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siege, major, medieval

Siege of Calais

Siege of Calais was a siege conducted on 4 September 1346 at Calais, in what is now France; it lasted 11 months. It was part of the Hundred Years' War, which ran from 1337 to 1453. The recorded result: English victory.

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Siege of Calais (1346).
Siege of Calais (1346).. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought4 September 1346lasted 11 months
WhereCalais, France50.958N, 1.853E
OutcomeEnglish victory
Belligerents20px Kingdom of Englandagainst20px Kingdom of France
Part ofHundred Years' War1337 to 1453

Where it sits in the Hundred Years' War

Battle of Cassel, 1328Battle of Cadzand, 1337English Channel naval campaign, 1338-1339, 1338Battle of Arnemuiden, 1338Thiérache campaign, 1339Battle of Sluys, 1340Siege of Tournai, 1340Battle of Saint-Omer, 1340Battle of Bergerac, 1345Battle of Auberoche, 1345Siege of Aiguillon, 1346Battle of Caen, 1346Crécy campaign, 1346Battle of Blanchetaque, 1346Battle of Crécy, 1346Siege of Calais, 1346Battle of Neville's Cross, 1346Battle of Lunalonge, 1349Siege of Calais, 1349Battle of Winchelsea, 1350Battle of Ardres, 1351Battle of Saintes, 1351Siege of Saint-Jean-d'Angély, 1351Siege of Guînes, 1352Lancaster's chevauchée of 1356, 1356Battle of Poitiers, 1356Siege of Saint-Valery, 1358Battle of Amiens, 1358Reims Campaign, 1359Siege of Rheims, 1359Siege of Paris, 1360Battle of Brignais, 1362Siege of Rolleboise, 1364Siege of Mantes, 1364Siege of Meulan, 1364Battle of Cocherel, 1364Siege of Arles, 1368Battle of Montiel, 1369Siege of Sarlat, 1370Massacre of Limoges, 1370Siege of Paris, 1370Battle of Pontvallain, 1370Siege of Guernesey, 1372Battle of La Rochelle, 1372Siege of Soubise, 1372Battle of Lisbon, 1373Battle of Chiset, 1373Siege of Nantes, 1380Battle of Nevele, 1381Battle of Roosebeke, 1382Galician campaign, 1384Battle of Atoleiros, 1384Siege of Lisbon, 1384Naval Battle of the Tejo, 1384Battle of Trancoso, 1385English invasion of Scotland, 1385Battle of Aljubarrota, 1385Battle of Valverde, 1385Battle of the Seven, 1402Siege of Mercq, 1405Siege of Haverford, 1405Battle of Chef-de-Caux, 1415Siege of Harfleur, 1415Battle of Agincourt, 1415Battle of Valmont, 1416Battle of the Seine, 1416Siege of Bonneville-sur-Touques, 1417Siege of Bayeux (1417), 1417Siege of Caen, 1417Siege of Rouen, 1418Siege of Château-Gaillard, 1418Battle of La Rochelle, 1419Siege of Montereau-Fault-Yonne, 1420Siege of Melun, 1420Siege of Paris, 1420Battle of Baugé, 1421Battle of Mons-en-Vimeu, 1421Siege of Meaux, 1421Battle of Cravant, 1423Battle of La Brossinière, 1423Siege of Mont-Saint-Michel, 1424Battle of Verneuil, 1424Battle of St. James, 1426Siege of Montargis, 1427Siege of Orléans, 1428Loire Campaign, 1428Siege of Bonneville-sur-Touques, 1429Battle of the Herrings, 1429Battle of Orléans, 1429Battle of Meung-sur-Loire, 1429Battle of Beaugency, 1429Battle of Patay, 1429Battle of Jargeau, 1429Battle of Montépilloy, 1429Siege of Paris, 1429Siege of Bonneville-sur-Touques, 1430Battle of Anthon, 1430Siege of Compiègne, 1430Battle of Bulgnéville, 1431Siege of Pouancé, 1432Battle of Gerberoy, 1435Siege of Paris, 1435Siege of Saint-Denis, 1435Siege of Calais, 1436Siege of Tartas, 1441Siege of Dieppe, 1442Normandy campaign of 1449-1450, 1449Siege of Fougeres, 1449Siege of Bonneville-sur-Touques, 1450Battle of Formigny, 1450Battle of Castillon, 145313281453Siege of Calais, 1346
111 placed engagements of the Hundred Years' War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date4 September 1346
to 3 August 1347
PlaceCalais, France
50.958N, 1.853E
KindSiege, medieval
Strength• Between 5,000 and 32,000 soldiers at different times; • Up to 20,000 Flemish allies; • Up to 24,000 sailors in the supporting fleet• Garrison size – unknown; • Field army – up to 20,000
Commanders
  • Jean de Vienne (governor, died 1351)
Siege of CalaisSiege of CalaisReims CampaignSiege of CalaisSiege of CalaisSiege of CalaisSiege of CalaisReims CampaignThe HagueLilleAntwerpenBrightonLutonBruggeIpswichAmiens100 km50.958N, 1.853E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Calais
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Calais today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-09-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 6 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -7 to 57 m, 64 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 42% built-up, 29% water, 18% grassland.

built-up: 42%water: 29%grassland: 18%tree cover: 5%bare ground: 4%built-up 42%water 29%grassland 18%tree cover 5%bare ground 4%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 14 mnorth to south, 10.0 km-1 to 13 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 7 times between 1346 and 1940.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1346

Siege of Calais is one of 600 engagements of the 14th century in the atlas and one of 1,495 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q676340, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Calais (1346–1347), revision 1377405442, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.