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Commencement of the Siege

When
19 September 1870
Where
Paris
Part of
Siege of Paris begins; balloon mail leaves the city

Prussian forces began the siege of Paris on 19 September 1870, following the defeat of the French army at Sedan.

The siege started on 19 September 1870, as Prussian forces encircled the city. This followed the decisive defeat of French forces at Sedan on 2 September, which resulted in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III. The blockade isolated Paris, leading to a prolonged conflict lasting over four months.

Sources

  1. Franco-Prussian War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-07
  2. Siege of Paris (1870–1871) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.