Siege of La Rochelle (1572–1573)

Siege of La Rochelle (1572–1573)
	Part of the French wars of religion
	; The siege of La Rochelle by the Duke of Anjou in 1573 ("History of Henry III" tapestry, completed in 1623).
Date	6 November 1572 – 6 July 1573
Location	La Rochelle46°09′33″N 1°09′06″W / 46.1591°N 1.1517°W
Result	Stalemate
Belligerents
Kingdom of France	La Rochelle; Kingdom of England (support)
Commanders and leaders
Duke of Anjou	Comte de Montgomery (relief)
Strength
Siege army: 28,000	Defending army: 1,500; Huguenot refugees.
Casualties and losses
Siege army:; 12,000 (including sickness and desertion); 73% casualty rate among officers.	Almost entire army and all refugees dead

The siege of La Rochelle of 1572–1573 was a massive military assault on the Huguenot city of La Rochelle by Catholic troops during the fourth phase of the French Wars of Religion, following the August 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. The conflict began in November 1572 when inhabitants of the city refused to receive Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron, as royal governor. Beginning on 11 February 1573, the siege was led by the Duke of Anjou (the future Henry III). Political considerations following the duke's election to the throne of Poland in May 1573 resulted in negotiations, culminating on 24 June 1573, that lifted the siege on 6 July 1573. The Edict of Boulogne signed shortly thereafter brought an end to this phase of the civil war.

The siege of La Rochelle was contemporaneous with Catholic assaults on the cities of Sommières (led by Henri I de Montmorency) and Sancerre.