Bazeilles

The Battle of Bazeilles was fought on 1 September 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War as a portion of the larger Battle of Sedan and was one of the first battles to feature modern urban warfare tactics. It took place in Bazeilles, France, a small village in the department of Ardennes near Sedan, and involved a force of Bavarian soldiers battling against French marines and partisans. The battle was, in effect, an ambush of the Bavarians (who were allies of the Prussians), by a small detachment of the "Blue Division" Troupes de marine (known also as marsouins), under the command of Élie de Vassoigne. Marsouin snipers, along with local guerrillas, fired on the Bavarian troops using quick-firing Chassepot breech-loading rifles. Although outnumbered ten to one, the French held the village until Napoleon III gave orders to withdraw. A small group under commander Arsène Lambert remained in the last house on the road to Sedan, the Auberge Bourgerie, fighting to the last bullet in order to cover the retreat.After seven hours of conflict, the Bavarian troops took the village, and the captured Franc-tireur partisans, along with other civilians who were considered unlawful combatants, were later executed. Later that same day, France suffered crushing defeats at the Battle of Sedan where Napoleon III and his army were captured. Coupled with the loss of another French army at Metz, these battles effectively ended Napoleon III's Empire, ushering in the Third Republic. For several months, people of the new republic saw continued partisan warfare. General de Vassoigne famously remarked on the French soldiers involved in the battle, "The troupes de marine fought beyond the extreme limits of duty."The anniversary of the Battle of Bazeilles is now celebrated by the Troupes de marine.

La Moncelle (French pronunciation: [la mɔ̃sɛl]) is a former commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. On 1 January 2024, it was merged into the commune of Bazeilles.

Balan (French pronunciation: [balɑ̃]) is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region of northern France. The commune has been awarded three flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.

The Chiers (French pronunciation: [ʃjɛʁ]; Luxembourgish: Kuer, German: Korn) is a river in Luxembourg, Belgium and France. It is a right tributary of the Meuse. The total length of the Chiers is approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi), of which 127 km (79 mi) in France.The source of the Chiers is near Differdange, in Luxembourg. The Chiers flows roughly in western direction, and crosses the border with Belgium and flows through Athus (province of Luxembourg). It then crosses the border with France, flows through Longwy and Longuyon (Meurthe-et-Moselle) and forms the border with Belgium for a few kilometres near Torgny (in the municipality of Rouvroy). It continues through France, along Montmédy (Meuse) and Carignan (Ardennes). The Chiers flows into the Meuse at Bazeilles, near Sedan. The main tributaries of the Chiers are the Loison and the Othain, along with smaller tributaries like the Aulnois.

The canton of Sedan-3 is an administrative division of the Ardennes department, northern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Sedan.It consists of the following communes:

Daigny (French pronunciation: [dɛɲi]) is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.

Remilly-Aillicourt (French pronunciation: [ʁəmiji ajikuʁ]) is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.

Sedan Synagogue, located on Avenue Philippoteaux, Sedan, Ardennes, Northern France, was built by the Jewish community in 1878. Although the Jews were deported during World War II, the synagogue survived.

The Jardin botanique de Sedan is a botanical garden and city park located on Philippoteaux Avenue beside the Place d'Alsace-Lorraine, Sedan, Ardennes, Champagne-Ardenne, France. It is open daily without charge. The garden was established in 1875 upon the demolition of the Bourbon bastion, with its plan drawn up by René Richer. A statue of Paul et Virginie beneath an umbrella, battered in the cyclone of 1905, still graces the garden. Today it contains mature trees (beech, maple, chestnut), magnolias, a rose garden with more than 50 varieties, a collection of hydrangeas, a bandstand, and a pool with fish, swans, and ducks.

Wadelincourt (French pronunciation: [vadlɛ̃kˈuʁ]) is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.

Sedan Castle (French: Château de Sedan) is a castle situated in Sedan, France, near the river Meuse. Covering an area of 35,000 square metres (380,000 sq ft) in its seven floors.

The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, though fighting continued under a new French government. The 130,000 strong French Army of Châlons, commanded by Marshal Patrice de MacMahon and accompanied by Napoleon III, was attempting to lift the siege of Metz, only to be caught by the Prussian Fourth Army and defeated at the Battle of Beaumont on 30 August. Commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Helmuth von Moltke and accompanied by Prussian King Wilhelm I and Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the Fourth Army and the Prussian Third Army encircled MacMahon's army at Sedan in a battle of annihilation. Marshal MacMahon was wounded during the attacks and command passed to General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot, until assumed by General Emmanuel Félix de Wimpffen. Bombarded from all sides by German artillery and with all breakout attempts defeated, the French Army of Châlons capitulated on 2 September, with 104,000 men passing into German captivity along with 558 guns. Napoleon III was taken prisoner, while the French government in Paris continued the war and proclaimed a Government of National Defense on 4 September. The German armies besieged Paris on 19 September.