Key Facts
- Campaign start
- 12 July 1346 (landing in Normandy)
- Campaign end
- 3 August 1347 (fall of Calais)
- Duration of Calais siege
- 11 months
- Truce of Calais duration
- 9 months initially, repeatedly extended to 1355
- Distance raided from Paris
- 20 miles (32 km) at closest approach
Strategic Narrative Overview
English forces devastated Normandy, sacked Caen with heavy civilian casualties, raided Rouen's suburbs, and swept along the Seine to within 20 miles of Paris. Trapped in stripped countryside, they fought through a French blocking force at the Somme, then defeated the main French army at the Battle of Crécy on 26 August 1346. The English army subsequently laid siege to Calais for eleven months, exhausting both kingdoms' resources before the town capitulated.
01 / The Origins
Part of the broader Hundred Years' War, the campaign arose from English King Edward III's parliamentary pressure to end the conflict through negotiation or decisive victory. Originally intending to sail for Gascony to relieve the Duke of Lancaster, Edward was forced by contrary winds to make a surprise landing on the Cotentin Peninsula of Normandy, redirecting the campaign entirely into northern France.
03 / The Outcome
Calais fell on 3 August 1347, giving England a vital northern French port it would hold for over two centuries. The Truce of Calais followed shortly after, initially set for nine months but extended repeatedly until formally set aside in 1355. Limited fighting continued during the truce period, though the large-scale chevauchée operations ceased.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
King Edward III.
Side B
1 belligerent
King Philip VI.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.