As one approached the battlefield, a sense of impending doom would hang in the air, a palpable tension that foreshadowed the carnage to come. The terrain was diverse, featuring rolling hills, dense forests, and open plains, all of which played a crucial role in the unfolding drama of the war. Fields of wheat and sunflowers, once symbols of life and vitality, were now trampled underfoot, replaced by muddy quagmires and the detritus of war.
The scars of battle were evident everywhere. Cratered landscapes bore testimony to the ferocity of artillery bombardments, with shattered trees and ruined buildings serving as somber reminders of the relentless shelling. Innumerable trenches, hastily dug by soldiers seeking shelter from the ceaseless rain of bullets, snaked their way through the earth like scars on the face of the land.
The stench of death hung heavily in the air, as the corpses of fallen soldiers and horses lay strewn across the battlefield, their pallid faces and empty eyes staring blankly into the sky. The groans of the wounded, left to languish in makeshift field hospitals, pierced the eerie silence of the war-torn landscape.
Ravaged villages and towns, their buildings reduced to rubble, added to the desolation of the scene. The shattered remnants of homes and churches served as both physical and symbolic markers of the toll exacted by the conflict on civilian populations. Inhabitants who hadn’t fled were left to eke out a meager existence amidst the ruins, their lives forever changed by the horrors they had witnessed.
Hi everyone and welcome back to the dark history podcast where we explore the darkest parts of human history. hope everyone is well I’m Rob your host as always. Welcome to the new episode, The Franco-Prussian War, The battlefield of the Franco-Prussian War was a harrowing and haunting landscape, marked by the devastation and brutality of 19th-century warfare. Stretching across northeastern France, particularly around areas like Sedan and Metz, this war zone bore witness to a clash of two formidable European powers in the summer and autumn of 1870. The War was a clash of industrialized warfare meets 19th-century military tactics. It was a place where the old world of cavalry charges and colorful uniforms met the new world of rapid-firing rifles and artillery, leaving behind a life scarred by death, destruction, and despair.
Now this war is quite obscure nowadays, but I'm not bringing this to your attention to be some sort of hipster, oh no, my dear listeners, this war should be known far and wide not lost to the pages of time. You see this war would create scars, wounds and grudges that would fester until the world was set on a path to the war to end all wars and have massive ramifications for the Second World War. So without further ado please sit back and relax next to the fire for more dark history.
Europe in 1870 was characterized by The Industrial Revolution, which began in the late 18th century. Industrialization had transformed many aspects of European society, leading to urbanization, technological advancements, and changes in the labor force. Major industrial centers had emerged, particularly in Britain, Belgium, France, and Germany. Europe was experiencing rapid technological progress. The spread of railways and telegraph networks facilitated communication and transportation. Scientific discoveries and inventions, including the electric telegraph and steam engines, were reshaping industries and daily life.
For All this technological and social advancement Europe was still on a knife edge. By now Europe was a mosaic of nation-states and empires. Some of the prominent political entities included the British Empire, the Russian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the German Confederation. Many regions were still under the rule of monarchs or emperors, and absolute monarchies were not uncommon.
The 19th century was a period of rising nationalism across Europe. Various ethnic and cultural groups were advocating for greater autonomy or independence from larger empires. This sentiment would eventually lead to the unification of Italy and Germany during this period, as well as nationalist movements in places like Ireland and Poland.
In 1870 it was a mere 55 years since the end of the Napoleonic wars. on 20 November 1815, formally ended the war bring peace back to Europe. The Bourbon monarchy was restored once more, napoleon was exiled St Helena until his dead in 1821. With the The signing of the Treaty of Paris victors, Britain, France, Spain and Russia, to name a few, began the Congress of Vienna to restore peace to Europe. One player that was at that time was Prussia.
Prussia had poked its head over the proverbial parapet that was the intertwined 39 states of the holy roman empire, and cermented its self as Europe's newest and smallest super power.
Small and new it may have been but Prussia was in no way shape or form weak. It had joined the Napoleonic wars in the dying embers of the war to help dismantle the french empire. At the end of the fighting Prussia was gifted a piece of the pie and it became, along with Austria, a pole power in the region and lifted its self out of the ashes of the holy roman empire.
As always in France the monarchy did last long. On 24 February 1848, during the February 1848 Revolution, King Louis Philippe abdicated in favour of his nine-year-old grandson, Philippe, comte de Paris. Fearful of what had happened to the deposed Louis XVI, Louis Philippe quickly left Paris under disguise. He rode in an ordinary cab under the name of "Mr. Smith". He fled to England with his wife on board a packet boat offered to him by the British consul at Le Havre.
The National Assembly of France initially planned to accept young Philippe as king, but the strong current of public opinion rejected that. Here we introduce our first protagonist in this convoluted web of events. On 26 February, the Second Republic was proclaimed. Louis Napoléon Bonaparte was elected president on 10 December 1848. Napoleon was the nephew of the OG Napoleon. He was a pompous, ridiculous man who had spent year trying to worm his way into power.
Of course it turned out the apple didn't quite fall far from the tree and he was your classic authoritarian. Louis would overthrowing the government in a coup, in 1851 declaring himself president for life then later, in 1852, he declared himself emperor Napoleon III. The people believe this was the return of absolute french power in Europe something that had been taken after the Napoleonic wars.
Under Napoleon III France entered into a hyperactive foreign policy that gave France win after win. The crimean war saw France slap the Russian empire onto it's backside, the second war of Italian unification which saw Louis Napoleon humiliate the Austrians and become guarantor of the Paple states. These wars restored Frances prestige in Europe but they also gave our pompous emperor a false sense of security, he believed his army was unmatched and the best in the world and he a military genius on par with his uncle, and to be fair he was right. The French army was a baemouth sporting the cutting edge of military technology. Even the new shiny Prussia was wary of France. France under Napoleon III was mighty. Unfortunately by 1861 power began to fade. France had lead an ill fated invasion of Mexico, forming the second Mexican empire, by 1867 the project has collapsed and the might French we're kicked in the nuts by a bunch of Mexican irregular. Why France turned a blind eye to it's weaknesses, others did not.
E Just across the border, in the German confederation, the tapestry of independent states, each with its own unique identity, ruler, and political system disecended on Frankfurt in 1848. With the fires of nationalism burning the states wanted to unify into one giant German empire, something that would bringthe downfall of the mighty Prussia. But in the end the Parliament dreams were dashed and order was restored. The Prussian King Friedrich Whillem IV declined the proposition to become a hamstrung emperor for a chance to rule his state as an absolute monarch.
The year 1852 found this region at a crossroads, as it grappled with political fragmentation, burgeoning nationalism, and the early stirrings of industrialization. Germany as a whole was a million miles.
But, the collapse of 1848 revolutions did not kill the idea of a unified Germany it just came from an unlikely source. Drum roll please, here is our second protagonist.
Otto von Bismark was your archetypal Prussian conservative, big, burle and had a love for his king that was unwavering. 1848 was a giant heart attack of libralism for bismark. By the time he was made Prussian minister president in 1862, he'd had a change of heart. He realised the a unified Germany was inevitably, so he needed to make sure Prussia and the capital Berlin was at the seat of power. Thus being a succession of goading countries into war and stomping the shit out of them. The second Schleswig war saw Austria and Prussia team up against Denmark in 1864 taking the disputed Schleswig and Holstein dutchies. Then the 7 weeks war which saw Prussia turn it's artillery on it's allie Austria in 1866, leaving Vienna broken and bloody. which excluded the Habsburgs, the traditional dynastic family of Germany and allowed Prussia to gobble up a plethora of Austrian allies. Then bismark ordered the states north of the river manie into the north German Confederation with Prussia in charge of course. By 1870 Prussia had become a major player in European politics something which France did not like.
There were numerous mitigating circumstances that contributed to the Franco-Prussian War. Throughout much of the 19th century, the political relationship between Prussia (Germany) and France was characterized by animosity. Prior to the Prussian 7 weeks war against Austria, Napoeon III had hinted to Bismark that he may need something in return for Frances neutrality in the conflict. Bismark hinted back that maybe France could take Luxembourg, then part of the German Confederation. When Napoleon came to cash in his chips in match 1867, Bismark denied all knowledge of the agreement. This metaphoric slapping of Paris almost lead to war and the idea of France marching across the rhine and punching Prussia sqaire in the nose became a national obsession.
Unfortunately for France, by now Prussia wasn't a small newly formed mishmash of germanic states, oh no it was a tried and tested battle-hardened country with an equally competent military.
Tension between the two principalities reached its peak in 1868 when the Prussians suggested that Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern be installed as the new king in Spain. The French authorities, of course though this would be as uncomfortable as a parahna enema and were strongly opposed to this suggestion, due to the potential for Prussian influence to spread to other regions surrounding France.
Leopold expressed a lack of interest in attaining the Spanish throne. However, one of the direct Franco-Prussian War causes was the alteration of an important document that led to a misunderstanding between France and Prussia.
On July the 13th 1870, the French ambassador accosted the Prussian king at the spa town of Bad ems and basically demanded that he stopped being a penis, the king refused and that was that.
Of course it wasn't, the report of the meeting landed on Bismarks desk and this would known as the Ems Dispatch. Like a naughty moustached school child bismark purposefully edited the telegram in order to create the impression that insults had been exchanged between France and Prussia. France had been looking for an excuse to enter into an armed conflict with Prussia in order to reestablish its influence and power in continental Europe. Both the Prussian and French press fueled the animosity between the two nations by publishing pro-war articles.
Despite the depletion of the French army due to armed conflicts in other regions of continental Europe, France declared war on Prussia on July 19, 1870.
France believe that alliances with Austria and maybe even Italy would come to fruition. France and Austria who had been mortal enemy for centuries were now tiptoeing into a pact but this wasn't the case and Austria declared neutrality a day after the declaration.
On the other hand, Prussia possessed a highly disciplined and much larger military force. Males were conscripted for military service from the entire Prussian population. This allowed the Prussian army to mobilize their troops more efficiently through the use of railways. On top of all of this the southern states of Germany, such as Bavaria that had held out on German unification finally crumbled and joined the Prussia juggernaut.
As war was declared, the world only saw a crushing victory for France. Aside from it's advanced military tech, it's army was massive. Even when you take into account France had men all over the globe and the rich paying off recruiters so their sons didn't have to fight, it was still huge. So conferdand of victory, Napoleon III placed himself as commander of the armed forces. What Napoleon didn't know was his men wouldn't be marching to Berlin they would be marching to a slaughterhouse.
The germans mobilised so quickly that 350,000 men were at the frontline before 3 weeks had elapsed. The French, on the other hand, were slow to do so, which gave them a disadvantage which they would never recover.
Hostilities began on August the 4th 1870, 70,000 Germans attacked a small French garrison at Wissenbourg. The French 10 times smaller then there attacker were slaughtered, But this was just a snippet to the nightmare to come. Two days later, the battle of Worth was the first time the French realised they were not going to Berlin. The army under field Marshall Patrice de Macmahon was smashed, then following that Alsace was abandoned as was Lorraine.
So I must interject here, the Franco Prussian war is kind of a misleading name, it was Germany as a hole against France, lead by Prussia so it make sense to say germans in a general sense and Prussians when talking about actual Prussians, if you get my drift.
Anyway the next big battle came at Mars la Tour, there on the 16th of August 1870, 15,000 people were killed countless more wounded and there was a complete retreat of the French army.
As I tell you this tale you’d be forgiven to think that the German forces were systematically ripping there way through France unopposed but this wasn't the case. Germany suffered horribly as well, at mars la Tour the German side suffered staggering casualty, worse still the battle of Gravelotte on the 18th of August, the Pussians had a first unfortunate meeting with the French rapid fireing weaponry. 8,000 Prussians of the guard core were mowed down in 20 minutes. Alas even with this seeming extermination of troops the general tide of the war was in German favor and the French lost the battle at Gravelotte and we're force to Metz.
The catastrophe that befell the French at Mars La tour and Gravelotte were nothing compared to what was to come. By the end of the 18th of August the army of the Rhine and their leader marshall Francois Bazaine we're completely cut off in the town of Metz.
This was such a catastrophe indeed that l field marshall Macmahon took his army to save them accompanied by Napoleon III himself. This heroic action would only compound the French misery.
on August the 31st this armywas also cut off at the town of Sedan. At sun rise on the 1st of September 1870, bismarck and the Prussian king took their place on a hill to watch the carnage unfold in the wars biggest battle.
At 4am Prussian troops burst into the town to meet the French who had arranged themselves at the citadel. At first the battle was gritty with troops battling it out house to house in a bloody stalemate, but then Macmahon was wounded, two generals each tried to take command sending out contradictory orders and dooming the French army to a bloody farce.
Men were walking around aimlessly or head on into energy fire. With the force in disarray, the generals failed to see the Prussian pincer movement catching them
In it's grip. With this what ever discipline was left in the French rank evaporated. As artillery shells rained down on their heads, the French troops stampeded for the fortress, withing this crushing melee many were killed. By 6 pm Napoleon III acknowledge the inevitable and wrote “by not being able to die in the mist of my troops, it only remains for to place my sword in your Majesty's hands. The next day bismark met the emperor to accept his unconditional surrender. 80,000 troops were taken prisoner along with the emperor.
Back in Metz The French calculated they had enough food for 70,000 civilians for three and a half months and five months worth of provisions for a regular garrison. Because the entire Army of the Rhine was trapped in the fortress, the provisions only lasted for 41 days and the oats for 25. The Germans brought up 50 heavy siege guns from Germany to bombard Metz, but the fortress was too heavily stocked with artillery and well-built for it to be taken with the means available to the Germans. Unable to silence the fortress guns sufficiently to conduct siege operations, the besiegers opted to starve out the trapped French army. By September, about 25% of the 197,326-strong German siege force still lacked proper accommodations and the sick list in military hospitals grew to 40,000 men. The Germans supplemented their meat rations with tinned food. The French situation was much worse, with riots breaking out among the starving army and city residents.
On 20 October, the food provisions of the fortress ran out and the French Army of the Rhine began to eat the flesh of sum 20,000 horses, which were consumed at a rate of 1,000 per day.Bazaine was forced to surrender his entire army on 27 October because of starvation. The Prussians offered the honors of war to the defeated French army, but, contrary to usual practice, Bazaine refused. The French lost 167,000 enlisted men and 6,000 officers taken to prisoner-of-war camps on 27 October, as well as 20,000 sick who temporarily stayed behind in Metz.Material losses were enormous and amounted to 622 field guns, 2,876 fortress guns, 72 mitrailleuses, 137,000 chassepots rifles, 123,000 other small arms, vast stores of ammunition and 56 French Imperial Eagles, all captured by the Germans.The Germans lost 5,500 enlisted men and 240 officers killed and wounded, as well as large numbers of sick.
Even though Napoleon surrendered at Sedan the events at Metz continued. Once word of his surrender reached Paris he was stripped of his titles and overthrown by the government, bringing the third French republic.
The foreign minister Jules Favre was dispatched to offer Bismark term including a payment of 200 million franc’s but it turns out Favre misjudge the situation rather then negotiate Bismark demanded Alsaes and Lorraine as the price of peace. Favre, insulted, promptly ended negotiations continuing the war, leading to over four more months of fighting and the seige of Paris.
The heavily fortified capital was to difficult to take with brute force so the germans didn't even try. On the 19th of September 1870, the germans completed its formation of a huge unbroken circle that cut Paris off from the world. The People from surrounding villages that fled into the city for sanctuary further swelled the population, 80 days of food was stockpiled for the entire population.
When metz finally fell it spelt doom for the city of lights. The last remaining French army had been captured and there was no hope of lifting the seige. The troops inside and around Paris had tried and failed before to lift the siege but it was the army in Metz that was seen as the last bastion of hope which had now be mercilessly snuffed out.
Not long after this the capitals food stores ran out, pair that with the bone chillingliy fridgid winter of 1870 and you have one bleek outlook.
The cities population bitten by the cold and staved of nutrition turned to more and more creative meas for sustenance. The cities horse were killed and eaten, next the zoo animals, then the cats and dogs and finally people would eat rats and they were the lucky ones. For the poor of Paris rat meat had become unaffordable, this meal had always been reserved for the lowest of the low, had been catapulted to and unreachable luxury.
It was into this cesspit of hunger and frost bite that the first shells began to fall. Bismark had ordered the bombardment in December of 1870, to the dismay of his advisors who were sure the hunger would force Paris into submission. On the 5th January 1871 bismark ordered hundreds of shells to fall on Paris from dusk till dawn. For a month they fired every night raining down some 12,000 shells. Surprisingly only 97 people were killed in this attack due to the germans not using explosive shells, but the mental toll on the populous was hell, the gruelling relentless slog of the winter, no food and now no sleep, it was almost unbearable.
In one final attempt the French army tried to break the seige. 100,000 men went out but they were beaten back and defeated. After the latest failure the French government had no where to go. On the 27th of January 1871 Paris surrendered in returned for the disarming of the French army and surrender of Paris bismark lifted the seige. In total 50,000 people had died as a result.
At the end of the war bismark magnanimous in victory allowed food back into Paris, he also sat at the table with the new French government and talked of peace, but at what cost? Bismark took Alsase and a huge chunk of Lorraine and an eye watering sum on 5 billion francs. In total the Franco Prussian war saw almost a million casualties.
Thank you everyone for taking the time out of your day to listen to this dark and rather long episode. With the title and opening section I've eluded to world war one and two and yes I haven't really touch that yet, well you all probably know the story of the start of world war 1 well The Franco-Prussian War was one of the contributing causes for WWI. Germany gained confidence and increased its aggression as a result of its victory in the war. France wanted to restore its honor and regain the territory of Alsace-Lorraine back from the Germans. These two factors played an important role in the start of WWI. Also the treaty of Versatile which ended world war one was somewhat crushingly unfair towards Germany well the reason why stems from the treaty that ended the Franco Prussian. In 1918 France was out for revenge for the humiliation it had endured in 1871. It wanted Germany to suffer it wanted a crash of the mark it wanted alsase and Lorraine back.
This would in turn start the next cycle of violence and birth the rise of the nazi party. If it wasn't for the treat of Frankfurt in 1871, the French would not have unleashed their decades old festering hatred by making a war in the Balkans a continental wide fight, it would have not been so harsh in 1918, it would not have forced crushing poverty on the wiemar republic, in fact the wiemar republic wouldn't have excisted and we would never have seen the rise of a silly little man with a stupid moustache.
Not only did this semi obscure war have ramifications in the world wars it also forge the creation of the German empire, gave it the ways and means to mobilise it's army rapidly which we would see with deverststing effect in 1914. The war also brought about the unification of Italy. With no French protection for the pope, king Victor Emmanuel marched into Rome ending the 1116 year reign of the Paple states and formed the country of Italy.
As the spooky season is upon us the next couple of episodes will come with a more scary vibe, you will hear about the most gruesome executions people have endured, haunted places, the history behind and other terrifying tears.
Anyway, that is for another time. please drop us a review on the show it helps the podcast out. If you think friends and family may be interested in the podcast then share it with them. Links to all socials are below. Don't forget if you want to support the channel the link to the show's patron is below also. I hope you will be able to support the show but if not that is completely fine. The Patreon podcast is now live and there are 4 episodes up already. They are on the £2 and £5 tiers Hopefully you can go on over and give those a listen. As always If you’ve been listening for a while and not subscribed please do it that way you never miss an episode. So with all that out the way Thank you again for listening. Join us next time, for our next episode, as we delve into another event and more dark history
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