Prince-Bishopric of Liège On the night of 29 October 1468 during the Siege of Liège, some six hundred Franchimontois, men from Franchimont, unsuccessfully attacked the besieging Burgundian army, with the aim of killing or capturing its leaders, Duke Charles the Bold and King Louis XI.

As a reaction, Charles the Bold had led an army towards Liège to deal once and for all with the rebellious city.

The next day Liège surrendered, and at the command of Charles the Bold, hundreds of Liégeois were tied together and thrown into the Meuse river.

The story of the 600 Franchimontois has come to us through the chronicler Philippe de Commines, who was present in the Burgundian camp at the Siege of Liège.

It is difficult to know the true history behind the story of the 600 Franchimontois, because it has been used since 1831 by the newly independent Kingdom of Belgium as an example of self-sacrifice for the fatherland and of resistance against any invader, no matter how powerful he might be.