Château de Calais was a 13th century castle constructed to defend the port of
Calais, France. It was razed to the ground in 1558, after being recaptured from the English by the French and a
citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
I ...
built on its ruins.
History
The castle was built in 1229, by
Philip I, Count of Boulogne,
to the north west of the port, consisting of a square courtyard, surrounded by six towers with a
donjon
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in ...
.
King
Edward III of England
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...
captured the town and castle after a
siege in 1347. The English foiled by ambushing an unsuspecting French force which was attempting to take the city by stealth in 1349. The French commander,
Geoffrey de Charny, had attempted to bribe
Amerigo of Pavia, an officer of the garrison, to open a tower gate for them.
Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester
Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (7 January 13558 or 9 September 1397) was the fifth surviving son and youngest child of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault.
Early life
Thomas was born on 7 January 1355 at Woodsto ...
, uncle of
Richard II of England was imprisoned in Calais in 1397 and was assassinated.
Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy laid siege to Calais between June and July 1436 with a force of Flemish militia, that was unsuccessful.
After
recovering the region of Calais from the English in 1558, led by
Francis, Duke of Guise
Francis de Lorraine II, the first Prince of Joinville, also Duke of Guise and Duke of Aumale (french: François de Lorraine; 17 February 1519 – 24 February 1563), was a French general and statesman. A prominent leader during the Italian War of ...
, the French razed the castle. King
François II ordered the construction of a citadel on the site of the castle ruins, with construction commencing in 1564.
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Calais
Châteaux in Pas-de-Calais