Enter Fort Liédot, the "impenetrable" fort of Napoleon I

09/22/2019

IN THE NORTHEAST end of the Aix Island, at its highest point (13 m altitude), lies Fort Liédot, a semi-buried fortification constructed between 1811 and 1835 by order of the Emperor of France, Napoleon I. Taking nearly 24 years to construct, Napoleon I decided to build the Fort to have an overview of the road stead of Aix and allow for the protection of the naval dockyard of Rochefort. With a bastion at each point of 90 meters sides and 7 meters high, and a central courtyard of 30 meters wide, the Fort testifies to the mastery of the Officers of engineering in the art of building construction. What is further interesting is that the initial sketches of the Fort were drawn by the Emperor Napoleon himself whose political and cultural legacy has endured as one of the most celebrated and controversial leaders in human history.

A fortification or fort is a military installation or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare. The term "fortification" is derived from the Latin fortis ("strong") and facere ("to make") and is usually divided into two branches: permanent fortification and field fortification. Since the time of the Roman legions, the art of setting out or constructing fortifications was traditionally referred to as "castrametation". In addition, Roman forts and hill forts were the main antecedents of castles in Europe, which emerged in the 9th century in the Carolingian Empire. Indeed, from the Early Middle Ages (5th to 15th century), forts became the citadel of political power being at the center of the consolidation of political rule and a necessity for the the survival of cities and empires during the Age of invasion and conquest.

As a continent, Africa has played host to numerous civilizations, colonial powers, and invaders from both East and West. Thus, it is not surprising that many forts, fortresses, and castles in Africa bear great resemblance to their European and Middle Eastern counterparts. To be sure, like their counterparts in Europe, forts and castles (fortifications) in Africa were military constructions that were erected to protect the specific economic and political interests of imperial governments and their respective trading companies operating under royal charters. The fortresses and castles shown below reflect the continent's diverse past and rich architectural heritage.

Historically, Medieval-style fortifications were largely made obsolete by the arrival of cannons in the 14th century. Fortifications in the age of black powder evolved into much lower structures with greater use of ditches and earth ramparts that would absorb and disperse the energy of cannon fire. Furthermore, the arrival of explosive shells in the 19th century led to yet another stage in the evolution of fortification and led to the introduction of steel-and-concrete fortifications common during the First and Second World Wars.

In Zambia, remnants of fortifications used during the Great Wars can be found in many places including in the Northern part of the country at Kasama Airport. These fortifications were mainly designed as bankers and were mostly effective against small arms fire as shown below:

As the epitome of fortification, Fort Liédot was practically impenetrable. As a matter of fact, the Fort never suffered from an enemy attack and the only incidents to be deplored were made by the French army in 1863, during training shots to test the strength of the fort. In the 1900s, the Fort served mainly as a place of detention for political prisoners, especially during the insurrection of the Commune in Paris in 1871. The most The famous prisoner was Ahmed Ben Bella, the future first President of the Republic of Algeria who was detained from 1959 to 1961, together with some of his companions. Some of the Chambers of the Fort are shown below:

Over the years, from a defensive installation, Fort Liédot has fulfilled many other functions including: place of detention, target of shooting experiments, and an Army summer camp. In 1989, the Domaine de Coudepont-Fort Liédot, which includes the historical monuments and the surrounding forest of evergreen oaks and maritime pines was acquired by the French coastal protection agency (Conservation du littoral). Today, the Fort is managed by the municipal authorities of the isle of Aix and is a popular destination for hikers and cyclists, and is open to guided tours.