Вандея: История и Наследие Французского Департамента

Department of France
the [[departments of France

Vendée (vɑ̃de; ) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442. Its prefecture is La Roche sur Yon.

The area today called the Vendée was originally known as the Bas Poitou and is part of the former province of Poitou. In the southeast corner, the village of Nieul sur l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204). Eleanor's son, Richard the Lionheart often had his base 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 mother of Henry IV of France, the region was greatly affected by the French Wars of Religion which broke out in 1562 and continued until 1598. In April of that year King Henri IV issued the Edict of Nantes and the Wars came to an end. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 caused many Huguenots to flee from the Vendée. In the void, the region became rigorously Catholic due to the influence of a preacher and Marian missionary Louis de Montfort who radically changed the spirituality of the region. Many attribute the effect of his preaching to prepare the Vendeans for their revolt against the French Revolution. The Vendeans revolted against the Revolutionary government in 1793. They resented the harsh oppression imposed on the Catholic Church by the provisions of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy act (1790) and broke into open revolt after the Revolutionary government's imposition of military conscription. A massacre of Republicans at Machecoul in March was followed by guerrilla warfare, led at the outset by peasants who were chosen in each locale, and cost more than 240,000 lives before it ended in 1796 (190,000 Vendeans who were republicans or royalists and 50,000 non Vendean republican soldiers; according to the Jacques Hussenet and Centre Vendéen de Recherche Historique's book Détruisez la Vendée). The Revolt in the Vendée must not be confused with the revolt of the Chouans, which took place at the same time in Maine and Brittany. The revolt was led by able officers, mostly aristocrats with some commoners. England provided funds and weapons but various plans for military support were thwarted or cancelled, such as the ill fated 1795 Quiberon Expedition. In 1804, Napoleon I chose La Roche sur Yon to be the capital of the department. At the time, most of La Roche had been eradicated in the Vendée Revolt (1793–96); the renamed Napoléonville was laid out and a fresh population of soldiers and civil servants was brought in. Napoléonville had a square grid street network and was designed to accommodate 15,000 people. In 1815, when Napoleon escaped exile on Elba for his Hundred Days, the Vendée refused to recognise him and stayed loyal to King Louis XVIII. General Lamarque led 10,000 men into the Vendée to pacify the region. A failed rebellion in the Vendée in 1832 in support of Marie Caroline de Bourbon Sicile, duchess de Berry, the former King Charles X's widowed daughter in law, was an unsuccessful attempt to restore the Legitimist Bourbon dynasty during the reign of the Orléanist monarch, King Louis Philippe of the French (1830–1848). In 1850, English author Anthony Trollope published his book La Vendée, detailing the history of the region and the war. In the preface he pays tribute to Madame de la Rochejaquelein, on whose memoirs of the war he based his story.

The name Vendée is taken from the river Vendée which runs through the southeastern part of the department. The river is attested as Fluvium Vendre in the 10th century, and as Flumen Vendee and Vendeia by the 11th century. According to Pierre Henri Billy, the name ultimately derives from the Celtic toponym *vindo meaning white or brilliant in a sacred context (as in the Modern Welsh gwyn/wyn). The name likely originates in Proto Celtic or Gaulish, but may also have originated in the Gallo or Old Breton languages.

Vendée's highest point is Puy Crapaud (295 m). The department is crossed by four rivers: the Sèvre Nantaise ( long), the Vendée , the Lay and the Sèvre Niortaise .

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

The most populous commune is La Roche sur Yon, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The 10 most populous communes are: in La Roche sur Yon. The main goal of this institute is to achieve academic excellence through an enhancement of the Christian and human dimension in seven areas of study. Founded in 1989, Catholic Institute of Higher Studies ICES has pioneered a new concept in higher education, that of the "University School": halfway between the French Grande École and the traditional state university.

The coast of the Vendée extends over of mostly sandy beaches. Tourists from overseas and locally frequent them. Some resorts include Les Sables d'Olonne, La Tranche sur Mer and Saint Jean de Monts. Some beaches are certified for the FEE Blue Flag for cleanliness. With more than 100 mile (161 km) of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pine woods. There are several nude beaches including just south of La Faute sur Mer on the Pointe d'Arçay. The department also has churches and abbeys, museums, and—for nature lovers—thousands of marked footpaths, a signposted bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats, and marshes that attract unusual birds. There is fishing in the Vendée's rivers and lakes. Inland, the chief attractions include the Marais Poitevin (an area of marshlands famed for wildlife), the forested area around the village of Mervent and the rolling countryside of the Bocage. In the north of the department, the historical theme park Puy du Fou attracts more than 1.45 million of visitors per year.

Agriculture remains a significant source of employment in the Vendée. Among departments, it has the second highest level of revenue from agriculture in France. The major arable crops grown are maize, colza, wheat and sunflowers. Meat and dairy production also feature, as does the offshore farming of shellfish (oysters and mussels). Poultry from Challans is highly regarded nationwide as is lamb produced from the salt marshes in the North of the Vendée. Demonstrating its support for the agricultural sector, the Conseil Général of the Vendée has a stated policy to promote the construction of irrigation reservoirs to reduce dependence on ground water during key summer growing seasons.

The Vendée is home to a number of food processing firms. A manufacturer of ready meals and charcuterie employs the majority of its workforce (some 3000 people) at local plants. Other employers include bakeries and biscuit producers. The department also has some speciality products, including brioche (Label Rouge) and a raw cured ham (Jambon de Vendée) similar in flavour to bacon. Wine is also produced in the area around the communes of Vix, Brem, Pissotte and Mareuil sur Lay, and is marketed under the "Fiefs Vendéens" designation. Production quality has improved markedly over recent years, and, having already achieved the classification Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS), the wines are on their way towards A. O. C status (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée).

Much of the manufacturing industry in the Vendée reflects its status as a major tourist destination. Mobile homes are manufactured at plants in Luçon and the building of motor and sail yachts takes place at locations all over the department. The service sector too is strongly inclined towards tourism with campsites, restaurants and other tourism businesses being important sources of revenue and employment.

The War in the Vendée is the subject of Ninety Three (Quatrevingt treize), the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo, an episode in Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and also the backdrop of Les Chouans by Balzac. In the writings of Karl Marx regarding revolutionary struggles in various countries, he uses the term "a Vendée" as meaning "a focus of persistent counter revolutionary activities". Vladimir Lenin, when speaking about Cossacks as potential counter revolutionary opposition, identified them as Russian Vendée.

Jambon mogettes (ham and white beans) is the most famous Vendean dish. The department is the largest brioche producer in France, with the Brioche de Vendée made in the Bocage. In the Plain of Luçon, préfou is a garlic bread that can be served as an aperitif. In the marshland of the North West, the poultry of Challans, especially duck, is well known in the gastronomic world. The department has several small vineyards, around Brem sur Mer, Mareuil sur Lay Dissais, Vix, and Pissotte.

In the Vendée, 31 members, elected through universal suffrage, govern the affairs of the department, with 26 members on the right wing and 5 members on the left wing. The Prefect represents the French State in the department.