Focus on The Defense of Champigny and explore the History.
The Defense of Champigny depicts a scene from the Battle of Villiers (also referred to as the Battle of Champingny) during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. The battle was fought as part of a series of attempts by the French Army to disrupt the Prussian Army's siege of Paris. At Villiers, what the French intended to be a small reconnaissance sortie turned into a pitched battle with the Prussians; this fighting in turn caused thousands of casualties on both sides, the partial destruction of the villages of Villiers-sur-Marne and Champigny-sur-Marne, and the retreat of the French army to Paris.The Franco-Prussian War, which caused the collapse of the Second French Empire, was a military and political disaster for France. In the post-war period, the idea that France should rise to meet the challenge posed by the German Empire gained traction in French society. This desire for vengeance  – revanchism –  was reflected in the art of several prominent French painters, including that of Detaille. Such art commonly depicted the seemingly dilapidated state of the French army during the Franco-Prussian War, with the intent being to show that a revitalized national army was needed to project French power.Detaille, who came from a military family, served in the French army during the Siege of Paris.
Villiers-sur-Marne revanchism Franco-Prussian War French Army Champigny-sur-Marne siege of Paris Second French Empire Prussian Army Battle of Villiers German Empire