The Citadel of Calais is a fortress that was initially constructed in the 16th century on the ruins of a

medieval castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

dating from the 13th century and whose purpose was to defend the city of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

Origins

At the end of 1558, upon recovering the region of Calais from England with the aide of

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 ...

, it became a priority for all the succeeding kings of France to ensure that Calais would forever remain a part of the Kingdom of France. This priority was also influenced by the city's geographical location and, especially, its proximity to the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...

and England. To that end, the ancient medieval castle constructed in 1229 which defended Calais, (and which also served as the site of the assassination of the uncle of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

the Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

), and which formed a square fort of 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 ...

located northwest of the city, was razed to build on its ruins a new citadel, better suited to the necessities of war during time period. It was King François II who decided to build the new citadel on the site of the ancient castle. In order to do this, an entire neighborhood was razed. Among the destroyed buildings included hotels, where during English control English lords once stayed, and the church of St. Nicholas. Only the Escalles Hotel, which served as the lodgings for the new commander of the citadel, was spared. The first stone was laid in 1564, the same year when England recognised Calais as French territory after the French gave

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

120,000 crowns as barter. The Italian Giacomo Castriotto and Jean Errard of

Bar-le-Duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, sh ...

were two engineers who participated in the work. Errard, who also designed the citadels of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

and

Doullens Doullens (; pcd, Dourlin; former nl, Dorland) is a commune in the Somme department, Hauts-de-France, France. Its inhabitants are called ''Doullennais'' and ''Doullennaises''. Geography Doullens is situated on the N25 road, in the northern ...

, was the creator of the half moon of the Hermitage at the gate of the citadel which is now known as ''Neptune's Gate''. The castle consisted of four towers. A medieval part of the city wall which connected the ''Carrée Tower'' and the ''Pavée Tower'' still exists today. You can also enter the citadel after passing through the half-moon entrance of the ''Porte de Secours'' - ''Rescue Door'', then through the '' Porte de Boulogne ''. Image:Citadelle de Calais - La Porte de Boulogne.JPG, The Porte de Boulogne, which provides access from the south into the Citadel of Calais Image:Citadelle de Calais - La Porte de Secours.JPG, The Porte de Secours, and the Porte de Boulogne visible within its arch. Image:Citadelle de Calais - La Porte de Neptune.JPG, The Porte de Neptune, which provides access from the east into the Citadel of Calais

Baptism by fire

Thirty years after the commencement of building, a conflict between France and Spain placed the citadel into the heart of conflict. On April 24, 1596, after

Fort Risban Fort Risban is a fort in Calais, France, located on the coast on the Avenue Raymond Poincaré at the port entrance. In English medieval accounts it is Risbanke or Risbank. History The existence of the fort was first mentioned when Calais was besi ...

and Fort Nieulay had already fallen, the inhabitants of Calais found refuge at the Citadel of Calais in order to flee from the troops of the

Albert VII, Archduke of Austria Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

, Governor of the

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

. However, the hollow wall, because it was filled with sand, fell under the fire of cannons. The northeastern stronghold, assaulted by the enemy, fell in turn despite the fierce resistance led by Michel Patras de Campaigno, nicknamed "the black knight". On April 25 1596, the Kingdom of France lost Calais. History accounts for a real massacre and pillage of the city by the Spaniards who were looking for gold and silver. The city remained under Spanish control until May of 1598, the date of the Treaty of Vervins, which returned Calais to the crown of France.

Residence of governors

Restored to France, Calais and its citadel served as the official residence of the governors of Calais until 1636. Above all, these governors were the object of attentive care on the part of the monarchs of France because of Calais' geographically privileged location. In 1605, in memory of the church that was destroyed for construction of the citadel, the name of St. Nicholas was given to a small church that was built inside the ramparts. Many marriages, deaths and baptisms were celebrated there until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, when the church was converted into a food store. The fortifications were increased under Henri IV.

Richelieu

In May 1632, upon hearing information about a plot to sell Calais to England,

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

and Cardinal Richelieu visited Calais and planned to make the entire city a gigantic fortress with a large military port. Richelieu's works were smaller than planned: a large arsenal containing a large courtyard surrounded by several buildings to store arms and wheat, three underground housing complexes for soldiers in case of bombing, wheat mills and bread ovens. A column, which incorporates the bust of Richelieu, was also erected in the courtyard. The work was carried out by the Marquis de Saint-Chamond, Melchior Mitte de Chevrieres who constantly asked for funds for the work, while the finances of the state were spent on the troops at war against Lorraine.

Vauban

In 1658, the reconquest by

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

Gravelines Gravelines (, ; ; ) is a commune in the Nord department in Northern France. It lies at the mouth of the river Aa southwest of Dunkirk. It was formed in the 12th century around the mouth of a canal built to connect Saint-Omer with the sea. As ...

and

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Vauban his interest in the rehabilitation of the fortifications of the city, namely the citadel, Fort Risban and the reconstruction of Fort Nieulay, one of the very rare ''forts-écluses'' in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The King returned a few years later, to see the completed work by his famous military engineer. Citadelle-calais-plan-relief

A Royal French Navy officer,

Claude de Forbin Claude, chevalier, then count de Forbin-Gardanne (6 August 1656 – 4 March 1733) was a French naval commander. In 1685–1688 he was on a diplomatic mission to Siam. He became governor of Bangkok and a general in the Siamese army, and left Siam ...

was imprisoned for three weeks in 1691 for shooting at a Mr. Fervaquet, who owed Forbin 500 books and who insulted Forbin in the street.

18th century

During the French Revolution, some wanted to raze the citadel, claiming that it could serve as a base of support for counter revolutionaries. Before being transferred to the Tour du Guet, the citadel is where

Claude Chappe Claude Chappe (; 25 December 1763 – 23 January 1805) was a French inventor who in 1792 demonstrated a practical semaphore system that eventually spanned all of France. His system consisted of a series of towers, each within line of sight of ...

performed the first tests of his

semaphore telegraph Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when ar ...

19th century

In the 19th century, the citadel had a barracks with a capacity of 1,000 troops, two tanks, many underground bunkers, powder magazines, grocery stores and stables. The southern rampart, built in the Middle Ages, was doubled to include stables and, in wartime, to house troops. A semi-circular vaulted powder magazine, designed in the ''

Séré de Rivières system The system was named after Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, its originator. The system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 along the frontiers and coasts of France. The fortresses were obsolescent by 1914 but were used during ...

'' style of

Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières (20 May 1815 – 16 February 1895) was a French military engineer and general whose ideas revolutionized the design of fortifications in France. He gave his name to the Séré de Rivières system of fortificatio ...

, was built under the bastion of the old port at the end of the 19th century.

World War II

The first bombs fell on Calais on May 10, 1940, and then on May 21, 1940. The citadel was placed in a state of defense. The ''Porte de Neptune'' and the ''Porte de Boulogne'' were closed and a command post was installed in the southwest. On the 24th, while the Germans encircled the city, attacks occurred. The 25th was a dark day during which heavy artillery of the enemy fell on the citadel: the stables burned with all their horses, the barracks collapsed to a large extent, and the emergency stations were overflowed. A fire at an oil depot on the west side burned into the Calais sky all day long. Despite the destruction, the defenders rejected the German surrender ultimatum. On the 26th, the casemates trembled under the deluge of bombs falling on the citadel. The Germans attacked the ramparts with flamethrowers, and went through gaps that began to appear. For lack of ammunition, at 16:30, fighting stopped, making the Germans masters of the place, after a siege that lasted 36 hours. A German officer said, "The citadel did not surrender, it was conquered with arms in hand." More than one building was standing, but all would be razed in the aftermath of the conflict. Many of the defenders of Calais were shot.

Monuments preserved

The ''porte de Boulogne'' or ''porte de secours'' dating from the end of the 16th century (and remodeled in the 19th century) and the ''porte de la Ville'' or the ''Hermitage'' dating from the beginning of the 17th century were inscribed as an historic monuments on February 15, 1939. The ditches and curtain walls of the citadel as well as the half-moon defending the entrance to the city were listed as a historic monument on April 27, 1990.

Peaceful combat

In the 1960s, the citadel was converted into a sports

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

and school, including athletic fields for football, rugby, tennis courts, shooting stands, and archery. The S.O.C., ''Stade Olympique de Calais'', resides there, and the reserve of the

Calais RUFC Calais Racing Union FC (Calais RUFC) was a French football club based in Calais, France. Calais RUFC was founded in 1974 after a merger of two local clubs and, as an amateur club, reached the 2000 Coupe de France Final which it lost to top-fligh ...

, played its games and trained there, before the move to the new Stade de l'Épopée, leaving free, for reserve, the facilities of the Stade Julien-Denis. The citadel is now known as the Stade du Souvenir.

References

Bibliography

* * * * Calais city history * * {{Portal, France Forts in France Buildings and structures in Calais Fortifications in France Castles in France