17/jcms/ehe20091119_7614/decouvrir-les-fortifications |archive-date=30 May 2010 |language=fr}}</ref> [[Michel Bégon (naturalist)|Michel Bégon]], Intendant from 1688, modernized it with social and cultural initiatives.<ref name=":59">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=190}}</ref>

==== 1694: Creation of the Généralité de La Rochelle ====
In 1694, [[Michel Bégon (naturalist)|Michel Bégon]] became Intendant of the new ''Généralité de La Rochelle'', unifying five elections from Poitiers, Limoges, and Bordeaux jurisdictions.<ref name=":59" />

=== 18th century ===
==== Return to Prosperity in the Age of Enlightenment ====
[[File:Plan La Rochelle et environs, 1773, Nicolas Chalmandrier, BNF Gallica.jpg|thumb|La Rochelle and Aunis in 1773.|left]]
The 18th century brought agricultural growth in Aunis and Saintonge with the introduction of corn from the New World, complementing wheat, rye, and barley.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=56}}</ref> [[Cognac]] production began, with eau-de-vie shipped via La Rochelle to Northern Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 22, 1998 |title=Petite Histoire de nos Eaux de Vie |trans-title=A Short History of our Eau de Vie |url=http://www.le-cognac.com/general0entree.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=le-cognac.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980422185850/http://www.le-cognac.com/general0entree.html |archive-date=22 April 1998 |language=fr}}</ref> The “[[Little Ice Age]]” caused harsh winters, notably in 1708, 1739, and 1788/1789, freezing rivers and triggering famines.<ref name=":21">{{Cite web |title=De mémoire d'homme en météo charentaise |trans-title=From living memory in Charente weather |url=https://www.breuillet.net/00text/0page/meteo3.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=breuillet.net |language=fr}}</ref> Textile and leather industries thrived in Saintes and [[Jonzac]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=57-58}}</ref> La Rochelle prospered through the [[triangular trade]], importing sugar and engaging in the slave trade, while Rochefort trained soldiers for [[New France]].<ref name=":60">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=60}}</ref> Enlightenment advances included La Rochelle’s Académie (1732) and Rochefort’s Naval Medicine School (1722).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ocagne|first=Maurice d'|year=1872|title=Les grandes écoles de France: carrières civiles|language=fr|trans-title=The Grandes Écoles of France: civilian careers|publisher=J. Hetzel and Cie|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6393533f/f11.item.texteImage|location=Paris|page=60}}</ref> During the [[Seven Years' War]], British raids in 1757 failed to take Rochefort.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008 |title=La Royal Navy arrive en force en rade d'Aix... et abandonne son projet de débarquement |trans-title=The Royal Navy arrives in force in Aix harbor... and abandons its landing plan |url=http://www.histoirepassion.eu/?1757-La-Royal-Navy-arrive-en-force-en-rade-d-Aix-et-abandonne-son-projet-de |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=histoirepassion.eu |language=fr}}</ref> In 1780, [[Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette|Marquis de La Fayette]] sailed from Rochefort on ''[[French frigate Hermione (1779)|L'Hermione]]'' to aid the American Revolution.<ref group="note">A replica of this ship is being built in Rochefort.</ref> Economic decline in the 1780s, worsened by the 1788/1789 winter, led to riots in Rochefort by 1789.<ref name=":23">{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=328}}</ref> The [[Estates General (France)|Estates-General]] convened in 1789, with representatives from La Rochelle, Saintes, and Saint-Jean-d’Angély drafting reform-focused ''[[cahiers de doléances]]''.<ref name=":24">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet |2001|p=62-63}}</ref>

==== Revolution ====
[[File:Carte du département de la Charente-Inférieure - 1790-1793.tif|thumb|Map of [[Charente-Maritime|Charente-Inférieure]] (1790).|204x204px]]
The [[Estates General (France)|Estates-General]] led to the [[National Constituent Assembly (France)|Constituent Assembly]], which, on December 22, 1789, created the department of Saintonge-et-Aunis, renamed [[Charente-Maritime|Charente-Inférieure]] by February 26, 1790, centered on the [[Charente (river)|Charente River]].<ref name=":25">{{Cite web |date=2007 |title=1790 - Quand les départements portaient des noms de provinces |trans-title=1790 - When departments bore the names of provinces |url=http://www.histoirepassion.eu/?1790-Quand-les-departements-portaient-des-noms-de-provinces |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=histoirepassion.eu |language=fr}}</ref> Ratified on March 4, 1790, it merged Aunis and Saintonge, incorporating some Poitevin areas, and was divided into seven districts, later six arrondissements, with Saintes chosen as the capital after debate.<ref name=":25" /> The new order was widely accepted, with a federative oath taken on July 14, 1790, though rural discontent over lingering feudal rights sparked unrest, including uprisings in [[Saint-Thomas-de-Conac]] and [[Varaize]], where a mayor was killed.<ref name=":26">{{Cite book|last=Audiat|first=Louis|year=1897|title=Deux victimes des Septembriseurs|language=fr|trans-title=Two victims of the Septembriseurs|publisher=Societé de Saint-Augustin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GgBBAAAAYAAJ|page=156-163}}</ref> The [[Civil Constitution of the Clergy]] divided the clergy, with many, including Bishop Pierre-Louis de La Rochefoucauld of Saintes, refusing the oath; he was arrested in 1792 and killed in the [[September Massacres]].<ref name=":26"/> From 1791–1793, Charente-Inférieure raised eight battalions for war against [[Austria]] and [[Prussia]].<ref name=":26"/> The [[French First Republic|Republic]] was proclaimed on September 22, 1792.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=64}}</ref>

==== The Terror ====
[[File:Place Colbert rochefort.JPG|left|thumb|Place Colbert in [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]], site of the [[guillotine]].]]
The [[Execution of Louis XVI]] on January 21, 1793, radicalized the Revolution under the [[The Mountain|Montagne]] faction, establishing the ''[[Committee of Public Safety|Comité de salut public]]'' and ''[[Revolutionary Tribunal|Tribunal révolutionnaire]]''. [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]] gained strategic importance as the Republic’s key arsenal after Toulon’s fall.<ref name=":27">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=66}}</ref> The Rochefort Revolutionary Court, created November 3, 1793, by Joseph Lequinio and Joseph François Laignelot, became a tool of repression, with the guillotine set up at Place Colbert.<ref name=":27"/> A de-Christianization campaign targeted priests, forcing renunciations and transforming churches into “[[Temple of Reason|temples of Reason]].”<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=353}}</ref> On January 25, 1794, refractory priests were rounded up for deportation to [[French Guiana]], but British blockades confined them to ships like the “Deux-Associés” off [[Île Madame]], where typhus killed many.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Dubois|1890|p=65}}</ref> Survivors were released in 1795 or later under the 1802 Concordat.<ref name=":62">{{Harvtxt|Dubois|1890|p=217}}</ref> Rural brigandage, including “[[Chauffeur (criminal)|chauffeurs]],” surged amid administrative chaos.<ref name=":63">{{Cite journal |last=Queguiner |first=Jean Pierre |year=1994 |title=Brigands et « chauffeurs » pendant la période révolutionnaire en Charente-Inférieure |trans-title=Brigands and "chauffeurs" during the revolutionary period in Charente-Inférieure |url=https://bibliographienumeriquedhistoiredudroit-ifg.univ-lorraine.fr/s/bibliography-of-legal-history/item/91680 |journal=Mémoires de la Société des antiquaires de l'Ouest |language=fr |page=171-175}}</ref>

=== Contemporary times ===

==== Charente-Inférieure During the First Empire ====
[[File:Gérard - Michel Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély.jpg|left|thumb|[[Michel-Louis-Étienne Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély|Michel Regnaud]], imperial councilor and count.|294x294px]]
After [[Coup of 18 Brumaire|Napoleon’s coup]], Charente-Inférieure overwhelmingly supported the [[First French Empire|Empire]] in 1804, with local leaders attending the coronation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008 |title=Les charentais présents au sacre de l'empereur Napoléon Ier |trans-title=The Charentais present at the coronation of Emperor Napoleon I |url=http://www.histoirepassion.eu/?1804-Les-Charentais-presents-au-sacre-de-l-empereur-Napoleon-1er |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=histoirepassion.eu |language=fr}}</ref> [[Michel-Louis-Étienne Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély|Michel Regnaud]] rose as a key imperial figure.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 16, 2021 |title=Regnault de Saint-Jean-d'Angély |url=https://www.appl-lachaise.net/regnaud-de-saint-jean-dangely-michel-louis-etienne-comte-1761-1819/ |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=Cimetière du Père Lachaise - APPL |language=fr}}</ref> Napoleon visited in 1804, initiating Fort Boyard’s construction, halted by British threats.<ref name=":28">{{Cite web |last=Charente-Maritime Commission des arts et monuments |date=1908 |title=Le voyage de l'empereur Napoléon Ier en Charente-Inférieure |trans-title=The journey of Emperor Napoleon I to Charente-Inférieure |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2140615.image.f116 |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=Gallica |language=fr}}</ref> The 1809 [[Battle of the Basque Roads|Battle of Aix Island]] saw British forces under [[Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald|Thomas Cochrane]] destroy much of the French fleet.<ref name=":29">{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2001 |title=Fort Boyard : un chef-d'œuvre arrivé trop tard |trans-title=Fort Boyard: a masterpiece that arrived too late |url=http://www.charente-maritime.org/pays_rochefortais/patrimoine_littoral/littoral_fort_boyarda.htm |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=charente-maritime.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010218102820/http://www.charente-maritime.org/pays_rochefortais/patrimoine_littoral/littoral_fort_boyarda.htm |archive-date=18 February 2001 |language=fr}}</ref> Napoleon reinforced coastal defenses with forts like Énet.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Flohic|2002|p=623-624}}</ref> In 1810, [[La Rochelle]] became the prefecture. After defeats in 1814, Napoleon was exiled from [[Île-d'Aix|Île d’Aix]] to [[Saint Helena]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 10, 2006 |title=De Waterloo à l'Île d'Aix - L'embarquement de Napoléon 1er pour l'exil par J. L'Azou |trans-title=From Waterloo to the Island of Aix - Napoleon I's embarkation into exile by J. L'Azou |url=http://ameliefr.club.fr/Waterloo-Ile-d-Aix1815.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=ameliefr.club.fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210163830/http://ameliefr.club.fr/Waterloo-Ile-d-Aix1815.html |archive-date=10 December 2006 |language=fr}}</ref>[[File:1852 Levasseur Map of the Department De La Charente Maritime - Geographicus - CharenteInf-levasseur-1852.jpg|thumb|Charente-Inférieure in 1852.|261x261px]]
==== Charente-Inférieure During the Restoration ====
[[File:4sergentsdelarochelle.jpeg|left|thumb|The [[Four Sergeants of La Rochelle|four sergeants]] before execution.|205x205px]]
The [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Restoration]] saw indifference in Charente-Inférieure, though peace spurred rural growth.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=70}}</ref> Marsh reclamation in [[Hiers-Brouage|Brouage]] began under sub-prefect Charles-Esprit Le Terme.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marais de la Seudre - Balades et randonnées |trans-title=Seudre Marshes - Walks and hikes |url=https://www.ile-oleron-marennes.com/preparer-mes-vacances/quoi-faire/balades-et-randonnees/marais-de-la-seudre |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=ile-oleron-marennes.com |language=fr}}</ref> Cultural societies emerged, and the 1833 Guizot law reduced illiteracy from 53.7% (1832) to 2.4% (1901).<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=200}}</ref> The 1822 [[Four Sergeants of La Rochelle|four sergeants’ plot]] against [[Louis XVIII]] gained national attention.<ref name=":64">{{Cite web |last=Manière |first=Fabienne |date=2022 |title=Les quatre sergents de La Rochelle |trans-title=The four sergeants of La Rochelle |url=https://www.herodote.net/21_septembre_1822-evenement-18220921.php |access-date=March 17, 2025 |website=herodote.net |language=fr}}</ref>

==== Charente-Inférieure During the July Monarchy ====
The [[July Revolution]] and [[Louis Philippe I|Louis-Philippe I]]’s reign brought economic crises, sparking 1839 riots in La Rochelle and Marans. Deputies [[Jules Armand Dufaure|Jules Dufaure]] and [[Tanneguy Duchâtel]] rose to ministerial roles.<ref name=":64" />

==== Charente-Inférieure During the Second Republic ====
The 1848 revolution was welcomed, with Napoleon becoming President, and then Emperor after the 1851 coup.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=377}}</ref>

==== Charente-Inférieure During the Second Empire ====
The [[Second French Empire|Second Empire]] boosted agriculture and [[Cognac]] production, with vineyards growing from 111,000 hectares (1839) to 164,651 (1876), aided by an 1860 trade treaty.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=74}}</ref> Railroads developed, starting with the Rochefort-La Rochelle-Poitiers line in 1857.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=71}}</ref> [[Prosper de Chasseloup-Laubat]] became Minister of Marine in 1860.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=380}}</ref>

====Charente-Inférieure during the Third Republic (1870-1940)====
===== The Slow Establishment of the Republican Idea =====
Charente-Inférieure remained Bonapartist post-1870, with Baron [[Eugène Eschassériaux]] leading conservatives until 1893.<ref name=":30">{{Cite web |date=October 9, 2008 |title=Les républicains en Charente-Inférieure de 1870 à 1914 |trans-title=Republicans in Charente-Inférieure from 1870 to 1914 |url=http://pagesperso-orange.fr/lespelletan/Muel1.htm |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=pagesperso-orange.fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009205614/http://pagesperso-orange.fr/lespelletan/Muel1.htm |archive-date=9 October 2008 |language=fr}}</ref> Republican gains came in 1876 with [[Jules Armand Dufaure|Jules Dufaure]] as President of the Council (1876-1879).<ref name=":65">{{Harvtxt|Combes|2001|p=385}}</ref> [[Phylloxera]] devastated vineyards from 1872, dropping production from 7 million to 70,000 hectoliters by 1880; Saintonge rebuilt vineyards, while Aunis shifted to dairy, led by Eugène Biraud’s 1888 cooperative.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=74}}</ref> Coastal resorts like Royan boomed with rail access by 1875, hosting figures like [[Émile Zola]] during the [[Belle Époque]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 28, 1886 |title=La Gazette des bains de mer de Royan-sur-l'Océan |trans-title=The Gazette of the sea baths of Royan-sur-l'Océan |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6674855j.item |access-date=March 17, 2025 |website=Gallica |language=fr}}</ref> In 1895, [[Alfred Dreyfus]] was held in Saint-Martin-de-Ré before deportation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alfred |first=Dreyfus |date=February 3, 2010 |title=Lettre d'Alfred à Lucie Dreyfus sur un formulaire administratif |trans-title=Letter from Alfred to Lucie Dreyfus on an administrative form |url=http://www.dreyfus.culture.fr/en/pedagogie/pedago-doc-lettre-alfred-a-lucie-dreyfus.htm |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=dreyfus.culture.fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203233009/http://www.dreyfus.culture.fr/en/pedagogie/pedago-doc-lettre-alfred-a-lucie-dreyfus.htm |archive-date=3 February 2010 |language=fr}}</ref>

===== The Belle Époque: Radical Domination =====
Radicals dominated post-1898, with [[Émile Combes]] of Pons as President of the Council (1902-1905), pushing the 1905 Church-State separation law.<ref name=":66">{{Harvtxt|Vallée|Nury|2007|p=250-251}}</ref> In 1910, a rail crash at Saujon killed 38 and injured 80.<ref name=":31">{{Cite book |last=Le Dret |first=Yves |url=https://www.patrimoine-nouvelle-aquitaine.fr/Default/doc/BiblioMed/561bb4eb-ec51-4488-9183-5f6e7b47493a/le-train-en-poitou-charentes-tome-1-la-naissance-du-chemin-de-fer-en-poitou-charentes?_lg=fr-FR |title=Le train en Poitou-Charentes, Les Chemins de la Mémoire Éditeur, tome 1 : La naissance du chemin de fer en Poitou-Charentes |publisher=Les Chemins de la Mémoire |year=2004 |isbn=2-84702-111-6 |location=Saintes |page=39 |language=fr |trans-title=The train in Poitou-Charentes, volume 1: The birth of the railway in Poitou-Charentes}}</ref>

===== A Great War Is Seen from Afar =====
World War I mobilization began on August 1, 1914; Charente-Inférieure supported the war effort with converted factories and U.S. bases like Saint-Trojan-les-Bains (1917).<ref name=":67">{{Harvtxt|Vallée|Nury|2007|p=260-261}}</ref> The unfinished Talmont port project halted with the 1918 armistice.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Mounier|2004|p=38-39}}</ref>

===== Between the Wars =====
Post-war population dropped from 451,044 (1911) to 418,310 (1921), worsened by a 1920 oyster epizootic.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Papy|1940|p=310}}</ref> The Rochefort arsenal closed in 1927, but La Pallice port expanded by 1930.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Deveau|1974|p=119}}</ref> The [[Great Depression]] hit in 1931, ending the [[Années folles|Roaring Twenties]]. Radicals held strong in 1936 (42%), with strikes following the [[Popular Front (France)|Front Populaire]] victory.<ref name=":33">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=79}}</ref>

==== World War II ====
German occupation began June 23, 1940, after the armistice; Charente-Inférieure hosted Alsace-Lorraine refugees from 1939.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Flohic|2002|p=484}}</ref> The [[Atlantic Wall]] fortified the coast, and La Pallice gained a [[Kriegsmarine]] submarine base by 1941.<ref name=":34">{{Cite web |date=June 1, 2006 |title=Le Fil de l'Histoire |trans-title=The Thread of History |url=http://lionelcoutinot.club.fr/occupation/ch6b.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=lionelcoutinot.club.fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060601021345/http://lionelcoutinot.club.fr/occupation/ch6b.html |archive-date=1 June 2006 |language=fr}}</ref> Resistance faced harsh repression, with deportations to camps like [[Drancy internment camp|Drancy]].<ref name=":35">{{Cite web |title=Lieux de détention en Charente-Maritime |trans-title=Places of detention in Charente-Maritime |url=http://www.afmd.asso.fr/IMG/doc/lieux_de_d_tention_en_17.doc |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=afmd.asso.fr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809052220/http://www.afmd.asso.fr/IMG/doc/lieux_de_d_tention_en_17.doc |archive-date=9 August 2014 |language=fr}}</ref> The name changed to Charente-Maritime in 1941.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Collectif|1994|p=116}}</ref> Liberation began in August 1944, with Royan bombed by the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] in 1945 (442 civilian deaths) and freed in April via Operation Venerable.<ref name=":38">{{Cite web |title=La Poche de Royan |trans-title=The Royan Pocket |url=https://www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr/fr/la-poche-de-royan |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr |language=fr}}</ref> Oléron was liberated on April 30, and La Rochelle surrendered on May 9, 1945.<ref name=":39">{{Cite web |title=L'amiral Schirlitz |trans-title=Admiral Schirlitz |url=http://francois.delboca.free.fr/port/fsschirl.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=francois.delboca.free.fr |language=fr}}</ref>

==== Post-war ====
===== 1945-1960: The Feverish Years of Reconstruction =====
Royan, 85% destroyed, was rebuilt as a modernist “urban laboratory” under Claude Ferret in the 1950s.<ref name=":40">{{Harvtxt|Delmas|1991|p=81}}</ref> Saintes launched the “Castors Saintais” housing cooperative in 1950.<ref name=":41">{{Harvtxt|Flohic|2002|p=1035}}</ref> Rail lines closed, replaced by roads like Rochefort-Aigrefeuille-d’Aunis by 1950.<ref name=":42">{{Harvtxt|Blier|2003|p=130-133}}</ref>

===== 1960-1975: Modernization Underway =====
The [[Trente Glorieuses]] brought industrial growth, with [[Simca|SIMCA]] in Périgny (1965) and CIT-Alcatel in La Rochelle (1970).<ref name=":69">{{Harvtxt|Soumagne|1987|p=156}}</ref> Agriculture modernized, but rural exodus hit hard, with commune mergers like Montendre in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montendre - Notice Communale |trans-title=Montendre - Municipal Notice |url=http://cassini.ehess.fr/fr/html/fiche.php?select_resultat=23350 |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=cassini.ehess.fr |language=fr}}</ref> Urbanization grew, with La Rochelle’s agglomeration exceeding 100,000 by 1975; tourism surged with the Oléron viaduct (1966) and [[La Palmyre Zoo]] (1967).<ref name=":70">{{Cite web |title=Chenac-Saint-Seurin-d'Uzet - Notice Communale |trans-title=Chenac-Saint-Seurin-d'Uzet - Municipal Notice |url=http://cassini.ehess.fr/fr/html/fiche.php?select_resultat=9123 |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=cassini.ehess.fr |language=fr}}</ref>

===== 1975-1990: Continued Modernization Against a Backdrop of Economic Crisis =====
A 1976 drought and 1982 floods hit hard.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Genet|2007|p=149}}</ref> Agriculture shifted to cereals and oilseeds like sunflower.<ref name=":71">{{Harvtxt|Soumagne|1987|p=88}}</ref> De-industrialization cut 10,000 jobs by 1985, with unemployment peaking above 15%.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Soumagne|1987|p=138}}</ref> Peri-urbanization emerged, and infrastructure grew with the A10 freeway (1981) and [[Île de Ré]] bridge (1988).<ref>{{Harvtxt|Genet|2007|p=88}}</ref> Royan became a tourist hub, hosting 400,000 visitors seasonally.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Soumagne|1987|p=165}}</ref>

=== Charente-Maritime Today ===
[[File:Jardin universite la rochelle.jpg|thumb|Science and Technology Center at [[La Rochelle University]].]]
Since the 1990s, Charente-Maritime has transformed economically and socially, modernizing infrastructure with projects like the Martrou viaduct (1991), [[A837 autoroute|A837]] freeway (1997), and Paris-La Rochelle [[TGV]] electrification (1993).<ref name=":74">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=304}}</ref> [[La Rochelle University]], founded in 1993, bolstered education and research.<ref name=":74" /> Tourism drives the economy, making it France’s second most popular destination, with attractions like Royan, [[La Palmyre Zoo]], and [[Aquarium de La Rochelle|La Rochelle Aquarium]].<ref name=":75">{{Cite web |date=November 13, 2008 |title=Histoire du CAREL |trans-title=History of CAREL |url=http://www.carel.org/fle/index.php/carel_histoire.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=Centre audiovisuel de Royan pour l'étude des langues |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113154733/http://www.carel.org/fle/index.php/carel_histoire.html |archive-date=13 November 2008 |language=fr}}</ref> Industry includes rail, aircraft, and yachting, alongside [[La Pallice]] port activities.<ref name=":76">{{Harvtxt|Boutinet|2001|p=294-307}}</ref> Agriculture focuses on cereals, cognac, and pineau, while shellfish farming leads nationally in oysters and mussels.<ref name=":76" /> With over 605,000 residents, it’s the most populous and fastest-growing department in [[Poitou-Charentes]].<ref name=":76" /> Natural disasters struck with [[Cyclone Martin (1999)|Cyclone Martin]] (1999, 13 deaths, 197 km/h winds) and [[Cyclone Xynthia]] (2010, 12 deaths, coastal flooding), prompting a [[natural disaster]] declaration.<ref name=":77">{{Cite web |title=Le risque tempête en Ile-de-France : un risque sous-estimé ? |trans-title=Storm risk in Ile-de-France: an underestimated risk? |url=https://e-cours.univ-paris1.fr/modules/uved/risques-naturels/html/1/13/131.html |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=e-cours.univ-paris1.fr |language=fr}}</ref> After the 2015 [[Charlie Hebdo shooting]], 30,000 marched in La Rochelle, with thousands more in Rochefort, Saintes, and Royan, supporting “[[Je suis Charlie|''Je suis Charlie'']].”<ref name=":45">{{Cite web |date=January 11, 2015 |title=Nous étions plus de 270 000 Charlie dimanche dans la région ! |trans-title=There were more than 270,000 of us Charlie Sunday in the region! |url=https://www.sudouest.fr/justice/charlie-hebdo/nous-etions-plus-de-270-000-charlie-dimanche-dans-la-region-8002778.php |access-date=May 25, 2010 |website=SudOuest.fr |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Meschers-dawn-in-paradise.jpg|left|250x250px|thumb|Sunset in [[Meschers-sur-Gironde]] in Charente-Maritime]]

Charente-Maritime is part of the [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]] administrative region. It is bordered by the departments of [[Gironde]], [[Charente]], [[Deux-Sèvres]], [[Dordogne]] and [[Vendée]]. It has a land area of 6864&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and 651,358 inhabitants as of 2019.<ref name="compar" />

Major rivers are the [[Charente (river)|Charente]] and its tributaries, the [[Boutonne]] and the [[Seugne]], along with the [[Sèvre Niortaise]], the [[Seudre]] and the [[Garonne]], in its downstream part, which is the estuary of the [[Gironde estuary|Gironde]].

The départment includes the islands of [[Île de Ré]], [[Île d'Aix]], [[Ile d'Oléron]] and [[Île Madame]].

The department forms the northern part of the [[Aquitaine Basin]]. It is separated from the [[Massif Armoricain]] by the [[Marais Poitevin]] to the north-west and from the Parisian basin by the [[Seuil du Poitou]] to the north-east. The highest point in the department is in the forest of Chantemerlière, near the [[Communes of France|commune]] of [[Contré]] in the north-east, and rises to 173&nbsp;m.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2015-04-29 |title=Centre Régional Résistance & Liberté - la poche de La Rochelle |url=https://www.crrl.fr/module-Contenus-viewpub-tid-2-pid-239.html |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=www.crrl.fr |language=fr}}</ref>

=== Administrative borders ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Direction
!Neighbour
|-
|North
|[[Vendée]] of [[Pays de la Loire]] and [[Deux-Sèvres]]
|-
|East
|[[Charente]] and [[Dordogne]]
|-
|West
|Atlantic Ocean
|-
|South
|[[Gironde]] and [[Gironde estuary]]
|}

===Principal towns===

The most populous commune is [[La Rochelle]], the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 8,000 inhabitants:<ref name=pop2019>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep17.pdf Populations légales 2019: 17 Charente-Maritime], INSEE</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2019)
|-
| [[La Rochelle]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 77,205
|-
| [[Saintes, Charente-Maritime|Saintes]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 25,287
|-
| [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 23,584
|-
| [[Royan]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 18,419
|-
| [[Aytré]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 9,247
|-
| [[Périgny, Charente-Maritime|Périgny]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 8,684
|-
| [[Tonnay-Charente]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 8,097
|}

==Climate==
The climate is mild and sunny, with less than 900 mm of precipitation per year<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bry |first1=Christian |last2=Hoflack |first2=Paul |year=2004 |title=Le bassin versant de la Charente : une illustration des problèmes posés par la gestion quantitative de l'eau |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01199434/file/C52Hoflack.pdf |journal=Courrier de l'Environnement de l'INRA |issue=52 |pages=82 |via=[[HAL (open archive)|HAL]]}}</ref> and with [[insolation]] being remarkably high, in fact, the highest in Western France including southernmost sea resorts such as [[Biarritz]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Demagny |first=Xavier |date=2022-06-18 |title=Canicule : près de 43°C à Biarritz, de nouveaux records de chaleur battus samedi |url=https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/canicule-pres-de-430c-a-biarritz-de-nouveaux-records-de-chaleur-battus-samedi-2500835 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=Radio France |language=fr}}</ref> Average extreme temperatures vary from {{convert|39|°C|0|abbr=on}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historique météo Charente-Maritime (Juin 2022) |url=https://www.terre-net.fr/meteo-agricole/historique-consultation/charente-maritime/3026644 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=www.terre-net.fr}}</ref> in summer to {{convert|-5|°C|0|abbr=on}} in winter (as of 2022).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historique météo Charente-Maritime (Janvier 2022) |url=https://www.terre-net.fr/meteo-agricole/historique-consultation/charente-maritime/3026644 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=www.terre-net.fr}}</ref>

==Economy==
The economy of Charente-Maritime is based on three major sectors: tourism, [[maritime industry]], and manufacturing. [[Cognac]] and [[Pineau des Charentes|pineau]] are two of the major agricultural products with maize and [[Sunflower|sunflowers]] being the others.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-16 |title=Agriculture de la Charente-Maritime |url=https://charente-maritime.chambre-agriculture.fr/pratique/chiffres-cles/agriculture-de-la-charente-maritime/ |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=charente-maritime.chambre-agriculture.fr |language=fr}}</ref>

Charente-Maritime is the headquarters of the major [[oyster]] producer Marennes-Oléron.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Que faire à Marennes et ses environs ? |url=https://www.infiniment-charentes.com/destination/que-faire-a-marennes/ |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=Infiniment charentes |language=fr-FR}}</ref> Oysters cultivated here are shipped across Europe.

[[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]] is a shipbuilding site and has been a major French naval base since 1665.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Acerra |first=Martine |date=2011-12-21 |title=La création de l'arsenal de Rochefort |url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-dix-septieme-siecle-2011-4-page-671.htm |journal=Dix-Septième Siècle |language=fr |volume=253 |issue=4 |pages=671–676 |doi=10.3917/dss.114.0671 |issn=0012-4273}}</ref>

[[La Rochelle]] is a seat of major French industry. Just outside the city, in [[Aytré]], is a factory for the French engineering giant [[Alstom]], where the [[TGV]], the cars for the [[Paris Métro|Paris]] and other [[Rapid transit|metro]]s are manufactured (see [[:fr:Alstom Aytré]]).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mankowski |first=Thomas |date=2021-10-17 |title=Charente-Maritime: sur le site d'Alstom Aytré, le pari gagné du tramway |newspaper=Sud-Ouest |language=fr-FR |url=https://www.sudouest.fr/economie/transports/charente-maritime-sur-le-site-d-alstom-aytre-le-pari-gagne-du-tramway-6585693.php |access-date=2022-07-09 |issn=1760-6454}}</ref> It is a popular venue for tourism, with its picturesque [[medieval]] harbour and city walls.

==Demographics==
The inhabitants of the department are called ''Charentais-Maritimes''.
{{historical populations|cols=2|align=none|percentages=pagr|footnote=Sources:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://splaf.free.fr/17his.html|title=Historique de la Charente-Maritime|website=Le SPLAF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4176909?geo=DEP-17|title=Évolution et structure de la population en 2016|publisher=INSEE}}</ref>|graph-pos=bottom
|11=1791|12=438,042|13=1801|14=399,162|15=1806|16=405,592|17=1821|18=409,477|19=1831|20=445,249|21=1841|22=460,245|23=1851|24=469,992|25=1861|26=481,060|27=1872|28=465,653|29=1881|30=466,416|31=1891|32=456,202|33=1901|34=452,149|35=1911|36=451,044|37=1921|38=418,310|39=1931|40=415,249|41=1936|42=419,021|43=1946|44=416,187|45=1954|46=447,973|47=1962|48=470,897|49=1968|50=483,622|51=1975|52=497,859|53=1982|54=513,220|55=1990|56=527,146|57=1999|58=557,024|59=2006|60=598,915|61=2011|62=625,682|63=2016|64=642,191}}

==Politics==
===Departmental Council of Charente-Maritime===
{{Main article|Departmental Council of Charente-Maritime}}
[[File:Cantons de la Charente-Maritime 2021.svg|thumb|Political map of the [[Cantons of the Charente-Maritime department|cantons of Charente-Maritime]] following the 2021 departmental elections.]]
The [[List of presidents of departmental councils (France)|President of the Departmental Council]] has been [[Dominique Bussereau]] ([[The Republicans (France)|LR]]) since 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-27 |title=Dominique Bussereau se met en retrait de la vie politique |language=fr-FR |work=La Croix |url=https://www.la-croix.com/France/Dominique-Bussereau-met-retrait-vie-politique-2021-07-27-1201168066 |access-date=2022-07-09 |issn=0242-6056}}</ref> He was replaced by Sylvie Marcilly after the [[2021 French departmental elections|departmental elections of June 2021]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le sacre de Sylvie Marcilly, nouvelle présidente du Conseil Départemental de Charente-Maritime |url=https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/nouvelle-aquitaine/charente-maritime/le-sacre-de-sylvie-marcilly-nouvelle-presidente-du-conseil-departemental-de-charente-maritime-2162281.html |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine |date=July 2021 |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-01 |title=Sylvie Marcilly est la nouvelle présidente du département de la Charente-Maritime |url=https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/politique/sylvie-marcilly-est-la-nouvelle-presidente-du-departement-de-la-charente-maritime-1625156750 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=ici, par France Bleu et France 3 |language=fr}}</ref> <!-- ! style="background-color: {{party color|The Greens (France)}}" |
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|[[New Centre]] ||align="right"| 1
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===National representation===
In the [[2022 French legislative election|2022 legislative election]], Charente-Maritime elected the following members of the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]]:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Constituency!!Member<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charente-Maritime : Carte des circonscriptions - Assemblée nationale |url=https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/recherche-localisee/carte/Charente-Maritime |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=www2.assemblee-nationale.fr}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |Party
|-
| [[Charente-Maritime's 1st constituency]]
| [[Olivier Falorni]]
| {{party color cell|Radical Party of the Left}}
| [[Radical Party of the Left|PRG]]
|-
| [[Charente-Maritime's 2nd constituency]]
| [[Anne-Laure Babault]]
| {{party color cell|Democratic Movement (France)}}
| [[Democratic Movement (France)|MoDem]]
|-
| [[Charente-Maritime's 3rd constituency]]
| [[Jean-Philippe Ardouin]]
| {{party color cell|La République En Marche!}}
| [[La République En Marche!|LREM]]
|-
| [[Charente-Maritime's 4th constituency]]
| [[Raphaël Gérard]]
| {{party color cell|La République En Marche!}}
| [[La République En Marche!|LREM]]
|-
| [[Charente-Maritime's 5th constituency]]
| [[Christophe Plassard]]
| {{party color cell|Horizons (political party)}}
| [[Horizons (political party)|H]]
|}

In the [[Senate (France)|Senate]], Charente-Maritime is represented by [[List of senators of Charente-Maritime|three members]]: [[Daniel Laurent]] (since 2008), Corinne Imbert (since 2014) and Mickaël Vallet (since 2020).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Liste par département - Sénat |url=https://www.senat.fr/senateurs/sencir.html#c170 |access-date=2022-07-09 |website=www.senat.fr}}</ref>

==Tourism==
Popular destinations include [[La Rochelle]], [[Royan]], [[Saintes, Charente-Maritime|Saintes]], [[Saint-Jean-d'Angély]], [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]], the [[Île d'Aix]], [[Île de Ré]] and [[Île d'Oléron]].

The department is served by the [[TGV]] at [[Surgères station|Surgères]] and [[La Rochelle station|La Rochelle]]. It can also be reached by motorway by the A10 (E5, Paris-[[Bordeaux]]) and A837 (E602, Saintes-Rochefort).

<gallery>
File:La Rochelle2tours.jpg|[[La Rochelle]]
File:Port Royan.jpg|[[Royan]], a seaside resort
File:Cabanes ostréicoles au Château-d'Oléron.jpg|[[Oyster farming|Oyster farms]] on the island of [[Oléron]]
File:Talmont sur Gironde.jpg|[[Talmont-sur-Gironde]]
File:Jonzac 17 Église façade 2013.jpg|[[Jonzac]]
File:Fort boyard aout 2006-6.JPG|[[Fort Boyard (fortification)|Fort Boyard]]
File:Hennessy cognac.jpg|Barrels of [[Hennessy]] [[cognac]]

</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Cantons of the Charente-Maritime department]]
*[[Communes of the Charente-Maritime department]]
*[[Arrondissements of the Charente-Maritime department]]
*[[Éclade des Moules]]

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Bibliography==
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== External links ==
* {{in lang|en}} {{cite EB1911 |wstitle = Charente-Inférieure |volume = 5 |short = x }}
* {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.charente-maritime.gouv.fr/ Prefecture website]
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://la.charente-maritime.fr/ Departmental Council website]
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://www.infiniment-charentes.com/ Tourism website]

{{Departments of France}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Charente-Maritime| ]]
[[Category:1790 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Nouvelle-Aquitaine region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia]]
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[[Category:States and territories established in 1790]]