Franco-Prussian War
July 19, 1870 – January 28, 1871
Conflict of 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871 between France and the Prussian-led North German Confederation, triggered by France's determination to reassert continental dominance and Bismarck's edited publication of the Ems Dispatch. German victories culminated in the Siege of Metz and the Battle of Sedan, where Emperor Napoleon III was captured; after a four-month siege Paris fell on 28 January 1871. The war proclaimed the German Empire under Wilhelm I, ceded Alsace-Lorraine to Germany under the Treaty of Frankfurt, and established the French Third Republic, soon shaken by the Paris Commune.
Battles 4
August 18, 1870
August 20 – October 27, 1870
September 1, 1870
September 19, 1870 – January 28, 1871
Battle sites 4
- Battle of Gravelotte Gravelotte, Lorraine · 49.11, 6.03
- Siege of Metz Metz · 49.12, 6.18
- Battle of Sedan Sedan, Ardennes · 49.7, 4.94
- Siege of Paris (1870–1871) Paris · 48.86, 2.35
Key commanders
Germany 4
Otto von Bismarck
· 1815–1898
Frederick III, German Emperor
Crown Prince of Prussia, His Third Army held the southern siege lines · 1831–1888
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder
Chief of the Prussian General Staff, Planned and led the German campaign · 1800–1891
Wilhelm I
King of Prussia, Proclaimed German Emperor at Versailles · 1797–1888
