Siege of Paris (1870–1871)

German forces encircled Paris in September 1870 after the fall of Napoleon III. The Government of National Defence remained in the city while balloons and carrier pigeons provided limited communication with the provinces.

Food shortages, bombardment and failed sorties weakened resistance through the winter. An armistice ended the siege in January 1871, but political conflict in the capital soon contributed to the Paris Commune.

This context supports fiction about performers, civilians and soldiers trapped in Paris during the final stage of the Franco-Prussian War.