The Franco-Prussian War FULLY Explained! (1870) | Documentary

[@Curious-Minds]

Fricking epic. One of the best blow by blow account of the Franco Prussian war. For all those pointing out the mispronounced words, my dudes, he just made an epic documentary of almost two hours, full of detail. This is a mounmental feat.

[@NardoVogt]

What a beast of a film you put together. I walk every day past the warriors memorial in my home town on the fallen of the Franco Prussian war - even have a ancestor by marriage as a casualty mentioned there - and never ever had an as detailed yet compact learning experience as this one. Congratulations

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!!

[@stoop..kid..]

What is an “ancestor by marriage?” You mean your spouse’s ancestor?

[@NardoVogt]

@@stoop..kid.. correct. I know, hardly counts, but my family basically did its blood letting in both of the big 'ones.

[@bradchristo1]

Excellent work my man. Shocked that you only have this many views. Keep at it , I’m sure your channel is about to explode

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!! That would be cool, but as long as I have dedicated subs who love to talk history I’m good!

[@peachjwp]

Superb depiction of the war and By far the clearest picture of the key battles of the war. I’ve read two histories and this really clarifies in detail the disposition of the armies and fighting. Maps were excellent, as well as troop moments. Many thanks!!

[@mattosullivan9687]

The Prussians studied the American Civil War. the French did not. The Prussians looked at train transport and logistics much more than the French did.

[@Benito-Musolesi]

In 1870, franco-PRUSSIAN war frency lost all battles .... like always.... The only victories in 1870 were made by Italian General Garibaldi and his Italian soldiers

[@sionbarzad5371]

"Like always" please, you don't know your history and it shows.

[@Benito-Musolesi]

@@sionbarzad5371 Macronoid Francerast Petite Petain le collaborateur

[@mattosullivan9687]

@@sionbarzad5371 I am sure you and all of your 1 subscriber agree. You have a right to express yourself have a good one

[@pansarskott1]

Trains and logistics had already been used in the Crimean war in the early 1850s. It was not a American invention, same as the ironclads wich the US also claims they were first with, used in the 1840s in the opium-wars

[@KyleYoutube-d2t]

I’m new to this channel this is my first video. This video has everything I want and leaves me missing nothing. I think you’ve found the winning formula congratulations on your masterpiece!

[@patrickjeffers7864]

"Calvary" killing me😂😂..but great vid besides

[@contexthistorychannel]

My brain has always messed up that pronunciation haha no clue why

[@DPRK_Best_Korea]

His pronunciation is atrocious in general.

[@hazchemel]

Haha glad you mentioned it. I thought I was hearing Calvary, but countered myself, thinking that any swap from one word to another always went the other way viz, Calvary to cavalry. 😮

[@contexthistorychannel]

Oh yeah pronunciation has always been a kryptonite of mine haha my poor school teachers tried their best

[@breider1116]

Agreed

[@Gawainer]

This is the best analysis of this war I've ever come across. Great job!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!!! I appreciate it!

[@mrboo3049]

​@@contexthistorychannel Sir can the FRENCH EMPIRE will have a same success if somehow the FRENCH went to war againts the ZULUS .. can the FRENCH EMPIRE will have more success than the BRITISH. Since their weapons in artillery are more advanced than all the armies in the 1860's

[@ParameterGrenze]

went through it in several stages. great stuff, i love long comprehensive videos like this. may the algorithm favor your effort.

[@henrikschmidt3964]

I have no military background and never really studied it. So this video was great for my educating myself a little further. I definitely know more about this war than before. The graphics are really helpful.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you! A lot of attention to detail went into this! My goal is to make the info very easy to digest

[@jonpato]

This is by far the best video I've seen about this conflict. Especially the part about tactics that most others just skip. Thank you.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you! My goal was to give a complete overview of everything that factored into the war

[@fairybeliever4479]

Thank you for a very well done video. It’s my first time watching a video about this war. 😊

[@contexthistorychannel]

Awesome!! Glad you enjoyed and learned some cool stuff!

[@jtcouch]

Generally excellent!

[@jonathanfarquhar]

Very interesting documentary. Really well narrated and I learned a lot.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!!! Appreciate you watching!

[@dvt6778]

This is great! But the narrator needs to change the "calvary" references to "cavalry". One is holy, the other is military.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Oh yeah I’ve heard that one before haha I have literally no idea why my brain does that 🤦‍♂️

[@neilaleksandrov2655]

Excellent work. Highly educational and enjoyable.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!

[@jamessmith-pf5zf]

I don't see how you can claim this was the first "modern" war instead of the American Civil War. During the U.S. Civil War, the Federal Government introduced the first breech-loading rifles, cannons, and the Gatling Gun. America was the first to completely arm it's military with rifled weapons which increased the range and accuracy of their fire. The Confederate forces were the first to utilize railroads to move large numbers of men, and by the end of the war, Union forces were using railroads to supply their armies in all theaters of war. The Confederate "navy" made every fleet in the world obsolete at Hampton Roads with the ironclad the "Merrimac" and the U.S. Navy invented the rotating turret used on the"Monitor" that revolutionized naval tactics and ship design for the next 160 years. The Confederates even invented the first actual submarine, as crude as it was. The Union forces were the first to use aerial observation and both sides used the telegraph to ensure better and quicker communication. All well before Moltke and Bismark.

[@Benito-Musolesi]

In 1870, franco-PRUSSIAN war frency lost all battles .... like always.... The only victories in 1870 were made by Italian General Garibaldi and his Italian soldiers

[@edwinsparda7622]

It's worth noting that France took Alsace and Lorraine from the Holy Roman Empire in 1648 and 1766. German lands for almost a millenia.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Good point!

[@johnwotek3816]

Germany wasn't a thing back then.

[@edwinsparda7622]

@johnwotek3816 it was. A loose region of fragmented states instead of a (mostly) unified state. Theres a reason why the second Empire's ruler was called the German Emperor instead of Emperor of Germany.

[@brigadist1585]

​@@johnwotek3816 Always funny when an American wants to teach Germans their own History. A quick lesson: Heinrich 1.Made King of the Germans in 919. Otto 1.,his son,King of Italy from 951,Roman German Emperor from 962. Sacrum Imperium Romanum (Regnum Teutonicum),since the 15th century named Sacrum Imperium Romanum Nationis Germaniae. This Reich existed until 1806(1.Reich). The 2.Reich was founded in 1871. In order to appropriate this History the National Socialists named their State III.Reich.

[@johnwotek3816]

@@edwinsparda7622 "it was. A loose region of fragmented states instead of a (mostly) unified state." That's called a geographical concept, not a country. Especially when half of the States inside said geographical concept spent as much time fighting each other and acted as independan and sovereign entities. "Theres a reason why the second Empire's ruler was called the German Emperor instead of Emperor of Germany." The idea of a second German Empire is mostly anachronistic BS made a poseriori to justify the existence of the Empire.

[@KD32301]

Superb video. love the deep dive, context alerts, and the real human voice!!!!

[@simonsnotface5042]

Funny how so many little things that add up, can defeat just a few big things. It has been decades since I have heard such an accurate analisis of that war. At 67 years old, I even learned information unknownst to me before. Well done. Very well done.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!!

[@simonsnotface5042]

@@contexthistorychannel Keep up the good work.

[@georgejcking]

Thank you for this amazing documentary!!!!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!!

[@kjdWHU]

You deserve more views. Great video!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!! I’m still a new channel so all I want is dedicated audience

[@collind.5207]

Really good research and analysis, I have very little knowledge on this subject and I feel like I got a really good understanding about what happened. Thank you 🙏

[@griniggubbe82]

Really good video. Thought I new about this war, Turns out I wasn't even close. Thank you for enlighten me!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Glad you enjoyed!!! I thought I had a good handle on it too until I started doing some in depth research!

[@KarlStuller-i7w]

Thank you for this video. I learned so much. Looking forward to others❤

[@contexthistorychannel]

Awesome!!! Thank you for watching

[@tiamatxvxianash9202]

Simply excellent presentation. Thank you.

[@johnmichalski5981]

The American Civil War started out looking like the Napoleonic Wars and ended up like WWI, with trench warfare, repeating rifles, and the Gatling Gun. The Battle of Petersburg, particularly, was a dress rehearsal for later wars.

[@mattosullivan9687]

Think about the West in the US Civil War Farragut and Grant pretty much invented amphibious warfare

[@sijeremy7558]

The US civil war did not at any point ever look like the Napoleonic Wars. This is a common misconception and it needs to go away because everyone focuses so hard on this motif. Already in the US civil war early on it was already recognised that column formations were obsolete- artillery’s ability to be an offensive weapon while being direct fire was seriously weakened due to the increase range of the rifle musket, the musket was only further seen as a weapon of desperate last resort, and cavalry was obsolete against large prepared formations of infantry- and thus was reassigned primarily to scouting, sabotage and enemy-cavalry and interception movements. There was far more probing for flanks and weaknesses in the US Civil war as well and armies tended to not concentrate so closely and attack en mass.

[@Nik111333]

@@mattosullivan9687 not so much, amphibious warfare is done since ships carried soldiers. Even the Romans and the Carthaginians had troops which they called "Marines" and which were specialized in amphibious warfare. For Example look at the battle at New Carthage in 209 BC, its relative good documented how the Roman Marines are being utilized.

[@mattosullivan9687]

@@Nik111333 nice.

[@jtcouch]

The Arms of Krupp by Wm Manchester _ Technology dominance is the new Art of War

[@axeldekimpe]

outstanding job ! finally everything has become really clear, thank you !

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!!

[@jeffreyirabernstein]

Wonderful video of the Franco Prussian War, best I have seen on the subject in KZbin.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!!

[@BrettKollmann]

A KZbin video with a longer run time than Casablanca hell yeah

[@antonvernooy6186]

Just found this history channel very well done this video is awesome

[@sonnyjim5268]

Thank you for your work. Very interesting, I thoroughly enjoyed.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!!

[@NiqueSmith]

The Prussians made an excellent choice using the American Civil Rights War (1861-1865) to study their military force to defeat the French & give birth to the German Empire in 1871. They're very smart. Thanks for that info.

[@NelsonDiscovery]

Thank you for this very clarifying video. I always wondered how this war was fought and what gave Prussia the edge.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thanks for watching! I’m glad I could offer some context 😉

[@heinwein421]

The Franco-Prussian War is an example of military logistic and it shows how "Hybris" can kill thousands of thousands of military and civilian lifes..

[@legatuslegionarii2284]

Excellent video!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!!!!

[@jamestregler1584]

Thanks for the history class ; great job !

[@zachthompson9976]

A humble suggestion from someone with absolutely zero skill or capability of making such a great video, Total War is THEE PERFECT game series to use as visual representation for historical battles! Empire or Napoleon Total War would likely be the best ones for this topic. Or possibly Fall Of The Samurai (with mods) 😊 I wish more historical channels took advantage of Total War games to re-enact/ represent armies and battles. You can find a Total War game that represents just about ANY historical period. And many with ABSOLUTELY INSANE levels of historical accuracy (with mods of course) Copied large part of this from a response to another comment, but I wanted to repost on main thread in hopes people will see it 😊 Edit Fantastic video by the way!! I knew next to nothing about this War and only slightly more than that about the period The little I've watched so far already inspires me to learn more about this fascinating period 👏 Edit Edit 15:06 Ok I'm eating my words now 😅😅 This guy already knows what's up 😊 Hopefully more channels will follow his lead! 🤞

[@contexthistorychannel]

Glad you enjoyed the video!! Empires Total war is so great for b roll! I also use the hidden gem of a video game empire dawn of the modern world too

[@zachthompson9976]

@contexthistorychannel 🤔 I don't think I've heard of that one. I'll look I up

[@zachthompson9976]

@contexthistorychannel OH shit, I know that game! I LOVE THAT GAME! It was one of my first strategy games as an early teen. Remember having a blast with the bombers and aircraft carriers specifically It's not on steam 😔 Hopefully I can find it digital somewhere 🤞

[@mineplow1000]

So much delicious history and information; thank you!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Appreciate you watching!! More to come!

[@Mroridrax1]

Incredible analysis. Really had no interest in endless European wars in 1700’s and 1800’s. Excellent presentation of the background leading to the war and the strategic thinking by both countries leading to the war and the military technology that impacted the final disposition of the war. I was fascinated by how the deployment and military philosophy and overall context that significantly impacted each country’s conduct ( for advantage and disadvantage) of their military. The French reliance on promoting officer due to loyalty while the Prussian promoted based on merit seemed to be decisive as the war played out. Very compelling presentation- loved the maps and other graphics that supported your descriptions. Please keep doing these long form presentations . I think I am hooked. Really look forward to learning about other obscure conflicts. Lastly, how the hell were the French ever considered a military power- the Franco-Prussian seemed to demonstrate the same French misjudgment, strategic incompetence and stupidity that the country exhibited during WWI and WWII. Maybe enlighten us in a future podcast explain a conflict when the French prevailed! Great work. Keep it up.

[@arvidboestad4923]

Fantastic video! Great work and looking forward to more! The only feedback is pronusiation of words:) Other than that, great work and looking forward for more!;)

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!!! Haha that’s fair! Years of reading history books and pronouncing in my head only to realize literally everything i pronounce is wrong is a struggle

[@TylerD141]

I genuinely love this video but the pronunciation of chassepot is killing me. You are definitely getting a subscription though. Excited to see your future videos!!!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Hahaha oh yeah that word gave me fits! Thank you for the sub! Pronouncing definitely a work in progress

[@Sir.suspicious]

Amazing content

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!

[@thamesrowingchallenge9496]

Fantastic video

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!!

[@youtroop]

Really great work, very small note; The German-Danish border was further north at the time since Northern Schleswig was seeded after 1864.

[@trevdestroyer8209]

Great video

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!

[@walterschumann2476]

Loses, France 150,000, Prussia and allies 28,000-40,000.

[@brittakriep2938]

??? Bavaria, Saxony, Württemberg, Baden, Hessen - Darmstadt, Oldenburg, Mecklenburg - Schwerin, Mecklenburg - Strelitz, Sachsen - Weimar - Eisenach, Braunschweig, Anhalt, Sachsen - Altenburg, Sachsen- Meiningen, Sachsen - Coburg - Gotha, Schwarzburg- Sondershausen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Lippe - Detmold, Waldeck - Pyrmont, Reuß(old line), Reuß (Young Line), Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck had no losses?

[@sinisapunos645]

France: 138 000 killed Prussia and allies 44 000 killed

[@walterschumann2476]

@@sinisapunos645 French KIA 41,000, Prussia and Allies KIA 17585.

[@sinisapunos645]

@@walterschumann2476 Not truth. France 138 000 KIA Prussia and allies 44 000 KIA.

[@walterschumann2476]

@@sinisapunos645 French KIA 41,000 Died of wounds 36,000 Disease 45,000. 122,000 or 138871 Wiki.

[@stevejones2052]

Outstanding.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!

[@gerhardsteinmayer3176]

The pronunciation of Nancy is hilarious

[@contexthistorychannel]

Dammit! I pronounced that wrong???

[@stephenusaf6315]

@@contexthistorychannel nawn-CEE

[@raigarmullerson4838]

Absolutely love this. Amazing work, good sir. Cheers from Estonia

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you so much!!! Glad it resonated with you!

[@stevelowe8980]

Thank you

[@TheLucanicLord]

1:21 A whole nother?

[@paulbergen6574]

I've read several books on this war and it's leaders because I've long seen it as you in terms of its significance. However, it's always seemed confusing until I watched your fantastic documentary. Thanks. 👍👍👍 On a different point, I imagine that a display at Fort Laramie WY might intrigue you as it astounded me. Circa 1880 the US Army was sporting a picklehelm as part of their parade uniform... Note also, that the garrison at that far outpost was composed largely of Irish and German Immigrants. Styling after the Prussians hits a modern eye hard since their earlier Civil War uniform so closely follows French fashion. Apparently, both US Army uniforms determined to imitate the age's most modern hence awesome military imagine.

[@DM06847]

You learn more here of this event than in Public school. A major 19 Century event that played a big roll in creating 20th Century disaster from start to finish of the 20th.

[@tannerdenny5430]

What game are you keep putting up with the army men?

[@contexthistorychannel]

Empires Dawn of the Modern World is the main game I used for b roll in this, it’s an old one

[@brittakriep2938]

A mistake: The prince Leopold who wanted to become spanish king, was not the nephew of prussian King ( basicly Hohenzollern - Brandenburg). Leopold belonged to swabian branch Hohenzollern - Sigmaringen. Mountain Hohenzollern and town of Sigmaringen is not in northern Germany, but in southwest Germany.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Ahhhh interesting! That’s my bad!

[@fakeplaystore7991]

Imagine a Protestant German prince ruling over the ultra-Catholic Spanish kingdom. Leopold being from the Catholic South makes more sense.

[@brittakriep2938]

@@fakeplaystore7991 : Swabian branch Hohenzollern - Sigmaringen is Catholic! In 1857 ending branch Hohenzollern - Hechingen was also Catholic, next to town Hechingen there is mountain Zollern, on the hilltop (?) there is Caste Hohenzollern ( When a Castle is on top of a mountain, and has the name Hohen...., this means: The castle HIGH on mountain.....). Up to 1849 Hohenzollern - Sigmaringen and smaller Hohenzollern - Hechingen had been two Independent principalities, in case of war their contingent to German Federation Army had been 320/180 men , to form together with 55 men Liechtenstein contingent a Battalion of Reservedivision. In german Revolution attemt of 1848 both princely families had to flee, and could only get their countries back with help of their mighty prussian relatives. After admitting this they gave up their rule and handed their erritories to Prussian King..Was a problem for prussian administration to transform Hohenzollern principalities into a prussian province, mentality and dialects are different. Castle Sigmaringen ( no surprise) is in Sigmaringen, well liked by tourists, was from late 1944 to early 1945 residence of fleed Vichy France Gouvernement (!). Current Fürst von Sigmaringen is rather rich, owns a number of Factories, and also rarely appeares as musican, as far as i know Saxophone.

[@vallytine]

I do really love the deep dive and lengthy explanations, very engaging. Though the use of AI art is a little offputting. Otherwise great vid

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thanks!!! Appreciate you watching and the comment! I really try to avoid AI but making a video about mid 1800s Europe can be tough to gather visual assets, if this was my full time job I’d have more time create them myself haha

[@vallytine]

@@contexthistorychannel That's absolutely understandable, yeah. It makes sense with how long and in-depth this video is.

[@oml81mm]

I am intrigued by the image of a Royal Navy ship festooned with what look like fat dipole legs but aren't.

[@Cosmo-hw1cd]

I thought the dreyse had a higher fire rate than the chassepot 20:42

[@alexzero3736]

Actually it depended on user. You can't really say that fire rate was guaranteed until magazine rifles arrived.

[@felixjohnsens3201]

The peace treaty after the Franco-Prussian war is NOT comparable to Versailles, and it wasn´t even harsh. The 5 billion Francs could be paid in just a short time, meanwhile, the Reparation for WW1 was paid until 2012!!! Bismarck did not want to cripple France, but to prevent the French from continuing the war. The French meanwhile wanted to cripple Germany, or even destroy it!!!

[@WildBillCox13]

58:48 The Krupp made 7,7cm breech loading Feldkanone had a nasty flaw in the breech, leading to misfires and ruptures which killed a lot of artillerists. The resulting scandal stoked the fires of hatred between the "Kanonekoenig" Friedrich Alfred Krupp and his chief enemy at court: Albrecht von Roon. Those flames would burn bridges and create a rift between the Kaiser and his most prominent arms manufacturer.

[@contexthistorychannel]

That’s fascinating info!! Thank you!

[@nickdarr7328]

The French wanted so much control that, even though chassrpot rifles held 5 or 8 rounds depending on internal magazine type, that it had a cut off feature to make it so the grunts could only load one round at a time. The chassepot would be carried unloaded and shot in volleys

[@contexthistorychannel]

Good fun fact!

[@jonrettich-ff4gj]

Excellent clear and informative presentation. However I do feel strongly that the American Civil War is a very strong precursor as General Sheridan observed when sent to observe this war.

[@contexthistorychannel]

I definitely agree it’s a good precursor but in my opinion the Franco-Prussian war is a better one because a lot of tech used in WW1 was used at scale in Franco Prussian war, while civil war a lot of the tech was still a novelty

[@jonrettich-ff4gj]

​@@contexthistorychannel I just don't want the ACW to be minimized. There were European observers grabbing as much as they could. Of course in 1870 we are several years down the road with an intelligent and very militant country. As you used the word "novelty" in fact so many of these things making their debut here in a greater or lesser form is profound -- railroads only really about 30 years old, telegraph, entrenching regularly, use of repeater rifles, railroad gun, ironclads, machine guns, breechloading cannon ...

[@bobechs7234]

Cavalry is a word that only has one correct pronunciation.

[@dmmamc]

0:15 - 0:30 What film/doc is this footage from?

[@zachthompson9976]

10:42 What game is this??? Looks maybe like one of the Cossaks to me..... Also a humble suggestion from someone with absolutely zero skill or capability of making such a great video, Total War is THEE PERFECT game series to use as visual representation for historical battles! Empire or Napoleon Total War would likely be the best ones for this topic. Or possibly Fall Of The Samurai (with mods) 😊 Thanks for the great video!

[@kathrynclark1585]

Where are you from that you pronounce things so uniquely? Wisconsin?

[@contexthistorychannel]

Wisconsin is a good guess! Haha I do have Midwest influence, that’s definitely why I pronounce certain things weird. My other issue is that I mainly have learned how to pronounce things by reading books and the in my head pronunciations are way off I’m learning

[@ResidentEyebrowAppreciator]

what are the game and movie/show clips from?

[@RickDeckard6531]

This was excellent. Sidenote: It's cavalry, not calvary, as I'm sure you subsequent know. At least it was consistently wrong.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching!! Consistently wrong is at least consistent haha

[@jaredneilsen]

On the battlefield, one should send in the cavalry, which is the word for an army component mounted on horseback. The similarly spelled word calvary however, refers to a depiction of the crucifixion, or, more recently, to an experience of usually intense mental suffering.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Hahaha to be honest that word I always struggle pronouncing for some unknown reason 🤦‍♂️

[@jaredneilsen]

@@contexthistorychannel I'm glad you understood my comment in the way I intended! I just discovered your channel today - I really enjoyed the first half of the documentary and look forward to watching the rest tonight. Real Time History has a great (6 hour) doco series on the Franco-prussian War & you've done a great job here presenting new information & additional context on this interesting & formative time period - thanks!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you for watching! I saw that after I posted this because I was like mine is definitely the longest Franco Prussian war video made only to find out nope that’s not true haha

[@fakeplaystore7991]

The French defense approach was missing a key component that would be the MVP on WWI trench warfare: barbed wire. The Prussian skirmish approach would have failed like it failed in 1915 onwards if the first thing the skirmishers had to face was the challenge to cut through barbed wire while artillery and machine gun fire was raining over them.

[@alexzero3736]

Ridiculous statement. First of all, French wanted to attack and move actively, barbed wire does nothing here. Secondly, German attack in Battle of Marne failed because France had enough time to concentrate enough troops to repell it and British troops attacked German flank. Real Problems were: 1) underestimating the enemy 2) lack of recon 3) lack of cohesion between armies.

[@s1nb4d59]

Nice doco but the white "grain specs" meant to make the footage look old (even though obviously it isnt) just served to make it look terrible and distracting while watching it.

[@WallySchmidt-hn8xj]

Very good video. (cavalry)

[@contexthistorychannel]

Mispronouncing is my cross to bear! Haha see what I did there?!?!?

[@Rizon1985]

"On the battlefield, one should send in the cavalry, which is the word for an army component mounted on horseback. The similarly spelled word calvary however, refers to a depiction of the crucifixion, or, more recently, to an experience of usually intense mental suffering." I get the slaughter of mitrailleuse but cavalry is a normal English word in all variants. If you ever find yourself in that area, do yourself the favour of going a little north and ordering a "Mitraillette" at a fritery in north France or all around Belgium. It's to die for.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Oh definitely no excuse on why I’m so bad at that word haha when reviewing the video my brain didn’t even connect how wrong it is 😅 work in progress

[@metalmadsen]

A really great video. Just one thing 1:38:00 - What about the British bombardement of Copenhagen in 1807? I would say that was the first one - They bombed our Capital and nicked our fleet 😅

[@contexthistorychannel]

Oooo you’re right that’s a good one! Although I will say the bombing of Copenhagen at least had the military objective of destroying the Danish fleet while the bombing of Paris in the Franco-Prussian war was purely meant to erode civilian morale, much like the strategic bombing of WW2

[@mecongberlin]

Well I never heard of an “underrated” conflict, but in Europe this conflict is not “underrated” and it’s actually the end of a trilogy. If you really want to learn about an “underrated” conflict, take a look at the Battle of Hemmingstedt Feb 1500 and be amazed.

[@oml81mm]

The Prussians knew the 'seven Ps'... Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Prussian subordinate commanders, who knew the plan and were prepared, were therefore in a position to seize an advantage when it presented itself without waiting for orders, they were actively encouraged to do this. Planning, and preparation, must be complete before battle is joined. This doctrine (including the freedom of action of subordinates) is why the later 'blitzkrieg' was so successful.

[@USUMAmusic]

Bah-den. Bah-den. I don’t know what Bayden is but it is not in Germany.

[@Ossiundstolzdrauf]

Elsass Lothringen were primarily german regions and territory taken from the HRE in the late 17th century

[@contexthistorychannel]

Interesting!

[@arnaldo8828]

It's easy criticizing the army leaders decisions afterwards, when you know how it ends.

[@contexthistorychannel]

That’s fair, that’s why I try to keep my criticism based on what they knew at the time of the event and not with benefit of hindsight

[@23GreyFox]

I think you forgot a very important point why the southern German states would never join on Frances side. The Rhine crisis of 1840.

[@Tennischamp450]

Not to pile on with the pronunciations, but Moltke is Molt-ka. Great video and map animations!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Fair!! I don’t mind people pointing out mispronunciations, it’ll help me get better for future videos

[@Tennischamp450]

@@contexthistorychannelAppreciate that. I just found you channel, keep it up I have a feeling it’s about to blow up!

[@contexthistorychannel]

Thank you!

[@brittakriep2938]

The mechanical Mitrailleuses had a german counterpart in very small number: The bavarian Feldl Kartätschgeschütz.

[@brittakriep2938]

Forgotten: Along german/ french border along Rhine there had been a Regiment from Baden and one from Württemberg, both devided in detachments.

[@hazchemel]

They were garrison against possible French intrusion? And maybe, to relieve other troops who can move forward with the assault?

[@brittakriep2938]

@@hazchemel : No, as far as i know, those two regiments had been to weak to stop a serious french attack. The detachments had to patrol along the Rhine to observe french bank of the river, to observe the boats and small ships and control persons. It was possible that french spys, reconnaissance patrols, sabotage personal, Raiders or french soldiers shooting with rifles or wallguns from boats cause trouble or shock among german civilians. The german civilians , not only in Palatinate, also in Rhine Valley and Black Forrest had especially in the time of french king Louis XIV, reigning 1648 to 1714 , hardly to suffer from french destruction, burning and plundering ( a fact nobody speaks or makes movies about), which the people had not forgotten.

[@cattledog901]

Besides the wrong pronounciation of Cavalry like others have pointed out, there are some other inaccuracies here: First off you are misconstruing the definitions of effective range and maximum range of the Dreyse needle rifle and Chassepot. The effective range of the Dreyse was about 200 yards and the Chassepot 500 yards. Yes the projectile could be fired further than that but that's not the "effective range" you described, that would be the weapon's maximum range. Second the mitrailleuse is not a "machine gun". It is a multi barrel volley gun as it has no autoloading and automatic fire mechanism. A machine gun by defintion is able to automatically cycle itself. I think you did a decent top down overview of the conflict but the accuracy of some specifics are lacking.

[@contexthistorychannel]

I used Wawro’s book on the Franco-Prussian war as my reference for the rifles, he didn’t differentiate between max range and effective range. That’s a good note in future I’ll make sure the double check those distinctions. That’s Fair on the machine gun! I was trying mainly to emphasize it was an automatic rapid fire gun so machine gun was easier to say I get it’s not fully accurate

[@jadger1871]

If you're going to use an anachronistically pedantic definition then sure the Mitrailleuse wasn't a machine gun, but then again neither was the Gatling by those metrics. The name Mitrailleuse itself is the French word for machine gun. Today's machine guns are descended from it and other weapons like it.

[@cattledog901]

@@jadger1871 I never claimed the gatling gun was a machine gun. If you want to get "pedantic", it would technically be described as a "repeater" since it requires manual operation but to cycle but there is a debate on if it's truly a "machine gun" in small arms circles. Doesn't change the fact the Mitrailleuse is a volley gun and NOT a machine gun. It doesn't matter if future weapons took cues from its use it doesn't change the technical definition of its operation. A bolt action rifle is not a semi automatic rifle even though it influenced the development of the idea of small arms. You can't just classify an entirely different mechanism of firearms the same because it fit the same purpose in the time period.

[@jadger1871]

@@cattledog901 wow! My entire point flew completely over your head, like a burst from a Mitrailleuse machine gun. The definition of machine gun has changed, not to mention you're defining a French term by using English. Next you're going to argue that the French misnamed the Fusil Automatique Modèle 1917. We have to go back in time to change someone's grammar!

[@cattledog901]

@@jadger1871 LOL you really have no idea what you are talking about and are arguing semantics at this point. You even admit "the definition of a machine gun has changed" which proves my point. No one considers it a machine gun now. What the French named it originally is pointless, modern terminology doesn't consider it so, even the French themselves. Any small arms expert will tell you the Mitrailleuse is not a machine gun. The first true machine gun was the Maxim. You can whine and moan about what the French originally named the weapon, it doesn't change the fact no one with any credibility argues the mitrailleuse was a "machine gun", not in military or engineering circles. Keep exposing yourself and your credibility.

[@hazchemel]

Incidentally, the 24 pounder translated to modern measurement gives us a 152 mm or 6 inch. That's the most mobile and numerous of major artilleries. Is this the first appearance of a certain French hopelessness, and that was prominent again in the 1940 Battle of France? Earlier, the French high command and the armies themselves had good morale and self belief.

[@willrobinson5350]

The 1806 treaty imposed by Napoleon I on Prussia was far harsher.

[@ianking-nh1cc]

34:10 two thirds of fhe heavy calvarymen (sic) in the Charge of the Light Brigade? The clue is in the name, Charge of the Light Brigade. The Charge of the Heavy Brigade was a different, more successful but less well known, engagement.

[@jd1759]

Its 'cavalry,' not Calvary. The former is a mounted soldier. The latter is where Jesus of Nazareth died.

[@contexthistorychannel]

Yep that’s my b 🙋‍♂️ I don’t know why my brain has trouble pronouncing that haha

[@jd1759]

​@@contexthistorychannelgreat doc... I enjoyed watching and learning from it

[@MisterOcclusion]

France declares war but sits on the defensive? Something repeated in 1939....

[@contexthistorychannel]

One day I’m going to do a whole video about how French military philosophy turned heavily towards a defensive approach! Its fascinating

[@rustykilt]

If nothing else, this conflict would be the prelude for WWI, Indicating the long term intentions of Germany and the ineffectiveness of the French in respect to tactics and logistics, all of which did not markedly improve right up until WWII. The Germans were a military state and kept perfecting their tactics and logistics, unlike the French. This war could almost be seen continuing through the next two world wars.

[@angloaust1575]

Something britain kept out of Unlike ww1 where it blundered Into!

[@philiphildebrand6934]

Firstly, Austrian rule over Gemany begins 1452. The 1815 restorates partially the Empire. The inhibition of the unification and not "common enemy unites states" is plausible because of the constitutional law in St.Paul, Mainz. In 1871, the German Empire did not abolish the non-Prussian states.

[@leegreenhalgh6677]

Just a point but it was Lord Cardigans Light Cavalry Brigade that were used in the charge in The Crimean War n not The Heavy Cavalry, The Heavy Cavalry Brigade were used to smash a change by The Russian Imperial Cavalry, charging uphill and routing a much larger force of Russians , I totally agree that after that the Light Cavalry were used for Skirmishing and screening armies as now must Light Cavalry used carbines and were used to great effect by the British to bring kn mass charges into Artillery and Rifle fire as in the Sudan, The German Krjpp Artillery was used in great effect during the Boer War by The Boers ((German and Dutch) Commandoes

[@vickhines6302]

1. The charge of the Light Brigade worked. They overran the Russian artillary. 2. CaValry is the word. CaLvart is the biblcal site of the Crusifiction. Get it right!

[@Carlschwamberger1]

"Captured MacMahons marching orders." Communications security folks, don't make yourself vulnerable.

[@21nickik]

Just FYI, the claim that 2/3 of cavalry died during the Charge of the Light brigade is false. Its something that a newspaper printed shortly after it happened, but it was not actually correct. The Charge of the Light Brigade actually was pretty decently successful, the loses were in line with what was expected for such a daring charge.

[@peachjwp]

Interesting how cavalry were far better utilized in the American Civil War than by the French here. Raiding and scouting were their prime duties and rarely confront infantry.

[@WildBillCox13]

With respect- Calvary: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary Cavalry: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry Carry on.

[@contexthistorychannel]

One day I’ll pronounce it right haha

[@hernerweisenberg7052]

At the end you say usually the victorious nation would only demand reparations to cover the war expenses, but the 5 billion franks Bismarck wanted were a lot more then that. But befor that you mentioned the french war expenses were about 12 billion franks so far. So what were the prussian war expenses to put this into perspective and if they were considerably less then 5 billion, how did they field a larger more modern army for a fraction of the cost?

[@contexthistorychannel]

France took out significant loans to keep up the war effort after Sedan. As well because the entire war was fought on French territory all the damage was done to French property. Prussia on the other hand helped to fund their war effort by having French towns and cities under occupation pay for the Prussian expenses so that helped to significantly lowered Prussian costs

[@hernerweisenberg7052]

@@contexthistorychannel Ok, makes a bit more sense now, thx. Those numbers didnt seem to add up without that context.

[@contexthistorychannel]

I should have added more context! Haha falling short of my name