Siege of Calais ( 1346 ) The Siege of Calais began in 1346 , early in the Hundred Years ' War ( 1337 to 1453 ) . Edward III of England asserted dominion over France , and defeated the French navy in the Battle of Sluys in 1340 . He went on to make raids throughout Normandy , the last of which led to the Battle of Crécy in 1346 . By then , Edward ' s army in France required supplies and reinforcements from Flanders , so they withdrew to the north . English ships had already left Normandy for England . Edward needed a defensible port where his army could regroup and be resupplied . The English Channel port of Calais suited Edward ' s purposes . It was highly defensible . It boasted a double moat and substantial city walls built a hundred years earlier . The citadel in the northwest corner of Calais had its own moat and additional fortifications . Once taken , Calais could be resupplied and defended easily by sea . But the defences which made Calais attractive to Edward also made it difficult to seize . The English laid siege . Philip VI of France failed to deliver relief , and the starving city surrendered after almost a year . The Kingdom of England held Calais until 1558 . It was her last possession in France . The siege . Edward ' s men approached Calais in September 1346 . The city ' s substantial walls and moats could not be easily breached or crossed . Edward received aid from England and Flanders . King Philip of France failed to interfere with the English army and their supply lines . Edward likewise failed to interfere with aid to the people of Calais by sailors loyal to France . The English accomplished little for over two months . In November the English were supplied with cannon , catapults , and long ladders , but could not breach the city walls . Edward broke off the attack by February and initiated a siege . One more French supply convoy succeeded in reaching the city , but the English navy repelled all further supply attempts . Still , King Philip continued his assault . Both armies received additional reinforcements that spring . Philip ' s French forces still could not displace the English , who benefited from a position surrounded by marshland . By June , the city ' s supplies of food and fresh water were nearly depleted . Another French supply convoy was blocked by the English fleet two months later . Five hundred children and elderly were expelled from the city so that the remaining healthy adult men and women might survive . One version of events holds that the English refused to allow these exiles to approach , so they starved to death just outside the city walls . That version of events was contradicted by the contemporary Flemish chronicler Jean Le Bel , who praised Edward III for his charity in feeding and granting free passage and a small monetary gift to each expelled person . On August 1 , the city lit fires signaling they were ready to surrender . Philip destroyed the encampment from which his army had been planning to attack the English so that it would not fall into their hands . Edward was persuaded by his advisers to allow the remaining citizens to live . After providing them with some provisions , he allowed them to leave the city . Legacy . Calais fell under English control and remained as such until 1558 , providing a foothold for English raids in France . Calais was finally lost by the English monarch Mary I following the 1558 siege of Calais . In 1880 , Calais commissioned a statue by Auguste Rodin of the town leaders at the moment of their surrender to Edward . The resulting work , " The Burghers of Calais " , was completed in 1889 .