Siege of Calais (1348)

The 1348 siege of Calais began before dawn on December 31, 1348 and ended later that morning. This siege was the result of a secret arrangement for Sir Geoffrey de Charney, a French knight, to purchase Calais from Sir Aymery de Pavia, the English-appointed Governor of Calais. Sir Geoffrey gathered a cavalry to take control of the town in December of that year, and King Edward III of England discovered the plot and brought an army from England and prevented the takeover.

Background
the English took control of Calais following a siege in 1346. King Edward III appointed as Governor of Calais a Lombard whom he had known and trusted for many years, Sir Aymery de Pavia. In 1348, Aymery conspired with Sir Geoffrey de Charney, a French knight, to sell Calais to him for 20,000 crowns. When Edward discovered the plot, he summoned Aymery to England and confronted him. Aymery begged for leniency and informed the king that no money had yet been delivered and that Calais was still under his control. Edward commanded Aymery to keep his bargain and inform the king when the deal would be done.

The siege
In late December 1348, Sir Geoffrey gathered 500 lancers to take control of the castle and town of Calais. Before dawn on the 31 December, he led this army across the bridge of Nieullet and sent two squires to confirm the plan with Sir Aymery. Receiving that confirmation, Sir Geoffrey sent twelve knights and 100 men at arms to take control of the castle, along with Sir Odoart de Renty to deliver to Sir Aymery the agreed upon 20,000 crowns. Receiving the bag of gold, Sir Aymery locked it away, lowered the castle's drawbridge so the French could enter, and led the French company to the castle's tower. When he unbolted the tower door, the French company found King Edward with 200 lancers waiting in ambush. Seeing that they were outmatched, the French company surrendered with few casualties and were confined in the tower.

The English cavalry rode out from the castle led by Edward and his son under the banner of Sir Walter Manny. Also in the English expedition were Earl Suffolk, Lord Stafford, Lord John Mountecute, Lord John Beauchamp, Lord Berkeley, and Lord de la Waae. King Edward sent a detachment of three cavalry units and six hundred archers to meet the French reinforcements at the bridge of Nieullet, where they met an army led by Lord Moreau de Fiennes and Lord Crequi, while crossbowmen from Saint-Omer and Aire were stationed in front of the bridge. The forces met around dawn and ended with an English victory, though the French took several English prisoners. Meanwhile, outside the walls of Calais, King Edward met Sir Eustace de Ribeaumont in single combat, but their fight was interrupted by the advance of the warring armies.

The result was a victory for the English, both at the city wall and at the bridge, though several prisoners were taken by both sides. All of Sir Geoffrey's men were either slain or imprisoned, including Sir Henry du Bois and Sir Pepin de Werre. Sir Geoffrey was also taken prisoner, and one of the last prisoners taken by the English was Sir Eustace de Ribeaumont.

Aftermath
Calais remained under English control and governance of Calais was transferred to John de Beauchamp.

At supper on the day of the battle, Edward revealed himself and commended the prowess of his rival Sir Eustace de Ribeaumont, the French knight who had twice brought Edward to his knees that morning. For his valor and as a sign of his esteem for his rival, Edward presented Eustace with a valuable string of pearls, stating: "Sir Eustace, this present I bestow on you as a small testimony of my esteem for your bravery. I entreat you to wear it for my sake; and, as I know you to be of a gay and amorous disposition, delighting in the company of ladies and damsels, let them all be told from what hand you received it. You are no longer a prisoner: I acquit you of your ransom; and tomorrow you will be at liberty to dispose of yourself as you see proper."

A rare example of historically attested heraldic abatement, recorded by Sir George Mackenzie, tells of the abatement of the arms of Aymery de Pavia by royal decree in 1349: "And Edward the Third of England ordained two of six stars which a gentleman had in his arms to be effaced, because he had sold a seaport of which he was made governor." Pursuivant of arms John Guillim, writing circa 1610, recounted the story in considerable detail, adding that after Aymery sold Calais to Geoffrey, his arms were also inverted.