What happened at the Battle of Sedan in 1870?

The Battle of Sedan, fought on September 1, 1870, was a decisive engagement during the Franco-German War that resulted in a catastrophic defeat for France.12

After being outmaneuvered by German forces, the French army—led by Marshal Patrice de Mac-Mahon and accompanied by Emperor Napoleon III—attempted to relieve besieged troops at Metz. Instead, they were encircled and trapped by more than 200,000 German troops under General Helmuth von Moltke at the fortress town of Sedan.132

Pinned against the Belgian border and subjected to intense artillery fire from German positions on the surrounding high ground, the French position became untenable. On September 2, 1870, Napoleon III surrendered to the German King William I. The defeat led to the collapse of the Second French Empire, the proclamation of the Third Republic, and was a pivotal step toward the unification of Germany.124