Amery of Pavy facts for kids
Amery of Pavy (also known as Aimeric or Aimery) was an English knight from the 1300s. He was originally from a town called Pavia in Italy. In 1347, King Edward III of England made him the captain of Calais. Calais was a very important town in France that the English had recently captured.
Amery made a secret deal with a French knight, Sir Geoffroi de Charny. He agreed to sell Calais to Sir Geoffrey for 20,000 gold coins. King Edward found out about this secret plan. Instead of stopping it, the king told Amery to go through with the deal. This was part of King Edward's clever plan to catch the French.
In December 1349, Sir Geoffrey brought an army to take Calais. King Edward also brought his own army from England. The English won the fight on December 31, 1349. After this, King Edward put John de Beauchamp in charge of Calais. Amery's family symbol (coat of arms) was changed in 1350 to show his disgrace. In 1352, Amery was captured by Sir Geoffrey de Charny and died.
Captain of Calais
King Edward took control of Calais on August 4, 1347. He then made a peace agreement with the French king. Edward chose Amery of Pavy to be the captain of Calais. Amery was ordered to fix the city's defenses. King Edward then went back to England in October 1347.
The Secret Deal
Around 1349, Amery made a secret agreement. He planned to sell Calais to Geoffrey de Charny. Geoffrey was a French knight and governor of a nearby town. Amery agreed to sell Calais for 20,000 gold coins.
King Edward found out about this secret plan. He called Amery to London. The king was upset about Amery's betrayal. However, Edward told Amery to continue with the deal. This was a trick to catch the French army. Amery had to tell the king when the French would arrive.
The King's Clever Trap
Amery told King Edward when the French were coming. King Edward brought an army to Calais. Sir Walter Manny led part of this army. They planned to ambush Geoffrey's forces in December 1349.
On the last day of December, Geoffrey arrived before dawn. He had 500 soldiers to take the city. Amery received his payment of 20,000 gold coins. He then led his small group of knights and archers into Calais castle. This was where King Edward's trap was waiting.
Amery's Fate
After the French failed to take Calais, King Edward changed the city's leader. Lord Beauchamp became the new governor. Amery was allowed to keep the money he had received. However, King Edward changed Amery's family symbol (his coat of arms) in 1350. This was a rare way to show someone's disgrace.
A writer named Sir George Mackenzie wrote about this. He said King Edward removed two of the six stars from Amery's arms. This was because Amery had tried to sell the important port city. Another writer, John Guillim, added that Amery's arms were also turned upside down. This showed his act of betrayal.
Amery soon went back to Italy. He went on a religious journey to Rome. The fate of his son, who was taken by the French, is not known. In 1352, Geoffrey de Charny marched his army to a town called Fretun. They launched a surprise attack during the night of July 24–25. Amery was found there. Charny took him to Saint-Omer. Amery sadly died in a very harsh way, a consequence of his actions.
See Also
- Siege of Calais (1348)
