Siege of Calais

Timeline

1. 1346Calais · Pas-de-CalaisAfter the victory at Crécy, Edward III abandoned the pursuit of the routed French army and instead besieged Calais, the seaport nearest to England. The English constructed multiple blockade lines and siege works, cut off land supplies, and used their fleet to control the Channel, isolating this trade-dependent port.
2. 1347Calais · Pas-de-CalaisIn the siege's second year, food supplies in the city ran out, and citizens and defenders subsisted on horses, leather, and even rats. France's King Philip VI led a relief army attempting to break the siege but was forced to retreat in July 1347, unable to penetrate the English positions and flooded terrain; Calais's fall was now inevitable.
3. 1347Calais · Pas-de-CalaisThe governor Jean de Vienne handed over the city and its keys. Under the terms of surrender, six citizens of Calais were required to bare themselves in penance to spare the lives of the city; Queen Philippa is said to have interceded so that they were spared execution. Calais then remained in English hands for over two hundred years, serving as a permanent forward base for operations and trade against France.