beaten off. An attempt to drain the ditches seriously threatened the citizens of Ypres, but the attempt was unsuccessful and the besieged managed to communicate with the Duke of Burgundy through Louis of Male, who was able to raise a large French army to come to the aid of the city. On 8 August, after nine weeks of effort, Despenser abruptly decided to abandon the siege, as did his Ghent allies on September 10. In Ypres, the victory was attributed to the intervention of Our Lady of the Enclosure, in whose honour an annual procession has since been held on the first Sunday in August. Aftermath After the débâcle at Ypres, the bishop and Sir Hugh Calveley wished to advance into France, but Sir William Elmham, Trivet and some of the other commanders refused to go. The bishop was obliged by the approaching French army to fall back upon Gravelines. The demoralised and disease-ridden English forces were bribed to evacuate Gravelines and Despenser ordered it to be sacked. By the end of October the remaining crusaders had returned across the English Channel. Ghent continued its revolt, until it concluded the Peace of Tournai in 1385 with Philip the Bold, the successor of Louis of Male. Ypres never really recovered from this siege. The entire hinterland of the city had been destroyed and the trade with England was seriously compromised. The decline of the city continued further and the population of the city dropped from 20,000 in 1383 to only 7,600 by the end of the 15th century. References Sieges involving England Battles involving Flanders Sieges of the Middle Ages Conflicts in 1383 1383 in England 1380s in France 14th century in the county of Flanders