On This Day In History: Treaty of Calais Ratified Between France And England – On Oct 24, 1360

AncientPages.com - On October 24, 1360, the Treaty of Brétigny was ratified. It was drafted earlier on May 8, 1360 between King Edward III of England and King John II (the Good) of France.

The agreement marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) and the height of English hegemony on the Continent.

Treaty of Calais Chest in the National Archives, Kew. Image credit:  Unknown author - Public Domain

From this day it was known as the Treaty of Calais.

By this treaty, Edward renounced his claim to the French crown in return for the whole of Aquitaine, a rich area in southwestern France with several provinces.

The king of England was to hold these free and clear, without doing homage for them. Furthermore, the treaty established that title to 'all the islands that the King of England now holds' would no longer be under the suzerainty of the King of France. King of England, on the other hand, gave up the duchy of Touraine, the countships of Anjou and Maine, and the suzerainty of Brittany and of Flanders. He also renounced all claims to the French throne.

John II had to pay three million gold crowns for his ransom, and would be released after he paid one million. As a guarantee for the payment of his ransom, John gave as hostages two of his sons, several princes and nobles, four inhabitants of Paris, and two citizens from each of the nineteen principal towns of France.

The treaty was ratified and sworn to by the two kings and by their eldest sons on 24 October 1360 at Calais.

The treaty of Calais, however, did not end the war. It simply did not solve the main problems, both countries had.

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