Pale of Calais
The Pale of Calais was a territory in northern France ruled by the monarchs of England from 1347 to 1558. The area, which was taken following the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the subsequent siege of Calais, was confirmed at the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360. It became an important economic centre for England in Europe's textile trade centred in Flanders.
Pale of Calais | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1347–1558 | |||||||||
| Motto: Veritas Temporis filia "Truth, the daughter of Time" | |||||||||
The Pale of Calais (yellow) in 1477. | |||||||||
| Status | Overseas possession of England | ||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||
The Pale, which was historically part of Flanders, also provided England with a permanent strategic, defensible outpost from which it could plan and launch military action on the continent. Its position on the English Channel meant it could be reinforced, garrisoned and supplied over the short distance by sea. The territory was bilingual with English and Flemish commonly spoken. It was represented in the Parliament of England by the Calais constituency.
During the reign of Mary I, the Pale was unexpectedly retaken by the French following a siege in 1558 during their campaigns against the Dutch and the County of Flanders. Subsequently, the English textile trade abandoned Calais and moved to the Habsburg Netherlands.