is the book on the Calais garrison we have been waiting for, COLIN RICHMOND For overyears, following its capture by Edward III in, the town of Calais was in English hands afterit remained the last English possession on the continent, a commercial, cultural, diplomatic and military frontier, until its recapture by the French in.
This book the first fulllength study so to do examines the Calais garrison, the largest standing military force available to the English crown.
Based on extensive archival research, it covers recruitment and service in the garrison, the problems of pay and logistics, the weaponry and tactics used, and the chivalric and professional ethos among the soldiers.
It also investigates the effectiveness of English arms against their European counterparts, through a detailed study of the failed Burgundian siege ofand the successful French siege of.
Overall, it reaffirms
the importance of Calais to successive medieval and early modern English kings, and challenges the perceived notion that England lagged behind its northwest European rivals in terms of military technology and effectiveness.
The Calais garrison is placed in the wider context of the development of European warfare in general during this period.
Dr DAVID GRUMMITT is Lecturer in British History, University of Kent, .