Surrender of La Rochelle

The Surrender of La Rochelle on October 28, 1628, ended a year-long siege that was the central military and political event of the novel, marking the triumph of Cardinal Richelieu's policy over the Huguenot rebellion and the English alliance, and providing the backdrop against which the fates of the four friends are finally resolved.

Causes and Background

The siege of La Rochelle was the culmination of Richelieu's campaign to destroy the last major Huguenot stronghold in France, a city that had been granted to the Protestants by Henry IV as a place of safety. The cardinal saw it as a necessary step to eliminate a dangerous leaven of civil revolt and foreign war, a focus of dissension and ambition that drew Spaniards, Englishmen, and Italian malcontents. Its port was the last in France open to the English, and closing it would complete the work of Joan of Arc and the Duc de Guise. The political plans of the cardinal were extensive, but the chronicler is forced to recognize the lesser motives of the amorous man and jealous rival: Richelieu, who had loved the queen, saw in Buckingham a rival who had cruelly mystified him, particularly through the affair of the diamond studs. The siege thus became a personal vengeance as much as a state policy, with the real stake being a kind look from Anne of Austria. The English, under the Duke of Buckingham, had seized the Isle of Re, and the French army, under the nominal command of the king but directed by the cardinal, had invested the city.

What Happens

The siege lasted for over a year, from September 1627 to October 1628. The cardinal's strategy was to starve the city into submission by building a famous dyke to block the port, preventing any vessel from entering. The city's mayor, Jean Guiton, maintained an iron discipline, hanging mutineers who attempted to surrender. The besiegers intercepted messengers and spies, and the cardinal employed psychological warfare, dropping notes over the walls to turn the populace against their leaders. The death of the Duke of Buckingham, assassinated by John Felton at Portsmouth on August 23, 1628, was the decisive blow, depriving the Rochellais of their promised English succor. The city, reduced to eating leather and the soles of their shoes, finally capitulated. The capitulation was signed on October 28, 1628, after a year of siege.

Consequences and Aftermath

The surrender of La Rochelle was a complete victory for Cardinal Richelieu. It destroyed the last bastion of Calvinism in France and closed the country's last major port to the English, a precursor to the later revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The king, Louis XIII, made his entrance into Paris on December 23, 1628, receiving a triumph as if he had conquered an enemy rather than Frenchmen. For the four friends, the end of the siege marked a period of transition. D'Artagnan, having proven himself, took possession of his commission as a lieutenant in the Musketeers, a promotion granted by the cardinal himself. Porthos left the service to marry the wealthy widow Madame Coquenard. Aramis, yielding to his vocation, retired into a convent. Athos remained a Musketeer under d'Artagnan's command for a few more years before also quitting the service. The siege thus serves as the historical and narrative climax, after which the characters' lives diverge, their shared adventures giving way to individual destinies.