Up to the Revolution, Metz escaped the horrors of war, though on every occasion the town suffered from the consequences. Troops were continually passing through and the barracks were used as a place of muster. Turenne, Villars, the Marquis de Créqui, and Marshal Villeroi encamped within its walls, and at Metz, Louis XV, in August 1744, fell seriously ill, and the whole of France prayed and fasted for the "Well-beloved".
In 1790, Metz became the headquarters of the new department of Moselle. Two sieges in 1814 and 1815 were successfully repulsed.
The year 1870, however, marked a sad date in the history of Metz, till then nicknamed Metz the Virgin City.
The French army of Moselle, beaten at the frontiers, fell back on Metz. Intending to rejoin the army of Mac-Mahon at Châlons, it began a slow and uncertain retreat. The Germans hindered this retreat (Borny, August, 14th), crossed the Moselle south of Metz and stopped the French columns on the march to Verdun. (Rezonville, Mars-la-Tour, August 16th), narrowed the circle round Metz and surrounded Bazaire (Gravelotte, Saint-Privat, August 18th.)
The battles of Borny (August 14th), Rezonville (August 16th), Saint-Privat (August 18th) forced Marshal Bazaine to fall back on the walls of the town. He put up a feeble resistance, being content to await developments, without even attempting a serious sally which might have saved his military honour. On October 28th, he put his name to the capitulation, and on the following day he handed over 173,000 men, 60 generals, 6000 officers, 58 standards, 622 field guns, 876 heavy guns, 72 machine guns, 137,000 chassepots, 123,000 other rifles and masses of untouched munitions. Six months later, the treaty of Frankfort (May 10th 1871) ceded to Germany Metz and a part of the department of Moselle. Metz became the capital of German Lorraine.
Marshal Fabert, Generals Custine, Richepanse and Lasalle, the composer Ambroise Thomas and the poet Paul Verlaine were born at Metz.
The fortifications of Metz.
The situation of Metz destined it to become a stronghold of first importance. The Romans fortified the town, which had been built by the Gauls, and constructed the first citadel. The walls were preserved for a considerable time, and Bishop Robert in the 10th century, again utilised their outline. It was only in the 12th century that the new circumvallation was extended to the island formed by the two arms of the Moselle; it was composed of a high rampart protected by 68 towers. In 1532 the Duc de Guise ordered the engineer Pierre Strozzi to restore these fortifications which had undergone two sieges (1444 and 1552) and were in a pitiable state. Four years later (1556), Marshal de Vieilleville had a citadel flanked with four bastions constructed on the site of the ancient monastery. This citadel (which lasted till 1802) was on the spot now occupied by the Esplanade.