Lesson 06 Noblesse Oblige: The Story Behind The Burghers of Calais

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The following is the story behind Auguste Rodin's sculpture "The Burghers of Calais." Through the heroic self-sacrifice of the noblemen in Calais, it teaches us the lesson of "noblesse oblige," which means that people with power and influence should use their social positions to help other people.

The Rodin Museum is one of the most popular tourist sites in Paris. It includes a lovely old house surrounded by a huge garden, with several of Rodin’s sculptures positioned here and there. One sculpture in particular is placed so that all passersby can enjoy it even without entering the museum. Rodin’s depiction of The Burghers of Calais stands by a glass wall, and anyone walking down the Rue de Varenne can see it.

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The Burghers of Calais is one of the most famous sculptures by Auguste Rodin. It was completed in 1895. It serves as a monument to an occurrence in 1347 during the Hundred Years' War. Calais, an important French port on the English Channel, had held up against attacks from the British army for about one year. However, the starving citizens of Calais could no longer hold out. King Edward III told the people of Calais that they would all be killed unless six of their top leaders (called burghers) presented themselves to him while dressed only in their shirts and with ropes around their necks and the keys to the city in their hands.

When the people of Calais heard the message from King Edward III at the marketplace, they cried in despair. Soon afterward, however, Sir Eustache de St. Pierre, one of the richest citizens of Calais, volunteered to die. He got up and said, “Gentlemen, it would be a great shame to allow so many people to starve to death if there were any way of preventing it. And it would be highly pleasing to Our Lord if anyone could save them from such a fate. I have such faith and trust in gaining pardon and grace from Our Lord if I die in the attempt, that I will put myself forward as the first. I will willingly go out in my shirt, bareheaded and barefoot, with a rope round my neck and put myself at the mercy of the king of England.”

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After he said these words, the crowd practically worshipped him, and a number of men and women fell at his feet while weeping bitterly. It was a very emotional scene to witness. Then, six more heroes also followed him. This made a total of seven burghers, so one person had to be excluded. “Let’s meet at the marketplace tomorrow morning and exclude the last person to arrive,” suggested Saint Pierre, and everyone agreed.

Their painful night became longer and longer. The next day, six people gathered early in the morning. However, Saint Pierre did not come. Everyone in Calais wondered about him. He could not come because he was already dead. He committed suicide for the glory of Calais lest the people who chose to die should have their courage weakened.

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At the last moment, the burghers were on the verge of being executed; however, King Edward III’s pregnant wife pleaded for the lives of the brave hostages and persuaded the king to show mercy by saying that their deaths would be a bad sign for her unborn child. As a result, the lives of the six burghers of Calais were spared. St. Pierre and the six brave heroes saved the people of Calais from the English siege during the Hundred Years' War.

537 years later in 1884, the city of Calais decided to erect a statue named The Burghers of Calais in memory of the bravery and heroic self-sacrifice of the men. The city of Calais asked Auguste Rodin to create the sculpture. He put all his effort into making the statue for ten years. This sculpture depicts the six citizens at the moment when they were about to leave Calais for the king's camp. Torn between their desire to stay alive and their desire to save the lives of the people in Calais, they slowly set out on their difficult journey.