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Tour du Guet

1210s in France1214 in EuropeBrick GothicBuildings and structures completed in 1214Buildings and structures in Calais
Gothic architecture in FranceMonuments and memorials in the Pas-de-CalaisMonuments historiques of Pas-de-CalaisTowers completed in the 13th centuryTowers in France
Calais TourDeGuet
Calais TourDeGuet

The Tour du Guet is a 13th-century watchtower in Calais, Pas-de-Calais, northern France. Located on Place d'Armes behind the Hotel de Ville, it is 39 metres (128 ft) in height, and features a dovecote for carrier pigeons. The tower dates from 1214, when Philip I, Count of Boulogne built fortifications in the town. Damaged by a 1580 earthquake, it was used as a lighthouse until 1848, when it became a watch tower. During World War I, it served as a military post.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Tour du Guet (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Tour du Guet
Place d'Armes, Calais

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Wikipedia: Tour du GuetContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 50.95889 ° E 1.84972 °
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Address

Place d'Armes

Place d'Armes
62100 Calais
Hauts-de-France, France
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Calais TourDeGuet
Calais TourDeGuet
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Siege of Calais (1346–1347)
Siege of Calais (1346–1347)

The siege of Calais (4 September 1346 – 3 August 1347) occurred at the conclusion of the Crécy campaign, when an English army under the command of King Edward III of England successfully besieged the French town of Calais during the Edwardian phase of the Hundred Years' War. The English army of some 10,000 men had landed in northern Normandy on 12 July 1346. They embarked on a large-scale raid, or chevauchée, devastating large parts of northern France. On 26 August 1346, fighting on ground of their own choosing, the English inflicted a heavy defeat on a large French army led by their king Philip VI at the Battle of Crécy. A week later the English invested the well-fortified port of Calais, which had a strong garrison under the command of Jean de Vienne. Edward made several unsuccessful attempts to breach the walls or to take the town by assault, either from the land or seaward sides. During the winter and spring the French were able to run in supplies and reinforcements by sea, but in late April the English established a fortification which enabled them to command the entrance to the harbour and cut off the further flow of supplies. On 25 June Jean de Vienne wrote to Philip stating that their food was exhausted. On 17 July Philip marched north with an army estimated at between 15,000 and 20,000 men. Confronted with a well-entrenched English and Flemish force of more than 50,000, he withdrew. On 3 August Calais capitulated. It provided the English with an important strategic lodgement for the remainder of the Hundred Years' War and beyond. The port was not recaptured by the French until 1558.