The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 violently changed the course of European history. Alarmed by Bismarck's territorial ambitions and the Prussian army's crushing defeats of Denmark in 1864 and Austria in 1866, French Emperor Napoleon III vowed to bring Prussia to heel. Digging into many European and American archives for the first time, The Franco-Prussian War describes the war that followed in thrilling detail. Prussia and its German allies had twice as many troops as the French. But Marshal Achille Bazaine's grognards (old grumblers) were the stuff of legend, the most resourceful, battle-hardened, sharp-shooting troops in Europe, and they carried the best rifle in the world. From the political intrigues that began and ended the war to the bloody battles at Gravelotte and Sedan and the last murderous fights on the Loire and in Paris, this is the definitive history of the Franco-Prussian War.