2-619-306 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Queen Philippa interceding with Edward III for the Six Burgesses of Calais, 1850. A satirical illustration showing Queen Philippa, wife of Edward III of England, pleading with her husband to spare the lives of the Burghers of Calais. Edward III, (1312-1377), was one of the most successful English kings of medieval times. During the Hundred Years War Calais fell to Edward III, after a siege of almost a year. Six citizens offered their lives to save the town but were spared when Edward's wife Philippa intervened on their behalf. From The Comic History of England by Gilbert Abbott A. Beckett, illustrated by John Leech [Bradbury, Agnew & Co., London, 1850.]