The Franco-Prussian War: Every Day with Army Sizes (1870-1871)

The Franco-Prussian War (19 July 1870 - 10 May 1871) on a map, every day, with the size of the armies on every front. France declares war on Prussia over the Ems Dispatch. The armies of the North German Confederation and its South German allies (Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and Hesse) invade Alsace and Lorraine, trap Bazaine's army in Metz and force Napoleon III to surrender at Sedan. The new Republic fights on: Paris holds out through a four-month siege while new French armies fight on the Loire, in the north and in the east. On 18 January 1871 Wilhelm I is proclaimed German Emperor at Versailles and Germany is united. Paris capitulates ten days later, and the Treaty of Frankfurt gives Alsace-Lorraine to the new German Empire. 0:00 Intro 0:07 France declares war 0:56 Wissembourg, Woerth and Spicheren 1:43 Metz: Borny, Mars-la-Tour, Gravelotte 3:02 Sedan 3:57 The Siege of Paris 5:07 The fall of Metz 5:28 Coulmiers and the Army of the Loire 6:20 Orleans retaken 7:36 Le Mans and the Lisaine 7:58 The German Empire is proclaimed 8:23 Paris capitulates 9:10 The preliminary peace 10:09 The Treaty of Frankfurt Music: La Marseillaise (band, 78 rpm, c. 1910, archive.org) Die Wacht am Rhein (78 rpm, 1907, archive.org) Andreas Waldetoft - War (Hearts of Iron II) Andreas Waldetoft - Suite No.1 (Hearts of Iron II) Hearts of Iron IV - The End of the War Borders of 1870: HistoGIS (ACDH, Vienna). Map: Natural Earth, NASA, Mapzen. Front lines are approximate; army sizes are rounded estimates. #FrancoPrussianWar #History #Map