Pierre Philippe Marie Aristide Denfert-Rochereau, (; 11 January 1823 – 11 May 1878), was a French serviceman and politician. He achieved fame by successfully defending besieged

Belfort Belfort (; archaic , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

during the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

: this earned him the soubriquet The Lion of Belfort ( French: ''le lion de Belfort'').

Biography

Born in an upper-class, aristocratic Protestant family, he married a daughter of a leading

Montbéliard Montbéliard (; traditional ) is a town in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, about from the border with Switzerland. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department. History Montbéliard is ...

family, Pauline Surleau-Goguel. Denfert-Rochereau graduated from

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

in 1842. He distinguished himself during the French expedition in Rome in 1849, and participated in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

in 1855, where he was wounded at the taking of Malakoff. He was then sent to

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

from 1860 to 1864.

Siege of Belfort

France-90-Belfort-Place Republique-Denfert Rochereau

Appointed commander of Belfort in 1870, Colonel Denfert-Rochereau was confronted from November 1870 with the attack and the subsequent

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

of the city by the German armies under August von Werder. When asked to surrender the fortress, the Colonel responded: "We are aware of our duty towards France and the Republic, and are resolved to respect it". Refusing to permit the evacuation of the civilian population, in December 1870 the Germans started to shell the city. Denfert-Rochereau then led with his garrison of 15,000 men (of which only 3,500 were actual soldiers) and the city's population a 103 days resistance against the 40,000 soldiers of Werder. The heroic resistance would eventually end only under the order of the

Government of National Defense The Government of National Defense () was the first government of the Third Republic of France from 4 September 1870 to 13 February 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was formed after the proclamation of the Republic in Paris on 4 September ...

on the 18 February 1871: Denfert-Rochereau accepted to leave the stronghold with his troops and arms, freely and unconquered, avoiding the humiliation of a defeat. Refusing the armistice, he urged (de facto) President Thiers to pardon the young officer Louis-Nathaniel Rossel—also a Protestant— who had joined the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

after the French defeat. Rossel was nevertheless executed on 27 November 1871. The resistance of Denfert-Rochereau saved the honour of France, otherwise humiliated by MacMahon's defeat at Sedan and

Bazaine Bazaine is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adolphe Bazaine-Vasseur (1809–1893), French railway engineer * François Achille Bazaine François Achille Bazaine (13 February 181123 September 1888) was an officer of the Fren ...

' surrender at

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

. It also allowed Thiers to negotiate retention of the Belfort region which thereby was separated from the rest of German annexed-Alsace. A national hero, Denfert-Rochereau was elected to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

as a député. There he supported

Léon Gambetta Léon Gambetta (; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government. Early life and education Born in Cahors, ...

's policies. He died in Versailles in 1878, and was buried near his spouse in the Montbéliard Cemetery. The

Place Denfert-Rochereau The Place Denfert-Rochereau (), previously known as the Place d'Enfer, is a public square located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement of Paris, France, in the Montparnasse district, at the intersection of the boulevards Boule ...

in Paris (

14th arrondissement of Paris The 14th arrondissement of Paris ( ), officially named ''arrondissement de l'Observatoire'' (; meaning "arrondissement of the Observatory"; named after the Paris Observatory), is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris, ...

, in the

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. It is split betwee ...

district) was named after him in 1879, as well as other streets and places across France.

Sources

* Adolphe Robert, Gaston Cougny (1889–1891). ''Dictionnaire des parlementaires français de 1789 à 1889''. Edgard Bourloton. * Biography (in French) of Denfert-Rochereau on the Assemblée Nationale (French Parliament)'s website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denfert-Rochereau, Pierre Philippe 1823 births 1878 deaths French military personnel of the Crimean War French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Politicians of the French Third Republic French Protestants