Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Franco-German War
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Franco-German War Napoleon III Otto von Bismarck Battle of Wörth Napoleon III after the Battle of Sedan Gambetta escaping Paris in October 1870 Franco-German War Paris Commune William I of Prussia
For Students
Franco-German War
Franco-Prussian War summary
Quizzes
Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)
World Wars
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
A History of War
Related Questions
Read Next
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Battle of Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862, lithograph by Kurz and Allison, circa 1888.
9 Questions About the American Civil War Answered
Discover
Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics
10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
Young boys working in a thread spinning mill in Macon, Georgia, 1909. Boys are so small they have to climb onto the spinning frame to reach and fix broken threads and put back empty bobbins. Child labor. Industrial revolution
The Rise of the Machines: Pros and Cons of the Industrial Revolution
Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles
Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?
Sailboat against a beautiful landscape
Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”?
Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson
Vietnam War Timeline
In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.
6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters
Horses. Equus caballus. Horse stable. A brown horse looks out from his stall through the window.
Horsing Around: 7 of the Weirdest Racehorse Names in History

Franco-German War: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Franco-German-War
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As Franco-Prussian War
Date July 19, 1870 - May 10, 1871
Location France • Germany
Participants France • North German Confederation • Prussia

Did You Know?

  • Bismarck used diplomacy and political manipulation to keep Italy, Russia, and Britain out of the war, isolating France.
  • Count Helmuth von Moltke directed German troops through France, much like his nephew Moltke who did the same during World War I.
  • German troops only left France in September 1873 when the full indemnity had been paid.

Photos

Franco-German War
Napoleon III
Otto von Bismarck
Battle of Wörth
Napoleon III after the Battle of Sedan
Gambetta escaping Paris in October 1870
Franco-German War
Paris Commune
William I of Prussia
See All Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Timeline

Battles of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte
Battles of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte
August 16, 1870 - August 18, 1870
Battle of Sedan
Battle of Sedan
September 1, 1870
Franco-German War
Siege of Paris
September 19, 1870 - January 28, 1871

Key People

Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
German chancellor and prime minister
Napoleon III
Napoleon III
emperor of France
Helmuth von Moltke, 1871
Helmuth von Moltke
German general [1800–1891]
Léon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta
French statesman
William I
William I
emperor of Germany
Clara Barton
Clara Barton
American humanitarian
Patrice de Mac-Mahon
Patrice de Mac-Mahon
president of France
Roon, engraving by K. Tetzel, 1861
Albrecht Theodor Emil, count von Roon
Prussian minister of war
Charles-Denis-Sauter Bourbaki
French general
Edwin, Freiherr von Manteuffel
Prussian general
Bazaine, Achille
Achille Bazaine
French marshal
Albert
Albert
king of Saxony
Frederick Charles, 1875
Frederick Charles, prince of Prussia
Prussian prince
Edmond Leboeuf
French general
Goeben, engraving by H. Weger, 1871
August Karl von Goeben
Prussian general
Leonhard, count von Blumenthal
Prussian officer
Déroulède, Paul
Paul Déroulède
French politician, poet, and dramatist
Kraft, prince zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen
Prussian military officer
Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Prussian prince
Friedrich von Bernhardi
German soldier and military writer

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)
World Wars
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
A History of War
List
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century