How significant was the loss of Calais? Flashcards
Economically…
Historian P.S. Crowson describes the loss of Calais as an economically ‘crippling blow’ because of the loss of trade that came through the port. However, historian Robert Tittler argues that this is a vast exaggeration as the importance of the staple merchants in Calais had been brought to an end by the long-term decline of traditional markets.
Image and morale…
The kings of England had claimed this land since 1347 and its final surrender could then only be seen as a humiliating abandonment of sovereign English territory. The Protestant propagandists of Elizabeth’s reign were not slow to put forward the equation:
Spanish marriage + Catholic policy = Loss of Calais
Morale was shaken by the loss, but without the efforts of the propagandists, the sense of national humiliation would not have lasted for so long.
Teritorially…
Calais was the last territory on the French mainland controlled by England, so it gained importance from this status, However, little could be achieved by maintaining it, and it was only going to be a question of time before the French took the trouble to take it back.
Militarily…
The Calais Pale had been used as a springboard to launch Henry VIII’s attacks in the 1520s and 1540s, but it had become something of a strategic irrelevance. It was difficult and expensive to maintain a permanent garrison there and it had become a burden as it was yet another frontier that had to be defended.
Diplomatically…
The loss of Calais has often been seen as a result of the failed Anglo-Habsburg alliance. Mary’s dependence on Spanish advisers and her slavish pursuit of Spanish Habsburg policy were seen as betraying England’s interest. Philip certainly abandoned England by allowing France to keep Calais under the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis, but this was made easier by the death of Mary in November before the treaty had been signed.
