For a long time Calais was just a fishing village; the town was only extended in 997 by Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders. But it was Philip of Alsace who understood the importance of its harbour and its location facing England. In 1228, he surrounded the city with towered walls and wide moats to protect it against surprise attack. Edward III, King of England, defeated the King of France at Crécy on 26 August 1346 and thus opened the way to the north. Edward III arrived at the city gates of Calais on 4 September 1346. He immediately ordered governor Jean de Vienne to surrender the city.

Considering that it was virtually impossible to take Calais in one frontal attack, he decided to lay siege to the city and starve the defenders out. After numerous efforts by the King of France and Jean de Vienne, the latter wished to parley with Edward III on 3 August 1347. Edward then demanded Jean de Vienne to send six burghers, barefoot and wearing nooses round their necks, to hand over the keys to the city and castle. Thanks to the intervention of the Queen of England their lives were eventually spared. On 4 August 1347 Calais surrendered and the city and castle were seized by Walter De Manny. The inhabitants were expelled because King Edward had decided to repopulate the city with English subjects. In 1360 the Treaty of Brétigny ceded the city of Calais and its surroundings to the English. Calais would remain an English city in France for 211 years.

During their bicentennial presence, the English have left some indelible traces: improved and raised fortifications, reclamation of the Bas Calaisis area through a system of drainage canals, and construction of the old belfry of Calais and of the church of Notre Dame.

In 1558 the English presence came to an end through the agency of Francis, Duke of Guise. Calais was occupied by the Spanish in 1596 and was returned to France two years later thanks to the Treaty of Vervins.

In the 17^th century Calais was attacked many times by the English, the Spanish and the Dutch, but without any notable success. However, trade in Calais was disrupted by war.

During the Bourbon Restoration, Englishmen from Nottingham smuggled in looms that started off the la

ce industry. Calais subsequently experienced great transformations, such as the opening of a railway line in 1848 and the merger of the two towns of Saint-Pierre and Calais in 1885.

The city was hit hard by both world wars, since Calais was one of the principal targets of the German army. The district of Calais-Nord was reduced to ruins. For four years the city was occupied by the Germans and a large part of the

population had to flee to the departments of Mayenne, Nièvre and Marne. Calais was liberated on 30 September 1944, but 73% of the city had been destroyed.