1374, Charles V separated La Rochelle from Saintonge to set up a provincial government, comprising the jurisdictions of Rochefort, Marennes and, for a time, Benon. It was thus that Aunis legally became a separate province." The province was much larger in mediaeval times, and underwent numerous changes to its borders. It extended from the Marais Poitevin in the north, to the lower valley of the Charente in the south; to the west, it included the islands of Île de Ré and the Île d'Aix, at the mouth of the Charente. However, in the east the borders were often ill-defined and subject to change. It is likely that Aunis extended to the ports of Niort and also included the of Saint-Jean d'Angély. With the official establishment of the province in 1374, during the reign of Charles V of France, Aunis recovered Rochefort and Marennes, but its eastern boundaries were still vague. During the Reformation The Protestant Reformation, started in the time of Francis I of France, gave Aunis much greater power: it was the last stand of the resistance movement, which survived until La Rochelle fell in 1628. End of the Ancien Régime When the were established under the French Constitution of 1791, Aunis was a very small province both in area and population. Despite the resistance of its inhabitants and the energetic interventions of its leaders, in 1790 it was coalesced with the much larger region of Saintonge to form the Department of Charente-Maritime. Quote Places of interest In La Rochelle: The Saint Nicolas Tower, The Chain Tower, Lantern Tower (La Rochelle, France). La Rochelle Town Hall, in the Renaissance style. In Surgères: The Romanesque church of Notre-Dame. In Rochefort: The Royal Ropemakers. Notable people Amador de la Porte, Governor of the Saintonge and Aunis regions. Notes References Sources External links The history of Aunis from old records (database of surnames and placenames at histoirepassion.eu Flags, coats of arms and emblems of Poitou-Charentes at free.fr The Forest of Argenson between Santones and Pictones, the story of a disappearing act at histoirepassion.eu Former provinces of France Geography of Charente-Maritime Santones History of Nouvelle-Aquitaine History of Charente-Maritime