Battle of Valmy

The Battle of Valmy was fought on 20 September 1792 in northeastern France, where French forces checked a Prussian-led invasion during the French Revolution.

Cannonade of Valmy: The artillery exchange at Valmy on 20 September 1792, which preceded the Prussian withdrawal. The battle’s decisive moment was an artillery duel rather than a sustained infantry assault.
French Revolution: A period of political and social upheaval in France beginning in 1789 that ended the monarchy and transformed the state. The battle was fought to defend the revolution from foreign intervention.
French National Convention: The French assembly that governed from 1792 to 1795 and abolished the monarchy. The Convention met the day after Valmy and soon proclaimed the republic.
Battle of the First of June: A major naval battle between Britain and France fought in the Atlantic in 1794. Unlike Valmy’s limited land engagement, it was a large fleet action in the same revolutionary war.
Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick: The Prussian commander who led the allied invasion of France in 1792. His forces advanced on the French position but withdrew after the day’s fighting.
War of the First Coalition: A series of wars from 1792 to 1797 between revolutionary France and a shifting coalition of European powers. Valmy was an early engagement in the conflict that began with the invasion.
Abolition of the French monarchy: The Convention’s ending of the French monarchy on 21 September 1792. Valmy’s successful defense helped create the conditions for the republic’s founding.
Battle of Neerwinden (1793): A 1793 battle in which Austrian forces defeated the French near Neerwinden in present-day Belgium. Its French defeat contrasts with Valmy’s success in halting an invasion.
François Christophe Kellermann: A French general who commanded troops at Valmy and helped steady them under fire. His leadership helped hold the French line during the cannonade.
Brunswick Manifesto: A July 1792 proclamation threatening severe consequences if the French royal family were harmed. The manifesto intensified French fears of invasion and helped spur resistance.

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Thomas-Alexandre DumasRelated: Dumas took part in the campaign that helped secure the new republic.