The siege of Metz (17 January – 10 April 1814) was a siege of the French city of
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...
during the
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...
at the end of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. It pitted French forces under General
Pierre François Joseph Durutte against Prussian, Russian and Hessian troops commanded by the Russian General
Dimitri Mikhailovich Youzefovitch. The allied force began the siege on 17 January 1814 and eventually lifted it on 10 April the same year, without having taken the city.
Course
After the
German campaign, Napoleon's army retreated onto French soil. From November 1813 the wounded from the
Grande Armée were sent to Metz and soon its hospitals were at saturation point - the military hospital at Fort Moselle alone took in more than 1,800 men, whilst Metz's town hall, its new lycée, its 'grand séminaire' (great seminary) and most of its churches were all transformed into field hospitals. The city soon also had to house 30,000 men.
The siege began on 3 January and by 17 January the city was fully blockaded. Based at
Ars-sur-Moselle
Ars-sur-Moselle (, literally ''Ars on Moselle''; german: Ars an der Mosel) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
History
Ars-sur-Moselle was a part of Germany, in the imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine ...
, Youzefovitch commanded an allied force of Prussians and Russians. He sent parties dangerously close to the city's fortifications to test its weak points, but little by little the blockade loosened, allowing the French to leave the besieged city. Durutte even managed to send out a diversionary expedition near the city, executing a pivoting manoeuvre from
Sarrelouis to
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
, passing
Thionville
Thionville (; ; german: Diedenhofen ) is a city in the northeastern French department of Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.
History
Thionville was settled as early as the time of th ...
,
Longwy
Longwy (; older german: Langich, ; lb, label= Luxemburgish, Lonkech) is a commune in the French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine, administrative region of Grand Est, northeastern France.
The inhabitants are known as ''Longoviciens'' ...
and
Montmédy. Returning to Metz, Durutte learned of
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's abdication. By now the siege was merely nominal and it was officially lifted on 10 April.
Notes
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Metz, Siege of
Battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition
Sieges of the Napoleonic Wars
Sieges involving France
Sieges involving Prussia
Sieges involving Russia
Conflicts in 1814
January 1814 events
February 1814 events
March 1814 events
April 1814 events
1814 in France
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...