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Port-Louis (; ) is a commune in the INSEE commune file
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The Spanish engineer
Official website
*
Mayors of Morbihan Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portlouis Communes of Morbihan Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast
Morbihan
The Morbihan ( , ; ) is a departments of France, department in the administrative region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Gulf of Morbihan, Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton ...
department of Brittany
Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
in northwestern France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
./ref>
History
At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading withIndia
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
established warehouses in Port-Louis. They later built additional warehouses across the bay in 1628, at the location which became known as "L'Orient" (''the Orient
The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world.
In English, it is largely a meto ...
'' in French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
). In 1664, during the reign of King Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, the French East India Company Compagnie des Indes () may refer to several French chartered companies involved in long-distance trading:
* First French East Indies Company, in existence from 1604 to 1614
* French West India Company, active in the Western Hemisphere from 1664 t ...
was established at Port-Louis. The company established a shipyard at Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginn ...
. The Company was not able to maintain itself financially, and it was abolished in 1769. In 1770, King Louis XVI
Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
issued an edict that required the Company to transfer to the state all its properties, in return for which the King agreed to pay all of the Company’s debts and obligations. The French government then took over the shipyards as a naval port and arsenal.
Citadel
The Spanish engineer Cristóbal de Rojas
Cristóbal or Cristobal, the Spanish version of Christopher, is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to:
Given name
* Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972), Spanish fashion designer
* Cristóbal Cobo (born 1976), Chilean academic
...
built the Fuerte de Águila at the start of the Brittany Campaign in 1590 at what was then known as Port Blavet during the War of the Catholic League. At the time, the governor of Brittany, Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur
Philippe-Emmanuel de Lorraine, Duke of Mercœur and of Penthièvre (9 September 1558, in Nomeny, Meurthe-et-Moselle – 19 February 1602, in Nürnberg) was a French soldier, a prince of the Holy Roman Empire and a prominent member of the Catholi ...
, a Catholic, was in revolt against the new Protestant king Henry IV, and the Spanish were invited to provide support to their coreligionists. Henry converted to Catholicism in 1593, and eventually defeated de Mercœur in 1598, gaining control of the fort. The fort was extended in 1616–1636, during the reign of King Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
. In 1836 Louis Napoleon, who would later become the emperor Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
, was a prisoner in the citadel. Later prisoners included 1836 Communards
The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards we ...
and members of the French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
, among others.
Today, the citadel houses four museums:
*Museum of the French East India Company (Musée de la Compagnie des Indes)
*Museum of Naval Weapons (Musée des Armes Navales)
*Museum of Port-Louis and the Citadel (Musée de Port-Louis et de la Citadelle)
*Museum of the Arsenal (Musée de l'Arsenal)
Population
Inhabitants of Port-Louis are called inFrench
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
''Port-Louisiens''.
See also
*Communes of the Morbihan department
The following is a list of the 249 Communes of France, communes of the Morbihan Departments of France, department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 2025):
Citations
External links
Official website
*
Mayors of Morbihan Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portlouis Communes of Morbihan Port cities and towns on the French Atlantic coast