Atlas of Battles

siege, major, nineteenth century

Siege of Metz

Siege of Metz was a siege conducted in 1870 at Metz, in what is now France. It was part of the Franco-Prussian War, which ran from 1870 to 1871. The recorded result: German victory. Recorded strength: Initially: 168,435; 642 field guns; September: 197,326 against 154,481; 694 field guns; 2,876 fortress guns.

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surrender of Metz
surrender of Metz. Conrad Freyberg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1870
WhereMetz, France49.120N, 6.178E
OutcomeGerman victory
BelligerentsNorth German Confederation; Prussia; Hesse-DarmstadtagainstFrench Empire
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, 187118701871Siege of Metz, 1870
65 placed engagements of the Franco-Prussian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1870 (year precision)
to 27 October 1870
PlaceMetz, France
49.120N, 6.178E
KindSiege, nineteenth century
Territorial changeMetz occupied by the allied German armies
StrengthInitially: 168,435; 642 field guns; September: 197,326154,481; 694 field guns; 2,876 fortress guns
Casualties and losses5,740 killed and wounded; 40,000 sick12,481 killed and wounded,; 193,000 men,; 622 field guns,; 2,876 fortress guns,; 72 mitrailleuses,; 260,000 rifles; captured
Commanders
Siege of MetzSiege of MetzBattle of BellevueBattle of MetzSiege of MetzSiege of MetzSiege of MetzBattle of BellevueStrasbourgLuxembourgMannheimSaarbrückenWiesbadenNancyFreiburgReims100 km49.120N, 6.178E
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 Siege of Metz
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Metz today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-11. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 194 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 151 to 371 m, 219 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 51% built-up, 33% tree cover, 9% grassland.

built-up: 51%tree cover: 33%grassland: 9%water: 4%cropland: 2%built-up 51%tree cover 33%grassland 9%water 4%cropland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km160 to 358 mnorth to south, 10.0 km160 to 197 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 11 times between AD 451 and 1944.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1870

Siege of Metz is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,383 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q688847, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Metz (1870), revision 1370743504, 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.