The Siege of Paris (1870) was the encirclement of the French Army trapped in the city of Paris by the Prussians. It took place at the end of the Franco-Prussian War, entailing a long static battle and blockade to force a surrender of the French forces. The Prussian Army, under the command of General Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal, besieged the retreating 190,000 French Army regulars and 150,000 militia, commanded by Louis Jules Trochu, in the capital of France, from September 19, 1870, to January 28, 1871.
Summary
Chasing the French that had been falling back after the last couple of severe defeats, the Prussian and German forces soon surrounded Paris, which was defended by a system of fortresses. The Prussian Army made use of the new breech-loading heavy guns, which were set up in batteries all around the French capital. After more than four months of fierce fighting and heavy bombing, the French commander surrendered to the Prussians on January 28, 1871. The Siege of Paris included three battles: the Battle of Le Bourget, the Battle of Villiers, and the Battle of Buzenval, fought on the outskirts of Paris, and the shelling of parts of the city. During the encirclement of the city, the Parisians suffered extreme food shortages and, hence, starvation.
French forces could not do much to oppose the formidable Prussian military machine, for the French Army, under Louis Napoleon III, had already been defeated and decimated at the Battle of Sedan on September 1, 1870; 18 days before the siege began. Ten days before the French surrendered the city of Paris to the beleaguering army, the Prussian Emperor, William I, Hohenzollern, was proclaimed German Emperor in Versailles, France, attaining the German unification under one crown. Thus, the Franco-Prussian War was definitely brought to an end by the Treaty of Frankfurt, signed on May 10, 187. Having emerged victorious, the Prussian Empire, now Germany, was able to recover Alsace and Loraine, which the French had taken away during the Thirty Years War in the 17th century.
Map of Paris being besieged by the Prussian/German forces
Photograph of Paris after having been bombarded by Prussian artillery
