Queen Philippa (1314-1369) was the wife of Edward III of England and thus queen of England. Edward had lay siege to the French city of Calais in 1346 during Hundred Years War, and the French king Philip IV had told the inhabitants to hold out. When Philip could not lift the siege and the people were starvng, the inhabitats offered to surrender. Edward agreed but asked for six of the city's chief leaders to surrender to him. Six did and they thought they would be executed- Philippa interceded for them, as seen here, and they were not. They are remembered as the Burghers of Calais, and the fame


Queen Philippa (1314-1369) was the wife of Edward III of England and thus queen of England. Edward had lay siege to the French city of Calais in 1346 during Hundred Years War, and the French king Philip IV had told the inhabitants to hold out. When Philip could not lift the siege and the people were starving, the inhabitants offered to surrender. Edward agreed but asked for six of the city's chief leaders to surrender to him. Six did and they thought they would be executed- Philippa interceded for them, as seen here, and they were not. They are remembered as the Burghers of Calais, and the famed French sculptor Auguste Rodin memorialized them with his bronze statue of the Burghers, fashioned 1884-1889. This drawing by Edward Dalziel accompanied Charles Dickens' account of the tale in his book "A Child's History of England."


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