The siege of Belfort (3 November 1870 – 18 February 1871) was a 103-day military assault and blockade of the city of

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

n forces during the Franco-Prussian War. The French garrison held out until the January 1871 armistice between France and the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

obligated French forces to abandon the stronghold in February 1871. Belfort is located in a gap between the mountainous southern

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a singl ...

and the

Jura Massif The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Frenc ...

, strategically positioned as the gateway between

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

and central France. At the beginning of the war, the French Army of the Rhine was routed in northern Alsace. The fall of Strasbourg on 28 September 1870 allowed the German army under

August von Werder Karl Wilhelm Friedrich August Leopold Graf von Werder (12 September 1808 – 12 September 1887) was a Prussian general. Life and career Early life and assignments Werder was born in Schloßberg near Norkitten in the Province of East Prus ...

to move south against Belfort. Upon hearing of the approaching German army,

Pierre Philippe Denfert-Rochereau Pierre Philippe Marie Aristide Denfert-Rochereau, (11 January 1823 – 11 May 1878), was a French serviceman and politician. He achieved fame by successfully defending besieged Belfort during the Franco-Prussian War: this earned him the soubrique ...

, commander of Belfort, began constructing fortifications around the city, expanding those originally built by Vauban. Werder's forces reached Belfort and invested the city on 3 November. The intransigent resistance by the French forces stopped the Germans from completing an effective encirclement of the city. General

Charles Denis Bourbaki Charles Denis Sauter Bourbaki (22 April 1816, Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau – 22 September 1897, Bayonne) was a French general. Career Bourbaki was born at Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau, the son of Greek colonel Constantin Denis Bourb ...

assembled an army intending to relieve Belfort. On 15 January 1871 Bourbaki attacked Werder along the Lisaine River; however after a three-day battle he was repelled and his army retreated into Switzerland. German forces grew impatient with the length of the siege and on 27 January 1871, General von Tresckow launched an attack on the city which was repulsed and the siege operations resumed. On 15 February an armistice was signed between France and Germany. Louis Adolphe Thiers, president of the

Government of National Defense The Government of National Defense (french: Gouvernement de la Défense nationale) was the first government of the Third Republic of France from 4 September 1870 to 13 February 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was formed after the proclam ...

sent an urgent message to Denfert-Rochereau ordering him to surrender the fortress. On 18 February the Belfort garrison marched out of the city with the honours of war, taking their weapons and

baggage train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

with them. In recognition of the French defense of Belfort, under the terms of the Treaty of Frankfurt, the city and its surrounding area were not handed over to Germany, unlike the remainder of

. In 1880, the monumental Lion of Belfort sculpture was inaugurated in tribute to the defenders of the city.

References

*Howard, Michael ''The Franco Prussian War'' {{Coord, 47.6379, N, 6.8628, E, source:wikidata, display=title Belfort, Siege of Belfort, Siege of Belfort, Siege of

History of the Territoire de Belfort 1870 in France 1871 in France November 1870 events December 1870 events January 1871 events February 1871 events

See also

References