Sedan

Town near the Belgian frontier, scene of the French defeat in 1870 [see Franco-Prussian War] and of a German breakthrough in May 1940.

Sedan, in northern France between Mézières and Montmédy close to the Belgian frontier, was the scene of the decisive German victory on 1 September 1870 (see Deutsch-Französischer Krieg). A French army under Macmahon marching to the relief of Metz was pushed back upon Sedan and encircled by the Prussian Third Army under the Crown Prince (see Friedrich III) and the Army of the Meuse (Maasarmee) under Crown Prince Albert of Saxony. The out-generalled French surrendered in the evening after fierce fighting and the capitulation was formally drawn up the following day. The Emperor Napoleon III was among the prisoners. The fighting was particularly severe in the south-east of the Bavarian sector at Bazeilles and at Givonne to the east where the Prussian Guard was engaged. The victory was regarded as a great feat of arms and a triumph for the Chief of Staff Moltke. A symbol for the new Germany, the Sedantag became a public holiday. In literature Sedan evoked poetry only of a meretricious kind. Sedan was the scene of further fighting in 1914 and in May 1940 during the German invasion of France (see Weltkriege).

Sedan may refer to:

Look up sedan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Vehicles

• Sedan (automobile), a car/automobile with a specific body structure
• Sedan chair, English name for litter (vehicle), a human-powered, wheelless device for transport of persons
• Aeronca Sedan, a light aircraft

Places

France

• Sedan, Ardennes, site of a fortress
  • Battle of Sedan (1870), 2 September 1870
    • Sedantag (German: Day of Sedan), German Empire holiday celebrating victory in the battle
  • CS Sedan Ardennes, the local French football club

Australia

• Sedan, South Australia

Azerbaijan

• Sədan

United States

• Sedan, Indiana
• Sedan, Kansas
  • Sedan Township, Chautauqua County, Kansas
• Sedan, Minnesota
• Sedan, West Virginia

Miscellaneous

• Rolfe Sedan (1896-1982), American actor
• Sedan (nuclear test), a 1962 nuclear test in Nevada

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)