Hello dear readers.
The Holiday Season was full of flurried activity, one in which I made my first Holiday turkey. And managed not to kill anyone. Success! I went to Porto, Portugal for 4 days, and it was incredibly underwhelming. It lacked any sort of thing that sets it apart from your regular city. One could say that their bridges were nice, but alas, much like one too many cathedrals, bridgitis is a common ailment. The city was rife with graffiti, burned down buildings with no clean-up, and somber looking exteriors. My desire to leave this dank city was much too great. And I had hit the trifecta of horrible vacationing when I had rain for the first couple days and food poisoning for the next couple, and no persons to talk to for any of them. I spent my first New Years Eve in London, and it left little to be desired. I walked around the Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey, but do to unfortunate timing I had spent midnight in a cab trying to find an alternate venue. That night, a few dispossessed persons were robbed of their good times and in my case and another person's, our cash.
And appropriately, on this day England was dispossessed of its last French territory of Calais in the year of 1558.
Calais was a strategic port on the north east coast of France, that was captured by Edward III of England in 1347 in the first stages of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Edward III saw himself as the rightful heir to the throne of France when his uncle, Charles VII, had passed away without any heirs. However, his claim was through his mother, Isabella "The She-Wolf" of France, and the French had chosen to only recognize claims through the male lines.
After it was possessed by Edward III, he had the intention to kill ALL of the citizens for holding up the forts for too long. This was changed to having ONLY six prominent members of the town to give themselves up to die. They were later pardoned by the king when his wife, Phillipa of Hainault, had pleaded for their lives (1). Although he spared their lives, the French citizens were not to remain in the town, and they were driven out and replaced with English inhabitants. The town was thus founded as a gateway of trade to the European continent. Calais remained in the English possession for as long as it had due to the rivalry between the neighbouring Burgundy and France, both of whom would rather see Calais in the possession of the English rather than their rival.
Because of these factors and the necessity of upkeeping garrisons and forts, the maintenance of Calais remained a rather costly enterprise.
On January 7th, 1558, the French troops led by the Duke of Guise, took advantage of the weakened forts and garrisons and thus re-conquered Calais, and renamed the surrounding territory Pays Reconquis (Reconquered Territory).
When Mary I had heard about the dreadful loss, it is said that she quothed that "You will find Phillip (II of Spain) and Calais engraved upon my heart".
The loss of Calais wasn't a mere territorial loss to the English, it symbolised the last territory in the mainland France and we all know how the English feel about the French.
(1) It was common amongst medieval queens to stage an intervention of sorts and a public supplication to the King on behalf of those who are doomed to die. It was a way for the King to remain feared and respected and for the Queen to exert her queenly influence and kindness. For more information about this, please read "Medieval Queens of England, by Lisa Hilton"
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