Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, nineteenth century

Battle of Sedan

Battle of Sedan was a battle fought on 1 September 1870 at arrondissement of Sedan, in what is now France; it lasted 1 day. It was part of the Franco-Prussian War, which ran from 1870 to 1871. The recorded result: German victory; Capture of Napoleon III; Fall of the Second French Empire. Recorded strength: 200,000 against 120,000–130,000.

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Historical map of the campaign by Sedan
Historical map of the campaign by Sedan. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1 September 1870lasted 1 day
Wherearrondissement of Sedan, France49.699N, 4.946E
OutcomeGerman victory; Capture of Napoleon III; Fall of the Second French Empire
BelligerentsNorth German Confederation; Kingdom of Prussia; Kingdom of Saxony; Kingdom of BavariaagainstSecond French Empire
Casualties and losses1,310 killed; 6,443 wounded; 2,107 missingand3,220 killed; 14,811 wounded; 104,000 captured
Part ofFranco-Prussian War1870 to 1871

Where it sits in the Franco-Prussian War

Siege of Metz, 1870Second Battle of Orléans, 1870Siege of Thionville, 1870Lichtenberg Siege, 1870Siege of Marsal, 1870Battle of Saarbrücken, 1870Battle of Wissembourg, 1870Battle of Spicheren, 1870Battle of Wörth, 1870Siege of Bitche, 1870Siege of Phalsbourg, 1870Battle of Borny-Colombey, 1870Battle of Mars-la-Tour, 1870Siege of Strasbourg, 1870Siege of Toul, 1870Battle of Gravelotte, 1870Battle of Buzancy, 1870Battle of Nouart, 1870Battle of Beaumont, 1870Battle of Noisseville, 1870Battle of Bazeilles, 1870Battle of Sedan, 1870Siege of Montmédy, 1870Battle of Montmesly, 1870Siege of Paris, 1870First Battle of Châtillon, 1870Battle of Sceaux, 1870Battle of Chevilly, 1870Battle of Nompatelize, 1870Battle of Saint-Quentin, 1870Battle of Artenay, 1870Siege of Verdun, 1870Battle of Châtillon, 1870Siege of Neu-Breisach, 1870Battle of Bellevue, 1870Battle of Châteaudun, 1870Battle of Buzenval, 1870Battle of Dijon, 1870Battle of Le Bourget, 1870Siege of Belfort, 1870Siege of La Fère, 1870Battle of Coulmiers, 1870Battle of Havana, 1870Siege of Mézières, 1870Battle of Amiens, 1870Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande, 1870Battle of Villiers, 1870Battle of Choisy-le-Roi, 1870Battle of Villepion, 1870Battle of Loigny-Poupry, 1870Battle of Beaugency, 1870Battle of Longeau, 1870Battle of Nuits, 1870Second Battle of Le Bourget, 1870Battle of Hallue, 1870Siege of Péronne, 1870Battle of Pontarlier, 1871Battle of Bapaume, 1871Battle of Villersexel, 1871Battle of Le Mans, 1871Battle of the Lisaine, 1871Battle of Saint-Jean-sur-Erve, 1871Battle of Saint-Melaine, 1871Battle of St. Quentin, 1871Battle of Buzenval, 187118701871Battle of Sedan, 1870
65 placed engagements of the Franco-Prussian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1 September 1870
to 2 September 1870
Placearrondissement of Sedan, France
49.699N, 4.946E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength200,000120,000–130,000
Casualties and losses1,310 killed; 6,443 wounded; 2,107 missing3,220 killed; 14,811 wounded; 104,000 captured
Commanders
Battle of SedanBattle of SedanBattle of the MeuseBattle of SedanBattle of La MarféeBattle of BazeillesBattle of StonneBattle of StonneBrusselsLilleSaarbrückenBonnMetzCharleroiNancyReims100 km49.699N, 4.946E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Sedan
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Sedan today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-09-07. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 153 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 359 m, 359 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 37% tree cover, 27% grassland, 17% built-up.

tree cover: 37%grassland: 27%built-up: 17%cropland: 16%water: 2%tree cover 37%grassland 27%built-up 17%cropland 16%water 2%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 242 mnorth to south, 10.0 km148 to 253 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 1641 and 1940.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1870

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: GER 2ND & 3RD ARMIESDefender: FR ARMY OF ALSACE
Strength200,000120,000
Casualties9,000 (4.5%)38,000 (31.7%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1093
Outcomeattacker won
Duration1 day
Front width13 km13 km
Attacker advanced0.8 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 225), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Sedan is one of 3,694 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,495 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q156681, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Sedan, revision 1381666030, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.