Fort de La Prée

[1] In 1625, the French officer Toiras led the Royalist troops when they captured Ré from the Huguenots under the command of admiral Duke of Soubise.

After his victory, Toiras received the title of count, and became Governor of Île de Ré.

They used materials salvaged from the remains of the Romanesque abbey of the Châteliers' The Duke of Buckingham ignored Fort de La Prée during his three-month siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré in 1627.

Toiras managed to land troops there, and from there force the English to give up their siege and withdraw in defeat.

[2] The fort subsequently underwent modifications under the oversight of several engineers — François Blondel (1664), Louis-Nicolas de Clerville (1672), Le Favolière, and finally Sainte-Colombe (1676).