Siege of Mainz

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Siege of Mainz

Date	10 April - 23 July 1793
Location	Mainz, Germany
Result	Coalition victory

Combatants

First French Republic

Prussia,
Austria,
Saxony,
Hesse-Darmstadt,
Hesse-Kassel,
Electoral Palatinate,
Saxe-Weimar

Commanders

General Ignace d'Oyré,
Alexandre de Beauharnais

Field marshal von Kalckreuth,
Duke of Brunswick

Strength

23,000 men,
184 cannons

36,000 men,
later 44,000 men,
207 cannons

(at end of siege)

Casualties

4,000 killed or wounded

3,000 killed or wounded

War of the First Coalition
Valmy – Jemappes – 1st Mainz – Neerwinden – Entrames – Toulon – Famars – Fontenay-le-Comte – Cholet – Luçon – Hondshoote – Wattignies – Truillas – Boulou – Tourcoing – Fleurus – Vosges – Tournay – Black Mountain – Lodi – Arcole – Genoa – Hyères – 2nd Mainz – Amberg – Rovereto – Bassano – Montenotte – Dego – Cape St Vincent – Santa Cruz – Rivoli – Camperdown

In the Siege of Mainz (14 April-23 July 1793) a Coalition Force (Prussia, Austria, and German States) besieged and captured the city of Mainz, Germany from the French forces. The allies, especially the Prussians, first tried negotiations, but this failed, and the bombardment of the city began at the night to 17 June 1793.

The observer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe recorded this moment in his work.

Within the town the siege and bombardment led to large suspense of citizens, municipality and the French war council, governing since 2 April. The city administration was displaced therefore on 13 July, this increased the stubborness of the remaining population. Since a relief army was missing, the war council was forced to take up negotiations with the allied forces on 17 July. On 23 July the the remaining soldiers capitulated.

Nearly 19,000 French troops surrendered at the end of the Siege, but were allowed to return to France if they promised not to fight against the Allies for one year. Consequently they were used to fight French Royalists in the Vendée region of France. They left the town singing "La Marseillaise", "Chant de guerre de l'Armée du Rhin". The Republic of Mainz as the first democratic state on later German territory was defeated.

Mainz got a Prussian commander of city. The bombardment had left devastating traces in the townscape: Some civil buildings and aristocracy palaces, the electoral pleasure palace Favorite, the House of the Cathedral Provost, Liebfrauen- and the church of Society of Jesus had been destroyed, as well als St. Crucis and the benedictine abbey St. Jacob on the citadelle. The cathedral had been heavily damaged.

The biggest impact of the occupation and siege was that the old electoral structures finally came to their end. Thus the events of the year 1793 mark also the beginning of the doom of the Aurea Moguntia. The city lost its status as residence and thus their weightiest factor.

The shelling of Mainz was one of the first Media circuses in Europe. Lots of people gathered round the town, in order to view the war show. Goethe assisted Duke Carl August of Saxe-Weimar during the siege and wrote a famous book about it.

[edit] People related to the siege of Mainz

[edit] References

Smith, D. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill Books, 1998.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von Die Belagerung von Mainz. (de)
Schmittlein,Raymond: Un Recit de Guerre de Goethe le Siege de Mayence II. Editions Art et Science. Mayence. 1951. (fr)