Editing Lorient (section)

=== Founding ===
[[File:Lorient-au-18-eme-siecle.jpg|thumbnail|left|Lorient in the 18th century]]
In 1664, [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]] founded the [[Louis XIV's East India Company|French East Indies Company]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Chaumeil|first=Louis|title=Abrégé d'histoire de Lorient de la fondation (1666) à nos jours (1939)|journal=Annales de Bretagne et des Pays de l'Ouest|volume=46|issue=1|pages=66–87|year=1939|language=fr|doi=10.3406/abpo.1939.1788}}</ref> In June 1666, an [[Ordonnance|ordinance]] of [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] granted lands of [[Port-Louis, Morbihan|Port-Louis]] to the company, along with Faouédic on the other side of the [[roadstead]]. One of its directors, Denis Langlois, bought lands at the confluence of the [[Scorff]] and the [[Blavet]] rivers, and built [[slipway]]s. At first, it only served as a subsidiary of Port-Louis, where offices and warehouses were located.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Chaumeil|first=Louis|title=Abrégé d'histoire de Lorient de la fondation (1666) à nos jours (1939)|journal=Annales de Bretagne et des Pays de l'Ouest|volume=46|issue=1|year=1939|page=67|language=fr|doi=10.3406/abpo.1939.1788}}</ref> The following years, the operation was almost abandoned, but in 1675, during the [[Franco-Dutch War]], the [[Louis XIV's East India Company|French East Indies Company]] scrapped its base in [[Le Havre]] since it was too exposed during wartime, and transferred its infrastructures to l'Enclot, out of which Lorient grew. The company then erected a chapel, workshops, forges, and offices, leaving Port-Louis permanently.<ref name="Chaumeil P68">{{cite journal|last=Chaumeil|first=Louis|title=Abrégé d'histoire de Lorient de la fondation (1666) à nos jours (1939)|journal=Annales de Bretagne et des Pays de l'Ouest|volume=46|issue=1|year=1939|page=68|language=fr|doi=10.3406/abpo.1939.1788}}</ref>

The city's name is derived from ''Le Soleil d'Orient'', the first ship constructed at the site, in 1669. Workers gave the site the name of the ship, which, by contraction, became simply ''L'Orient'' and finally ''Lorient''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://troisponts.net/2012/09/11/lorigine-du-nom-de-lorient/|title=L'Origine du nom de Lorient|date=11 September 2012}}</ref>

The [[French Navy|French Royal Navy]] opened a base there in 1690, under the command of [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de Seignelay|Colbert de Seignelay]], who inherited [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert|his father]]'s position as [[Secretary of State of the Navy (France)|Secretary of State of the Navy]]. At the same time, [[privateer]]s from [[Saint-Malo]] took shelter there.<ref name="Chaumeil P68"/> In 1700, the town grew out of l'Enclot following a law forcing people to leave the domain to move to the Faouédic heath. In 1702, there were about 6,000 inhabitants in Lorient, though activities slowed, and the town began to decline.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Chaumeil|first=Louis|title=Abrégé d'histoire de Lorient de la fondation (1666) à nos jours (1939)|journal=Annales de Bretagne et des Pays de l'Ouest|volume=46|issue=1|year=1939|page=69|language=fr|doi=10.3406/abpo.1939.1788}}</ref>