[MR] Wikipedia: Battle of Calais

Garth Groff and Sally Sanford mallardlodge1000 at gmail.com
Wed Jan 1 02:39:01 PST 2020


Noble Friends,

On this date in 1350 during the Hundred Years' War, a French force under
Geoffrey de Charny attempted to take the English-held port of Calais by
bribery and stealth. Despite their being a truce, Charny attempted to bribe
an Italian knight in English service, Amerigo de Pavia, to open a postern
gate and allow a hand-picked group of French knights into the city. They
were to take a more important gate, and allow a hidden French army into the
city.

Edward I either discovered the plot, or Pavia blabbed. Edward I hurried to
Calais in secret with crack reinforcements. Most of the French commandos
were captured after entering the postern. Then Edward and the Black Prince
surprised the main French force, inflicting many casualties and taking 30
important knights hostage, including a wounded Charny.

Charny had been lauded as a paragon of knighthood. His reputation was in
tatters after English propaganda exposed his violation of the truce and his
attempt to buy his way into Calais rather than take it by "honest" force of
arms. He was later rehabilitated by French King John II, and died at the
battle of Poitiers, defending France's sacred war banner, the *Oriflamme*.

You can read more details at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Calais
.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆


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