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The Siege of Paris occurred from 19 September 1870 to 28 January 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War, when the allied German armies under Emperor Wilhelm I besieged and captured the French capital of Paris.

History[]

After their victory at Sedan, the Prussians haded for Paris. A defense of the capital was prepared under the leadership of General Louis-Jules Trochu. Although Trochu's forces were poor, the fortifications around Paris were formidable. In early October firebrand Leon Gambetta left Paris by balloon to organize the Armies of National Defense in the provinces. The Prussians were obliged to mount campaigns against these forces, while their lines of communication came under attack from guerrillas (francs-tireurs), provoking reprisals against the civilian population. Trochu mounted a series of sorties from the Paris defenses that were all repulsed. On 5 January the Prussians began bombarding Paris with heavy siege guns, but this, if anything, stiffened the morale of the population. Famine was taking hold, however, and the last major breakout attempt on 18 January failed with heavy losses. The provincial armies were also being routed after a few spirited successes. An armistice was agreed to on 28 January. In the ensuing peace agreement the newly founded German Empire, proclaimed at Versailles, took Alsace and most of Lorraine from France and extorted massive reparations payments from the defeated country.

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