1870 in Germany
Events from the year 1870 in Germany.
Incumbents
Kingdoms
- King of Bavaria – Ludwig II
- King of Prussia – William I
- King of Saxony – John
- King of Württemberg – Charles
Grand Duchies
- Grand Duke of Baden – Frederick I
- Grand Duke of Hesse – Louis III
- Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin – Frederick Francis II
- Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz – Frederick William
- Grand Duke of Oldenburg – Peter II
- Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – Charles Alexander
Principalities
- Schaumburg-Lippe – Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe
- Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt – George Albert, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
- Schwarzburg-Sondershausen – Günther Friedrich Karl II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
- Principality of Lippe – Leopold III, Prince of Lippe
- Reuss Elder Line – Heinrich XXII, Prince Reuss of Greiz
- Reuss Younger Line – Heinrich XIV, Prince Reuss Younger Line
- Waldeck and Pyrmont – George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
Duchies
- Duke of Anhalt – Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt
- Duke of Brunswick – William, Duke of Brunswick
- Duke of Saxe-Altenburg – Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg
- Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- Duke of Saxe-Meiningen – Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Events
- 26 February – German company Commerzbank is founded in Hamburg.
- 10 March – The Deutsche Bank is granted a banking licence by the Prussian government.
- 16 July – In response to Bismarck's refusal to cede parts of the Rhineland to Emperor Napoleon III of France, the near succession of a Hohenzollern to the Spanish throne, and the Ems telegram, France declares war on Prussia, beginning the Franco-Prussian War.
- 19 July – Beginning of Franco-Prussian War
- 4 August – Battle of Wissembourg: The first battle of the Franco-Prussian War begins when three Prussian-led German army corps surprise and get the better of the small French garrison of Wissembourg. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the French defenders fiercely resist and inflict three times their number in casualties.
- 6 August – Battle of Spicheren – Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz soundly defeats a French army of 21,000, further driving the French towards the fortress city of Metz.
- 6 August – Battle of Wörth
- 6 August – Battle of Spicheren
- 15 August – 28 September – Siege of Strasbourg
- 19 August – 27 October – Siege of Metz
- 1 September – 2 September – Battle of Sedan. The Prussian Army captures the French emperor Napoleon III and 103,000 French troops, effectively deciding the war in Prussia's favor.
- 10 December – The Reichstag of the North German Confederation renames the Confederation the "North German Confederation of the German Empire".
Science
- Rudolf Clausius proves the scalar virial theorem.
- Ludimar Hermann observes the Hermann grid illusion.
Births
- 1 January – Hermann Theodor Simon, German physicist
- 2 January – Ernst Barlach, German sculptor and writer
- 6 January – Gustav Bauer, German politician, Chancellor of Germany
- 10 January – Hans von Raumer, German politician
- 10 February – Fritz Klimsch, German sculptor
- 11 February – Bill Drews, German lawyer
- 12 February – Hugo Stinnes, German entrepreneur
- 21 March – Heinrich Waentig, German politician
- 9 May – Hans Baluschek, German painter
- 14 June – Sophia of Prussia, Prussian princess
- 21 June – Clara Immerwahr, German chemist
- 7 July – Joseph Koeth, German politician
- 27 July – Siegfried von Roedern, German politician
- 2 October – Joannes Baptista Sproll, German bishop of Roman-Catholic Church
Deaths
- 15 February – Karl von Strotha, Prussian officer and Minister of War from 1848 to 1850
- 3 April – Philipp Jaffé, German historian and philologist
- 4 April – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German scientist
- 9 May – Prince Frederick of Württemberg, German nobleman and general in kingdom of Württemberg
- 12 May – Hermann von Beckerath, German banker and statesman
- 1 September – Joseph Anton von Maffei, German industrialist
- 14 September – Carl August von Steinheil, German physicist, inventor, engineer and astronomer
- 14 October – Karl Twesten, German politician and writer
- 19 December – Lebrecht Blücher Dreves, German poet