Vendée

Vendée
Details
Information
Number	85
Region	Pays de la Loire
Prefecture	La Roche-sur-Yon
Subprefecture	Fontenay-le-Comte Les Sables-d'Olonne
Population  - Total (1999)  - Density	Ranked 45th 539,664 80 /km²
Area	6,720 km²
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	31
Communes	282
President of the general council	Philippe de Villiers
Location

Vendée is a département in west central France, on the Atlantic's Bay of Biscay. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the département.

Administration

History

The area today called the Vendée was originally known as the Bas-Poitou. In the south-east corner, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) and was part of her Kingdom. Eleanor's son, Richard I of England (the Lionhearted) often based himself in Talmont . The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground.

Since the Vendée held a considerable number of influential Protestants, including control by Jeanne d'Albret, the region was also greatly marked by the 36-year French Wars of Religion which broke out in 1562. Eventually King Henri IV, issued the Edict of Nantes and the Wars came to an end. When the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685, it caused many Huguenots to flee from the Vendée.

It is also remembered as the place where the peasants revolted against the Revolutionary government in 1793. The bloody conflict, in support of the Monarchy and against the changes imposed on the Roman Catholic Church erupted in defiance of the Revolutionary government's military conscription. A guerrilla war, led by an underground faction known as the Chouans (screech owls), known as the Revolt in the Vendée and would cost more than 100,000 lives until it ended in 1796.

In 1850, British author, Anthony Trollope, published his book "La Vendee" detailing the history of the region and the war. In the preface he pays tribute to Madame de Larochejaquelein on whose memoirs of the war he based his story.

Geography

Vendée's highest point is Mont Mercure (935 feet/285 m).

The department is crossed by four rivers: the Sèvre Nantaise (135 km), the Vendée (70 km), the Lay (110 km) and the Sèvre Niortaise (150 km).

Economy

The economy of the Vendée is centred around tourism, with the seaside resorts of Les Sables, La Tranche and La Faute being popular with both foreign and domestic tourists. Agriculture, food processing and light manufacturing are also important.

Demographics

Vendée's inhabitants are referred to as Vendeans (French Vendéens).

Culture

With more than 100 miles of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pine woods, and a very mild climate, Vendée is today a popular tourist destination. It boasts many churches and abbeys, museums, and - for nature lovers - there are thousands of marked footpaths, a signposted bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats, and marshes that attract unusual birds. Fishing is popular in the ocean or in the Vendée's rivers and lakes.

Miscellaneous topics

William Faulkner's underrated novel, The Unvanquished has a chapter named Vendée.

External link

• Conseil Général's website (in French)