Saint-Martin-de-Ré
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The quays
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 Saint-Martin-de-Ré
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Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
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| Coordinates: 46°12′11″N 1°22′02″W / 46.2031°N 1.3672°WCoordinates: 46°12′11″N 1°22′02″W / 46.2031°N 1.3672°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Charente-Maritime | |
| Arrondissement | La Rochelle | |
| Canton | Île de Ré | |
| Intercommunality | Ile-de-Ré | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Patrice Déchelette | |
| Area1 | 4.70 km2 (1.81 sq mi) | |
| Population (2013)2 | 2,405 | |
| • Density | 510/km2 (1,300/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 17369 /17410 | |
| Elevation | 0–17 m (0–56 ft) (avg. 8 m or 26 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Saint-Martin-de-Ré is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
It is one of the 10 communes located on the Île de Ré.
Saint-Martin-de-Ré has extensive fortifications, reflecting the strategic importance of the Île de Ré. During the Huguenot Rebellions of the 1620s, Cardinal Richelieu ordered that the island be fortified as a counterweight to the Protestant nearby city of La Rochelle on the French mainland. This included a citadel at Saint Martin. After La Rochelle had been subdued, Saint-Martin's fortification were largely demolished to remove its potential threat to royal power.
In 1627, an English invasion force under the command of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham attacked the island in order to relieve the Siege of La Rochelle. After three months of combats in the Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré against the French under Marshal Toiras, the Duke was forced to withdraw in defeat.
Later, in the 1670s, the French engineer, Vauban was commissioned to review and overhaul the island's defences and, as a result, Saint Martin was enclosed by extensive and modern walls and embankments. This was done in three major phases ending in 1702 and the end result was an enclosed town capable of housing the island's population for a long siege.
Between 1873 and 1938, the prison in Saint-Martin de Re kept prisoners before they were shipped to the penal colonies in French Guiana or New Caledonia. See (French).
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