Burghers of Calais

The Burghers of Calais tells the story of six men who risked their lives to save their friends and family in the city of Calais, France. Calais was attacked by an army that didn't let the city have any food or water. The people in the city lived for eleven months before the King of the army was convinced to have mercy on them. The King told the people of Calais that he would tell his army to leave if the people's town leaders would give him the keys to the city. He said that the leaders should be dressed in plain clothing and should have a rope around their necks when they came to him. Six men called Burghers volunteered to go to the king. All six men expected that the king would kill them when they gave him the keys. The king's wife convinced him to not kill the Burghers but, to let them go back to their homes.                                               Augusta Rodin was hired by the city of Calais to sculpt a memorial about this story. He met the burgher's descendants and used them as models for his sculpture. Rodin wanted the people of Calais to remember the story and to know how brave those six men were.