Pale of Calais

Calaisis
Pale of Calais
Exclave of the Kingdom of England
←
 1347–1558 →
Northern France, as in 1477
King of England, Lord of Calais
 - 1346–1377 Edward III
(first over Calais)
 - 1553–1558 Mary I
(last over Calais)
Captain, King's Lieut.
or Lord Deputy
(See list)
Historical era Late Middle Ages
 - Battle of Crécy 26 August 1346
 - Captured by Edward III 1347
 - Treaty of Brétigny 8 May 1360
 - Conquered by Francis, Duke of Guise 1 January 1558
 - Confirmed to France 2 May 1598
Area 52 km2 (20 sq mi)
Today part of  France

The Pale of Calais (French: Calaisis) is a historical region of France that was controlled by the Kingdom of England until 1558.

Contents

History

After the Battle of Crécy in 1346, Edward III of England, having renounced the throne of France, kept some territory within France, namely Aquitaine and the area around Calais, under the Treaty of Brétigny, signed on the 8 May 1360.[1] By 1453, at the end of the Hundred Years' War, it was the only part of France to remain in English hands. It was controlled by England until the area was finally ceded to France in 1558 by Mary I of England after French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, took the town of Calais.

During the English occupation the people of the Pale of Calais retained their identity as French and Flemish speakers.[2]

In 1550, England surrendered the area around Boulogne.[3]

The effect of the loss of the Pale of Calais was not as severe as might have been expected, because by this time England was focusing its trade on the Netherlands.[4]

Geography

The area of the Pale of Calais comprised the communes of: Andres, Balinghem, Bonningues-lès-Calais, Calais, Campagne-lès-Guines, Coquelles, Coulogne, Fréthun, Guemps, Guînes, Hames-Boucres, Hervelinghen, Marck, Nielles-lès-Calais, Nouvelle-Église, Offekerque, Oye-Plage, Peuplingues, Pihen-lès-Guînes, Sangatte, Saint-Pierre (Calais absorbed Saint-Pierre-lès-Calais inhabited with 33 290 inhabitants in 1885, now southern part of Calais), Saint-Tricat, and Vieille-Église.

The area of the Pale of Calais is difficult to define because the boundaries were not clearly defined, due to swampy land and artificial waterways,[5] and were constantly changing, but extended from Gravelines almost to Wissant and covered about 20 square miles (52 km2).[3] Furthermore, the French were continually reclaiming small pieces of the territory, particularly in the southwest.[3]

Much of the area of the Pale consisted of wetlands, and the territory was roughly divided into high lands in the west and lower country in the east.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Fisher, H.A.L. (1936). A History of Europe. Great Britain: Edward Arnold & Co. pp. 322. 
  2. ^ Dumitrescu, Theodor (2007). The early Tudor court and international musical relations. England: Ashgate Publishing Limited. pp. 53. ISBN 978-0-7546-5542-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=fKu21vh_bWkC&pg=PA53. 
  3. ^ a b c d Sandeman, George Amelius Crawshay. Calais under English Rule. pp. 114. http://books.google.com/books?id=tgrJjQlYYc0C&pg=PA114. 
  4. ^ Hunt, Jocelyn (1999). The Renaissance. New York: Routledge. pp. 97. ISBN 0-203-98177-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=lI8G8i3rJLIC&pg=PA97. 
  5. ^ Darian-Smith, Eve (1999). Bridging divides: the Channel Tunnel and English legal identity in the new Europe. University of California Press. pp. 77. ISBN 0-520-21610-5. http://books.google.com/books?id=SOSetgkNhzMC&pg=PA77.