Key Facts
- Start date
- 17 January 1814
- End date
- 10 April 1814
- Duration
- Approximately 83 days
- Outcome
- Allied blockade lifted; city not taken
- Allied forces involved
- Prussian, Russian, and Hessian troops
Strategic Narrative Overview
Allied forces comprising Prussian troops under Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, Russian cavalry under Nikolay Borozdin, Russian infantry under Dimitri Mikhailovich Youzefovitch, and Hessian soldiers under von Müller established a blockade of Metz on 17 January 1814. The French garrison, commanded by General of Division Pierre François Joseph Durutte, resisted throughout. In late March and early April, Durutte launched an active counter-campaign, temporarily driving off the blockading forces from Metz and several nearby fortresses.
01 / The Origins
By late 1813 and early 1814, the Sixth Coalition—comprising Prussia, Russia, Austria, and their allies—had pushed into French territory following Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig. As Coalition armies advanced toward Paris, they sought to neutralize French fortresses along the eastern frontier. Metz, a heavily fortified city in northeastern France, became a target for Allied containment efforts to prevent its garrison from threatening supply lines or reinforcing French field armies.
03 / The Outcome
The Allied blockade of Metz was lifted on 10 April 1814 without the city having been taken, representing a successful defense by Durutte's garrison. The lifting coincided with the broader collapse of Napoleonic resistance: Napoleon abdicated on 6 April 1814, rendering continued operations against French fortresses unnecessary. Metz remained in French hands, and the Allied forces withdrew as the War of the Sixth Coalition came to an end.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, Nikolay Borozdin, Dimitri Mikhailovich Youzefovitch, von Müller.
Side B
1 belligerent
Pierre François Joseph Durutte.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.