In 1346 English king Edward III laid siege to the French port of Calais. Eleven months later he emerged victorious and swore to spare the town's citizens if six of its leading men, or burghers, surrendered to him. Rodin here commemorates this historic moment by emphasizing the eternal struggle of each man as he walks toward almost certain execution wearing humble sackcloth. Many also carry ropes around their necks and two hold keys to the city.
The burghers were later spared thanks to the intervention of the English queen Philippa, who feared that their deaths would bring bad luck to her unborn child.
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