Franco-Prussian War

Historical eventSeptember 21870

Franco-Prussian War

Franco-Prussian War: Prussian forces captured Napoleon III at the Battle of Sedan, which led to the collapse of the Second French Empire within days.

Everything on September 2Original source
Photo: PHGCOM · CC BY-SA 3.0

In context

When
Friday, September 2 1870156 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1870s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: 1870-07-19 – 1871-01-28.

Catalyst / how it started

Causes Main article: Causes of the Franco-Prussian War Map of the North German Confederation (red), four southern German states (orange) and Alsace–Lorraine (beige) The causes of the Franco-Prussian War are rooted in the events surrounding the lead up to the unification of the German states under Otto von Bismarck . France had gained the status of being the dominant power of continental Europe as a result of the Franco-Austrian War of 1859 . During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the Empress Eugénie ,

What happened

The Franco-Prussian War, occasionally known as the Franco-German War, and sometimes referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between France and the North German Confederation led by Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 January 1871, the conflict was caused primarily by France's determination to reassert its dominant position in continental Europe, which appeared in question following the decisive Prussian victory over Austria in 1866.

September 2 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1870Franco-Prussian War
  2. 2011Chilean Air Force
  3. 2013Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge
  4. 2018National Museum of Brazil fire
  5. 2019Hurricane Dorian
  6. 2019Sinking of MV Conception
  7. 20222022 Herat mosque bombing
  8. 2023Aditya-L1
  9. 2024Chicago "L"
  10. 20242024 Qala Bakhtiar bombing
  11. 20242024 Makala jailbreak attempt

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Everything we record for 1870 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Franco-Prussian War”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/franco-prussian-war-1870-september-2, accessed October 25, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Franco-Prussian War happen?

September 2 1870 — 156 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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