View of the siege of Guînes, 1558 (Guînes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France) 50°52ʹ01ʺN 01°52ʹ12ʺE

A middle oblique view of the siege and capture by the French, commanded by Francis, Duke of Guise (17 February 1519-24 February 1563) ofthe English stronghold of Guînes in January 1558. The last Valois-Habsburg War (1547-1559). Oriented with north to top.

Guines lies about 10 km (6.2 miles) south of Calais. It was the main outpost of English rule in the Marches of Calais throughout the Tudor period and there was constant, considerable expenditure on its fortifications. The arrangement of the fortifications, as shown in this view, is not consistent with a number of contemporary plans which are preserved in the British Library. These show that the castle was to the north-east of the town whereas here, the castle is shown to the south. Further, the outlines of the fortified walls do not resemble those of the contemporary plans (in particular, see BL Cotton MS. Augustus I, ii 71, ca 1550).

The scene portrays the encampments of ‘Mons. Destree’ – Jean 1^er Duc d’Estrées (1486-1571), who had been at Calais the previous weeks; ‘Mons di Nemours’, probably Jacques of Savoy, 2^nd Duke of Nemours (1531-1585), a supporter of Guise; Mons. il Marescalco Strozzi – Piero Strozzi, Marshal of France (c.1510-21 June 1558); Mons. il Marchese d’Albeuf, probably René of Guise, Marquis d'Elbeuf (14 August 1536-14 December 1566); and others. Standards bearing the emblems of the participating factions are placed at the front of the encampments. Three of the castle’s bastions have been breached and the Spanish forces are making a determined assault but are being strongly repelled by the garrison, while smoke and flames billow from the town. The fact that Guines held out for a week before capitulating was apparently a result of the bravery and valour of the garrison troops rather than the strength of the fortifications.

The marshy terrain of the surrounding topography is shown to good effect and Hammes Castle can be seen to the north-west. Being ‘environed on all sides with fens and marsh grounds’ it was not easy to approach. It was the last English stronghold to fall after its Captain, Lord Dudley, hearing of the capitulation of Guînes, quietly left with his small garrison, travelling secretly over the marshes into Flanders.

This view was a stock component of Lafreri atlases in the second half of the sixteenth century. An example of this view, without the imprint ‘Formis Romæ. ¥ · Ð · LVIII ·’, is in the BnF (GE D-13981). The text of the title and alphabetical key appears to have been pasted onto the title panel in the BnF example, but the area in the bottom border of the panel is blank where the imprint should be.