7 January 1558
The English lose Calais, their last possession in France.
Too much history to recount behind this, as the English and French fought a 500-year war over the French mainland. This date saw the end of it, as Henri II enlisted his best general François de Lorraine (whose nickname was le Balafré - Scarface - now that's cool) to finally drive the hated English from French soil. The English were probably sick of the long war (which started, really, in 1066, when the Normans conquered England), and they gave up pretty easily (yes, other groups of people beside the French do and have given up easily in history)¹ after a short siege. France was wholly French again! Mary, the queen of England, uttered the only memorable quote of her short and lousy reign when told of the loss: "When I am dead and opened, you shall find 'Calais' lying within my heart."
¹ Sorry. I just get sick of French jokes. Lots of people have caved in history, and the French get a bad rap.
Too much history to recount behind this, as the English and French fought a 500-year war over the French mainland. This date saw the end of it, as Henri II enlisted his best general François de Lorraine (whose nickname was le Balafré - Scarface - now that's cool) to finally drive the hated English from French soil. The English were probably sick of the long war (which started, really, in 1066, when the Normans conquered England), and they gave up pretty easily (yes, other groups of people beside the French do and have given up easily in history)¹ after a short siege. France was wholly French again! Mary, the queen of England, uttered the only memorable quote of her short and lousy reign when told of the loss: "When I am dead and opened, you shall find 'Calais' lying within my heart."
¹ Sorry. I just get sick of French jokes. Lots of people have caved in history, and the French get a bad rap.
posted by Greg | 10:41 AM
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