Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (1627)

Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (Siège de Saint-Martin-de-Ré)
Part of the Huguenot rebellions
Top: Full map of the landing, siege and retreat by the English forces of Buckingham. Bottom: The fortress of Saint-Martin. Military mock-up, 1702. Musée des Plans-Reliefs.
Date 1627 Location Île de Ré Result French victory
Belligerents
England La Rochelle (Volunteers)	Kingdom of France
Commanders and leaders
Charles I Duke of Buckingham (commander)	Louis XIII Toiras (commander)
Strength
Initially:100 ships 6,000 English soldiers 1,000 horses La Rochelle volunteers: 800 Reinforcements: 2,000 Irish soldiers 400 raw troops	Initially: 1,200 men 200 horsemen Reinforcements: 4,000 men (October)
Casualties and losses
around 5,000	around 500

The Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, also Siege of St. Martin's (French:Siège de Saint-Martin-de-Ré), was an attempt by English forces under George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham to capture the French fortress-city of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, on the isle of Ré (near La Rochelle), in 1627. After three months of siege the Marquis de Toiras and a relief force of French ships and troops managed to repel the Duke, who was forced to withdraw in defeat. This encounter followed another defeat for Buckingham, the 1625 Cádiz Expedition, and is considered to be the opening conflict of the Anglo-French War of 1627-1629, itself a part of the Thirty Years' War.

On 12 July 1627, an English force of 100 ships and 6,000 soldiers under the command of the Duke of Buckingham invaded the Île de Ré, landing at the beach of Sablanceau, with the objective of controlling the approaches to La Rochelle and encouraging rebellion in the city. Buckingham hoped to capture the Fort of La Prée and the fortified city of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. A Royal French force of 1,200 infantry and 200 horsemen under the Marquis de Toiras, the island's Governor, resisted the landing from behind the dunes, but the English beachhead was maintained, with over 12 officers and 100 men killed.

During a period of three days in which Buckingham consolidated his beachhead, Toiras took all available provisions on the island and fortified himself in the citadel of Saint Martin. Buckingham endeavoured to establish a siege around the citadel, but this proved difficult; the English siege engineer had drowned during the landing, the cannon were too few and too small, and, as Autumn arrived, disease started to take its toll on the English troops. The siege continued until October.

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