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Fort Risban is a fort in
Calais, France 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. The p ...
, 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 besieged by the English in November 1346. Edward III of England's troops, finding the defences of Calais impenetrable, decided to erect a small fort to prevent any supplies reaching the town by sea, with a view to starving the inhabitants into submission. Under the English occupation the wooden tower was replaced by a stone structure, the Stone Tower, after 1400 renamed Lancaster Tower, a name often given to the fort itself. Fort Risban was used by the English forces until 1558 when Calais was recaptured by France. In 1596, the fort was captured by the Spanish Netherlands until May 1598 when it was returned to the French following the
Treaty of Vervins A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...
. It was rebuilt in 1640. Vauban, who visited the fort some time in the 1680s, described it as "a home for owls, and place to hold the Sabbath" rather than a fortification and let the fortress be altered. In the 19th century the Engineers Corps altered it again. The sea-fortress was dismantled in 1908 but fortified again during World War II, when it served as an air-raid shelter.


See also

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Citadel of Calais The Citadel of Calais is a fortress that was initially constructed in the 16th century on the ruins of a Château de Calais, medieval castle dating from the 13th century and whose purpose was to defend the city of Calais. Origins At the end of 1 ...


References

Risban Buildings and structures in Calais {{PasdeCalais-geo-stub