Cardinal Richelieu at the Siege of La Rochelle by Henri-Paul Motte

Henri Paul Motte

French painter, drawer and engraver

1846 (baptised) - 25 March 1922

Richelieu in the center is represented on a dike. At his side, in retreat, his general staff. This dike, which no longer exists today, was built at the time of the Great Siege in 1628 to prevent aid from the English to the Rochelais. Note the particular costume of Richelieu which combines at the same time the armor and the scarlet cape of a Cardinal.

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Four thousand workmen also built a 1,400 meters (0.9 mi) long seawall to block the seaward access between the city and harbor, stopping all supplies. The initial idea for blocking the channel came from the Italian engineer Pompeo Targone, but his structure was broken by winter weather, before the idea was taken up by the royal architect Clément Métezeau in November 1627. The wall was built on a foundation of sunken hulks filled with rubble.

First Seawall

Second Seawall

Excuse you, that's Cardinal Richelieu. He absolutely did exist.