Pale of Calais | |||||||||
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| 1347–1558 | |||||||||
.svg) Royal coat of arms
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| Motto: Veritas Temporis filia "Truth, the daughter of Time" | |||||||||
 The Pale of Calais (yellow) in 1477. | |||||||||
| Status | Overseas possession of England | ||||||||
| Capital | Calais | ||||||||
| Common languages | English, Dutch, French, Picard | ||||||||
| Religion | Official: Catholic (until 1534); (from 1553) Church of England (1534–1553) Others: Judaism | ||||||||
| Lord | |||||||||
• 1347–1377 | Edward III (first) | ||||||||
• 1553–1558 | Mary I (last) | ||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||
• 1353 | Reynold Cobham (first) | ||||||||
• 1553–1558 | Thomas Wentworth (last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | Late Middle Ages | ||||||||
| 3 August 1347 | |||||||||
| 8 May 1360 | |||||||||
| 8 January 1558 | |||||||||
| 2 May 1598 | |||||||||
| Currency | Sterling | ||||||||
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| Today part of | France | ||||||||
The Pale of Calais was a territory in north France. It was ruled by the monarchs of England from 1347 to 1558. England took the area after the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the Siege of Calais. This led to the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360, in the reign of Edward III of England. It became an important area for England. The area had Flanders, which was important for textile trading.
The Pale also gave England a strategic outpost. From their they were able to have military action on the continent. Since it was on the English Channel, it was able to be reinforced over the Straits of Dover. The territory was bilingual. Both English and Flemish were spoken.
During the reign of Mary I of England, the Pale was retaken by the French in a siege in 1558. After that, the English textile trade moved to the Habsburg Netherlands.