Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why did Edward III expel many French residents from Calais?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Edward III
Edward III, watercolour, 15th century; in the British Library (Cotton MS. Julius E. IV).
After Edward III captured Calais in 1347, he expelled many of the French residents to transform the city into an English colony. By replacing the local population with English settlers and merchants, Edward ensured that the port would serve as a secure, loyal, and reliable military base of operations for his forces in France throughout the Hundred Yearsâ War.1