The Siege of Calais © François-Édouard Picot
The Kingdoms of Anglia and Frankia have a long history of rivalry, brief peace, and devastating wars.
Over the centuries, with the ever-changing monarchs, priorities and alliances were formed and broken.
One day, Anglia would seek out an alliance with Frankia against their common enemies. Another, Frankia was preparing for an all-out war against the armies of Anglia.
There was, however, one constant source of bitterness between the two kingdoms that lasted several centuries; the ownership of Calais.
Calais is a French port city that overlooks of the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel and the closest French city to England. On a clear day, a person in Calais could easily spot the White Cliffs of Dover. As a result of its proximity to English shores, Calais had been a major port for trading and transport between the two Kingdoms since the Middle Ages. If one had access to Calais, one could easily enter the kingdom of Frankia without issue.
This is exactly what appealed to the Anglian King who first sought possession of this strategically significant city; Edward III. The King understood completely how capturing Calais for the English would impact trade, transport and even diplomatic relations between the French and the English. However, there was no guarantee of victory; the French were fierce opponents and would not allow Calais to be captured without a good fight. There was a high risk of the King losing the war he was already fighting, later known as the Hundred Years’ War, which was caused through Edward III’s assertion of his claim to the French crown—did he really wish to enrage the French further by attempting to capture Calais and risk losing valuable men and military assets during this fragile time?
Fortunately for Edward, this risk paid off. On 26th August 1346, Edward III led his army against King Philip VI’s French army at the battle of Crécy in northern France. This battle resulted in an unprecedented yet brilliantly executed victory on Edward’s behalf whose use of both English and Welsh archers helped defeat the French cavalry.
With victory fresh in the air, Edward promptly marched his army towards the coastal town of Calais and his first order of business was to expel the French population and permit several thousand Englishmen to reside within this ‘little piece of England overseas.’ Hilariously, Edward is said to have pardoned the leading townsmen of Calais prior to their expulsion, whether this was intended as a sign of goodwill for not slaughtering them or as a cruel joke, one wonders.
Calais was a massive accomplishment for the Anglian King; the city was protected by its medieval high-walled castle, numerous outlying fortresses including one at Guînes, and Rysbank Tower, the harbour which contained a heavily manned fortress. Naturally, in eagerness to improve the fortifications over his new lands, Edward III ordered significant reconstructions for these fortresses. His successors, Henry VIII and Edward VI, would later modernise these fortresses to accommodate larger numbers of gunpowder weapons which was growing in popularity. Interestingly, Henry VIII would later boast of his predecessor’s accomplishment when he met François I of France in June 1520 in a field quite close to Calais for what would be known as the most magnificent European festival of its time; the Field of Cloth and Gold.
Under English control, Calais flourished as the port activity developed with the prosperous trade of wool and textiles such as lace and lead, leading to a permanent garrison of approximately a thousand men in case armies or other important cargo needed safe transportation to and from France. Sadly, the lack of a natural harbour meant periodic damaging due to storms and by 1536, Henry VIII was forced to send in important members of parliament to repair the city’s fortifications as one never knew if the French would attempt to reclaim their lands. With all the focus remaining solely on the city’s fortifications, the castle itself was left to rot and decay, though it would be one day restored under French governance.
It seemed Edward III’s risk had paid off, not only for him but his successors, as England remained in full control of Calais and held a highly-sought after strategic position in France. For two centuries, England had shown its determination to clung onto the reins of Calais and show the French they could take whatever they wanted, including French land.
This, however, was not to last as Calais would soon leave English hands and return fully under French control.
Mary Tudor © Unknown Artist – The National Portrait Gallery
The Fall of Calais occurred under the reign of Queen Mary I, the firstborn daughter of Henry VIII and the first Queen Regent in her own right. Mary, unlike her late brother Edward VI, was not interested in bettering England’s Protestant community but returning England to the glory days; converting back to Catholicism and aligning with the Holy Roman Church once more. She had made this abundantly clear even before her becoming Queen in July 1553 as she had spoken passionately during both her father’s and brother’s reigns about reinstating Catholicism in England and rebuilding Anglo-Spanish relations. Her first step in achieving the latter was through her marriage to her cousin King Philip II of Spain, a marriage that was unpopular with her Protestant and anti-Spanish subjects. Whilst her mother had been beloved, her husband sadly was not.
Losing Calais can partly—if not entirely—be linked to Philip as he, unfortunately, involved England in what was known as the Italian War (1551-1559) in 1557 when he made an enemy of Henry II of France. The French decided that now was the time to reclaim Calais for France and put an end to English control over the city. Sensing trouble, the government, notified by Philip, decided to send reinforcements to protect the city against such an attack. Whilst this might have worked, there was too much chaos in the way. At the same moment, a deathly epidemic of influenza spread far throughout the Kingdom, making fit men scarce. Those fit to fight soon found themselves on an expedition with the Earl of Rutland, who were unable to reach the city due to the French armies cleverly placed bombardments.
Thus, on 7th January 1558, England officially surrendered Calais and France reclaimed its lost lands after two centuries of foreign ownership. The loss of Calais plagued Mary I so deeply that it is said that, upon her deathbed, Mary told her ladies-in-waiting “when I am dead and cut open, they will find Philip and Calais inscribed on my heart.”
To lose such an important military position would have broken Mary but another loss—the loss of the unborn child she was believed to be carrying (sadly, a possible phantom pregnancy) and her husband’s declining affection—would lead to the Queen’s heart shattering upon her death on 17th November 1558.
England would never attempt, at least with military assets, to reclaim Calais after its loss in 1558. Queen Elizabeth I, the younger sister of Mary and the last Tudor monarch, often negotiated with Catherine de Medici, Queen Regent to three French Kings, to have Calais returned under English governance but Catherine was too intelligent to fall for Elizabeth’s sweet offerings. Every chance Elizabeth thought Catherine might agree, she increased the price for Calais, always too steep a price for the Virgin Queen.
With Calais safely secure under French rule, the English were forced to rely once more on France for its trade and transport needs, just as France had dreamt of for two hundred years.
As the saying goes, all good things must eventually come to an end.
Until next time!
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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