Citadel Of Calais
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The Citadel of Calais is a fortress that was initially constructed in the 16th century on the ruins of a medieval castle dating from the 13th century and whose purpose was to defend the city of
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...
.


Origins

At the end of 1558, upon recovering the region of Calais from England with the aide of Francis, Duke of Guise, it became a priority for all the succeeding kings of France to ensure that Calais would forever remain a part of the Kingdom of France. This priority was also influenced by the city's geographical location and, especially, its proximity to the
Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
and England. To that end, the ancient medieval castle constructed in 1229 which defended Calais, (and which also served as the site of the assassination of the uncle of Richard II, the Duke of Gloucester), and which formed a square fort of six towers with a donjon located northwest of the city, was razed to build on its ruins a new citadel, better suited to the necessities of war during time period. It was King François II who decided to build the new citadel on the site of the ancient castle. In order to do this, an entire neighborhood was razed. Among the destroyed buildings included hotels, where during English control English lords once stayed, and the church of St. Nicholas. Only the Escalles Hotel, which served as the lodgings for the new commander of the citadel, was spared. The first stone was laid in 1564, the same year when England recognised Calais as French territory after the French gave
Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
120,000 crowns as barter. The Italian Giacomo Castriotto and Jean Errard of
Bar-le-Duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, ...
were two engineers who participated in the work. Errard, who also designed the citadels of
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
and Doullens, was the creator of the half moon of the Hermitage at the gate of the citadel which is now known as ''Neptune's Gate''. The castle consisted of four towers. A medieval part of the city wall which connected the ''Carrée Tower'' and the ''Pavée Tower'' still exists today. You can also enter the citadel after passing through the half-moon entrance of the ''Porte de Secours'' - ''Rescue Door'', then through the '' Porte de Boulogne ''. Image:Citadelle de Calais - La Porte de Boulogne.JPG, The Porte de Boulogne, which provides access from the south into the Citadel of Calais Image:Citadelle de Calais - La Porte de Secours.JPG, The Porte de Secours, and the Porte de Boulogne visible within its arch. Image:Citadelle de Calais - La Porte de Neptune.JPG, The Porte de Neptune, which provides access from the east into the Citadel of Calais


Baptism by fire

Thirty years after the commencement of building, a conflict between France and Spain placed the citadel into the heart of conflict. On April 24, 1596, after Fort Risban and Fort Nieulay had already fallen, the inhabitants of Calais found refuge at the Citadel of Calais in order to flee from the troops of the Albert VII, Archduke of Austria, Governor of the
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
. However, the hollow wall, because it was filled with sand, fell under the fire of cannons. The northeastern stronghold, assaulted by the enemy, fell in turn despite the fierce resistance led by Michel Patras de Campaigno, nicknamed "the black knight". On April 25, 1596, the Kingdom of France lost Calais. History accounts for a real massacre and pillage of the city by the Spaniards who were looking for gold and silver. The city remained under Spanish control until May 1598, the date of the Treaty of Vervins, which returned Calais to the crown of France.


Residence of governors

Restored to France, Calais and its citadel served as the official residence of the governors of Calais until 1636. Above all, these governors were the object of attentive care on the part of the monarchs of France because of Calais' geographically privileged location. In 1605, in memory of the church that was destroyed for construction of the citadel, the name of St. Nicholas was given to a small church that was built inside the ramparts. Many marriages, deaths and baptisms were celebrated there until the French Revolution, when the church was converted into a food store. The fortifications were increased under Henri IV.


Richelieu

In May 1632, upon hearing information about a plot to sell Calais to England, Louis XIII and
Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...
visited Calais and planned to make the entire city a gigantic fortress with a large military port. Richelieu's works were smaller than planned: a large arsenal containing a large courtyard surrounded by several buildings to store arms and wheat, three underground housing complexes for soldiers in case of bombing, wheat mills and bread ovens. A column, which incorporates the bust of Richelieu, was also erected in the courtyard. The work was carried out by the Marquis de Saint-Chamond, Melchior Mitte de Chevrieres who constantly asked for funds for the work, while the finances of the state were spent on the troops at war against Lorraine.


Vauban

In 1658, the reconquest by
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
of
Gravelines Gravelines ( , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord departments of France, department in Northern France. It lies at the mouth of the river Aa (France), Aa southwest of Dunkirk, France, Dunkirk. It was form ...
and
Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
reduced the strategic importance of the city of Calais. Nevertheless, during his stays in Calais, Louis XIV confided to Vauban his interest in the rehabilitation of the fortifications of the city, namely the citadel, Fort Risban and the reconstruction of Fort Nieulay, one of the very rare ''forts-écluses'' in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. The King returned a few years later, to see the completed work by his famous military engineer. A Royal French Navy officer, Claude de Forbin was imprisoned for three weeks in 1691 for shooting at a Mr. Fervaquet, who owed Forbin 500 books and who insulted Forbin in the street.


18th century

During the French Revolution, some wanted to raze the citadel, claiming that it could serve as a base of support for counter revolutionaries. Before being transferred to the Tour du Guet, the citadel is where
Claude Chappe Claude Chappe (; 25 December 1763 – 23 January 1805) was a French inventor who in 1792 demonstrated a practical semaphore line, semaphore system that eventually spanned all of France. His system consisted of a series of towers, each within l ...
performed the first tests of his semaphore telegraph.


19th century

In the 19th century, the citadel had a barracks with a capacity of 1,000 troops, two tanks, many underground bunkers, powder magazines, grocery stores and stables. The southern rampart, built in the Middle Ages, was doubled to include stables and, in wartime, to house troops. A semi-circular vaulted powder magazine, designed in the '' Séré de Rivières system'' style of Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, was built under the bastion of the old port at the end of the 19th century.


World War II

The first bombs fell on Calais on May 10, 1940, and then on May 21, 1940. The citadel was placed in a state of defence. The ''Porte de Neptune'' and the ''Porte de Boulogne'' were closed and a command post was installed in the southwest. On the 24th, while the Germans encircled the city, attacks occurred. The 25th was a dark day during which heavy artillery of the enemy fell on the citadel: the stables burned with all their horses, the barracks collapsed to a large extent, and the emergency stations were overwhelmed. A fire at an oil depot on the west side burned into the Calais sky all day long. Despite the destruction, the defenders rejected the German surrender ultimatum. On the 26th, the casemates trembled under the deluge of bombs falling on the citadel. The Germans attacked the ramparts with flamethrowers, and went through gaps that began to appear. For lack of ammunition, at 16:30, fighting stopped, making the Germans masters of the place, after a siege that lasted 36 hours. A German officer said, "The citadel did not surrender, it was conquered with arms in hand." More than one building was standing, but all would be razed in the aftermath of the conflict. Many of the defenders of Calais were shot.


Monuments preserved

The ''porte de Boulogne'' or ''porte de secours'' dating from the end of the 16th century (and remodeled in the 19th century) and the ''porte de la Ville'' or the ''Hermitage'' dating from the beginning of the 17th century were inscribed as an historic monuments on February 15, 1939. The ditches and curtain walls of the citadel as well as the half-moon defending the entrance to the city were listed as a historic monument on April 27, 1990.


Peaceful combat

In the 1960s, the citadel was converted into a sports
stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
and school, including athletic fields for football, rugby, tennis courts, shooting stands, and archery. The S.O.C., ''Stade Olympique de Calais'', resides there, and the reserve of the Calais RUFC, played its games and trained there, before the move to the new Stade de l'Épopée, leaving free, for reserve, the facilities of the Stade Julien-Denis. The citadel is now known as the Stade du Souvenir.


See also

* Siege of Calais


References


Bibliography

* * * * Calais city history * * {{cite book, title=Calais Réalités - Hebdomadaire d'information Military history of Calais Buildings and structures in Calais Fortifications in France Castles in France World War II sites in France