Pale of Calais | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1347–1558 | |||||||||
| Motto: Veritas Temporis filia "Truth, the daughter of Time" | |||||||||
 The Pale of Calais (yellow) in 1477. | |||||||||
| Status | Overseas possession ofEngland | ||||||||
| Capital | Calais | ||||||||
| Common languages | English,Dutch,French,Picard | ||||||||
| Religion | Official: Catholic (until 1534); (from 1553) Church of England (1534-1553) Others: Judaism | ||||||||
| Lord | |||||||||
• 1347–1377 | Edward III(first) | ||||||||
• 1553–1558 | Mary I(last) | ||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||
• 1353 | Reynold Cobham(first) | ||||||||
• 1553–1558 | Thomas Wentworth(last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Late Middle Ages | ||||||||
| 3 August 1347 | |||||||||
| 8 May 1360 | |||||||||
| 8 January 1558 | |||||||||
| 2 May 1598 | |||||||||
| Currency | Sterling | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | France | ||||||||
ThePale of Calais[a] was a territory in northern France ruled by themonarchs of England from 1347 to 1558.[1] The area, which centred onCalais, was taken following theBattle of Crécy in 1346 and the subsequentSiege of Calais, and was confirmed at theTreaty of Brétigny in 1360, in the reign ofEdward III of England. It became an important economic centre for England in Europe's textile trade centered inFlanders.
The Pale, which was historically part ofFlanders, also provided England with a permanent strategic, defensible outpost from which it could plan and launch military action on the continent. Its position on theEnglish Channel meant it could be reinforced, garrisoned and supplied over theStraits of Dover. The territory was bilingual withEnglish andFlemish commonly spoken.[2][3][4] It was represented in theParliament of England by theCalais constituency.
During the reign ofMary I of England, the Pale was unexpectedly retaken by the French followinga siege in 1558 during their campaigns against the Spaniards (whoseking was also married to queen Mary) in theCounty of Flanders. Subsequently, the English textile trade abandoned Calais and moved to theHabsburg Netherlands.
Thepale is a "jurisdiction, area"[5] (see'pale', English: Etymology 2.6. on Wiktionary). English "Cales" (now supplanted by FrenchCalais) derives fromCaleti, an ancientCeltic people who lived along the coast of theEnglish Channel.[6]
The area of the Pale of Calais is difficult to delineate because boundaries frequently changed and often included ill-defined marsh and waterways. Over those wetlands, the territory was roughly divided in low hills on the west and the lower coastlands to the east.[7] The Pale roughly encompassed the land betweenGravelines andWissant, which was about 20 square miles (52 km2).[8][7] Throughout its history, the French were continually retaking small pieces of the territory, particularly land in the southwest.[7]
The Pale of Calais is roughly within the modern French communes ofAndres,Ardres,Balinghem,Bonningues-lès-Calais,Calais,Campagne-lès-Guines,Coquelles,Coulogne,Fréthun,Guemps,Guînes,Les Attaques,Hames-Boucres,Hervelinghen,Marck,Nielles-lès-Calais,Nouvelle-Église,Offekerque,Oye-Plage,Peuplingues,Pihen-lès-Guînes,Sangatte,Saint-Pierre,[9]Saint-Tricat, andVieille-Église.
Calais was a prize of war won in theBattle of Crécy of 1346 byEdward III of England after along siege. Its capture gave England not only a key stronghold in the world’s textile trade centred in Flanders, but provided a strategic, defensible military outpost for England to regroup in future wars on the continent; the city's position on theEnglish Channel could be reinforced over the short distance by sea. English sovereignty was confirmed under theTreaty of Brétigny, signed on 8 May 1360, when Edwardrenounced the throne of France in return for substantial lands, namelyAquitaine and the territory around Calais.[10] By 1453, at the end of theHundred Years' War, the Pale was the last part of mainland France in English hands. It served successfully as a base for English expeditions such as theSiege of Boulogne, launched byHenry VII in 1492.
The short trip across theStrait of Dover afforded convenient garrison and supply by sea. However, the lack of natural inland defences necessitated the construction and maintenance of military fortifications, at some expense. A critical factor in the stability of English government there over the centuries was the rivalry of France andBurgundy, both of which coveted the strategic position of the city; each left it to the English rather than to concede it to each other. Eventually, political strategies shifted at the division ofBurgundian territory in the Low Countries between France and Spain and, whenHenry VIII suffered setbacks in theSieges of Boulogne, the approach to Calais opened to the south. Then in 1550, the Crown, in a crisis of royal succession, withdrew fromBoulogne.[7]
The Pale of Calais remained part of England until unexpectedly lost byMary I to France in 1558. After secret preparations, 30,000 French troops, led byFrancis, Duke of Guise,took the city, which quickly capitulated under theTreaty of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559). In England, blame was attached to the Queen, entrenching Protestant resolve against her. Although the loss of the Pale of Calais was a lesser blow to the English economy than was feared, the retreat of English power was a permanent blot to her reign. Indeed, the chroniclerRaphael Holinshead records that a few months later a distraught Mary, lying on her death bed, graphically confided to her family her feelings: "When I am dead and opened, you shall find 'Calais' lying in my heart".[11] Subsequently, the English wool market adjusted and the English textile trade moved to theHabsburg Netherlands.[12]
During English governance, the weavers of the Pale maintained their output, which industry was a distinctive mark ofFlemish culture.[2] At the same time, the Pale performed as an integral part of England in election of its members to Parliament, and as English citizens the Pale sent and received people to and from various parts of the British Isles.
The hardships endured during the prolonged siege of 1346–1347 are the subject ofAuguste Rodin's poignant sculpture of 1889,The Burghers of Calais.[13]
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