Montmirail-Marchais and Napoleon 1814

2014 sees major anniversaries – 70 years since the D-Day landings in Normandie – and 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War (The Great War). Yet there is another anniversary, which the French prefer to celebrate as it was a victory for Napoleon – 200 years since the Battle of Montmirail-Marchais, one of his last victories before Waterloo just one year later in 1815. The battle was against the Russians and the Prussians in the Marne département in the Champagne-Ardenne.

The famous battle of Montmirail-Marchais will be re enacted on 31 May 2014 on the same place than 1814 fighting by more than 1 000 soldiers and 100 cavalrymen. Five generations after the Grognards (so-called “old soldiers”) and three after the pioupiou (so-called “simple soldiers”), on June 1st, we will celebrate the 1814 bicentenary and the 1914 centenary. We want to pay tribute to soldiers’ courage to remember these terrible moments and appreciate the European Reconciliation.

This will be one of the largest re-enactments in France – 1500 re-enactors, 100 cavalrymen and 30 pieces of artillery will re-create the battle.

Montmirail is about 65km south-west of Reims.

Fore info see http://1814v4.fr (in French)