History of Calais on Wikipedia
So anybody have ideas how Calais can be kept in English hand for the coming centuries?
What if the defense of Calais, considered "an integral part" of Kingdom of England, is not neglected, and the French cannot take over the city in the coming decades? Its habitants will become more and more English, and aligning themselves with London instead of Paris over time.
So how would it react with OTL events? Can Louis XIV won his wars of reunions in the north against Spanish Netherlands with Calais on his flank? If not, the northern border of France would be longer, lying further? to the south and less defendable, which may have a long-lasting effect.
More Huguenots may choose to take refuge in Calais and then England across the channel instead of Holland and Germany as in OTL. So, would England's economy benefit from this influx of labour? Or, the defense of Calais would deplete the English Treasury and in fact hinder the English economy?
And, how would the French Revolution be affected?
Please discuss.