During the English Siege of Rouen from 1418 to 1419, French authorities expelled about 12,000 impoverished residents from the city to conserve food during the blockade. When the civilians approached the English lines, King Henry V of England refused to allow them to pass through. The displaced people became trapped in the narrow space between the city walls and the English army. With neither side willing to accept them, many of the civilians eventually starved.
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