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PASSAGE
18
45
SOCIAL SCIENCE: This passage is from "Freeze Frame:
Calais Remembered" by Gordon Marsden.
50
Calais Falls to Edward III and His English Anny
The sulTenderof the French Channel port of
Calais to the besiegingEnglish king Edward ill not
5 wasa key elementin the Englishsuccesses
inilie
5 early stagesof the HundredYears'War but its fall .and
the progressof what had beenan eleven-monthsIege
* "l, illumine the co~x
temperamentthat underpinned
the conductor war by medievalchivalry.
-
Edwardhadclaimedthe throneof Francethrough
10 his mother Isabellaafter the direct line of her Capetian brothershad died out, leaving the native claimant
as Philip of Valois (who becamePhilip VI). His motiyes for the claim ~ave been variously ascribedby
historians
::#(
55
60
Whatever the case,the energy with which Edward
conducted his campaign in France from 1340 onwards
65
cannot be doubted. He reaped a rich reward with his
famous victory at the battle of Crecy in August 1346,
where the firepower of English archers wrought havoc
20 on the heavily armored but ponderous noble cavalry of )...
the French. His ~s
there ~ him free to besiege I'
70
~
which, lying as it does at the narrowest crossing
~ ~ point to En Ian across the Channe , was a v
trateglC objective to secure suppli~s and safe passage for
25 the conduct of the invasion.
75
~ 10
~
30
35
40
town's
defenses
reflected
this
significance:
a
double wall with towers and ditches, ,sYDnliedbv sea
by Philip's forces~ The town's governor, Jean de
Vienne, was resourceful and ruthlessly practical in
making the best of his resources, turning out of the
town noncombatant men, women, and children at the
start of the siege to save food, an occasion on which
Edward showed chivalrous generosity by feeding them
and allowing them to pass through the lines.
The siege tied down Edward's resources of men
and material over the winter of 1346-47; his army had to
be victualed by the Flemish in a wooden town he erected
outside the waIls to protect his troops, and via raids on
the surrounding countryside. The defendersin Calais resisted doggedly, despite dwindling supplies. The appeal
of the Governor to Philip VI "we have nothing left to
subsist on, unless we eat each other" finally moved
Philip
to
action.
He
raised
an
army
in
late
spring
1347
Philip's attempts at relief were ~heart~
his
last on July 27th, 1347, was followed by inconclusive
parleying between the French forces and English heralds led by Henry Grossmont, Duke of Lancaster.
When these broke down, Philip declined to take the
risk of battle: on August 1st, his ~y
retreated and
Calais was left to its fate.
~IO
m.
Jean de Vienne parleyed with Edward's heralds
15
The
3
for honorabletermsof surrender.He had reasonto be -I!r
U
worried: ~e laws of war by no~meansgU~ed
that
surrender would be followed by the defendants preserving life and limb, and persistent resistancesuch as
Edward might well have regarded the eleven-month
siege might be met by condign punishment.
,.
Edward initially rejected the Governor's request
for his men and the remaining citizens to leave unharmed, but (~din~
to the chronicler Fro~sart) he
softened to the extent of restricting his potential
vengeanceto the governor and six of Calais's leading
citizens. But even they were spared when Edward's
pregnant wife interceded on their behalf.
Calais became an English possession.Its popula- 41
lion was expelled and the town: resetti-c;d"with Eng~h
merchants and an impressive gamson, became both a
strategic stronghold and a symbol of English resolution
in France. After the final debacles of English power a
century later, it!!!Jo~ remained the sole foothold in -If 7
F~
aftp.r 14~1. remaining an English possession
until it fell to the French in the reign of Mary Tudor as
a by-product of her husband Philip II's war with the
French, the symbolic blow to national pride which allegedly led the Tudor queen to sigh, "When 1 am dead,
they will find the word 'Calais' engraved upon my
heart."
$\ 1. Accordingto the passage,Edward'smotive for claiming the throne:
~
wasto overthrowPhilip of Valois.
cy hasbeenlistedasdifferentthingsby differenthistorians.
C.
II' ~ (' j 0 VI
Iy
was through his mother, Isabella.
D. makes us doubt his energy in campaigningin
France.
s~ "l According to the passage,what did Edward gain
e-
throughhis successat Crecy?
F. The ability to crossthe Channelat Calais
Rich rewardsof Englishfirepower
~
H Thefreedomto attackCalais b<( rt s.<.-
.
The assistance
of France'snoblecavalry
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
354
Model English and Reading Tests
IJ.&f
3
\ J
~
1
In the first paragraph, what does the author set up as the
thesis for his essay?
Calais'ssurrenderwasa key elementin the English
successes
during the HundredYears'War.
B. King Edwardill forcedCalaisto surrenderduring
the HundredYears.War.
C. Medieval chivalry madeit possiblefor Edwardto
~ be victoriousat Calais.
The fall of Calais in an almost yearlong siege
~
"/
Accordingto the passage,whathappenedto Calais?
A. It returnedto the Frenchafter the debaclesof English powera centurylater.
B. It wasresettledwith Englishmerchantsuntil 1453.
/e;) It becameoneof England'sstrongholdsin France,
D andthe only English-ownedtown after 1453until
Mary Tudor'stime.
D. It wasengravedon Mary's heart.
fA.
shows the cQm~lexity of the conduct of war under
{,
medievalchivalry.
V
~"'Vto'~
g The author mentionsJean de Vienne's worry about
surrender because:
~
he hadto inform the readerthat the lawsof surrenLY der were different then and could not guarantee
The authorstatesthat Calaiswas importantbecause:
(f) Calaiswasa strategic£rossin~~nt from England.
S'9
r./
safety.
G. he wantedto showthat surrenderguaranteedfreedom from deathor torture.
H. he wanted to show that Edward was set on
vengeance
at Calais.
J. he wantedto portrayJeande Vienneasa coward.
G. in this battle, Edward could finally defeat Philip
andclaim the thronefor good.
H. the governorof Calais was resourcefuland ruthless.
J. Edwardshowedhis chivalry in the battleby giving
the town's womenandchildrenfood and safepassage.
>.The authorimplies in this passagethat Philip:
A. was a brave soldier who fought Edward for the
1'::\ throne. "-J.-f -- ~~
~
was ~~
to«.ard the throne and not interested
in fighting.
C. workedfor the surrenderof Calais.
D. rejected the governor's requestnot to harm his
men.
3
s~
q
f'\)
Are the detailsof the surrenderof CalaisandEdward's
sparingof the burgherstreatedasfact in the passage?
A. Yes,becauseit statesthat the scenewasa famous
one.
B. Yes,becauseit portraysEdward'schangeof heart.
C. No, becauseit does not state specifically why
Edwardsoftened.
r6:\ No, becauseit notes that these things happened
V"according to Froissart."
I () Accordingto the author: $\)
/;. The authorincludesthe noteaboutEdwardfeedingthe
~
townspeopleand sparingthe men following his wife's
pleafor themto show:
F. that Edward had power over people's lives and
I, Calaiswas lost, in part, becausePhilip refusedto IJ J.1/11
fight.
III. Philip surrendered
to Edwardat Calaiswith Jean
de Vienne.~-
~ deaths.
~
that while he wasa toughcommander,Edwardwas
also benevolentandchivalrous.
H. that the peopleof Calais shouldhavesurrendered
earlier.
J. that Edwardwasa betterruler thanJeande Vienne
was.
~
II. Philip's forcesweresupplyingCalaisby sea.
F. I only
G. I andIII only
H. II andIII only
I andII only
~
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
Model English and Reading ACT III 355
.
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e 'i~"')
.