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Primary sourceDocument10 May 1871

Treaty of Frankfurt

Otto von Bismarck; Jules Favre · 10 May 1871

The 1871 peace treaty Bismarck signed ending the Franco-Prussian War, taking Alsace-Lorraine from France.

Bismarck negotiated and signed this treaty, shaping the harsh peace that defined his later diplomacy toward France.

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A handwritten French treaty document, with cursive text and a red and white cord binding, displayed in a red case beside a gold-colored quill pen on a clear stand. A small placard in front reads Frankfurter Friedensfeder.
Treaty of Frankfurt and the pen used by Bismarck to sign it, 10 May 1871.

About this source

What it is

The Treaty of Frankfurt was signed on 10 May 1871 in Frankfurt by the German Empire and the French Third Republic, ending the Franco-Prussian War. It was signed on the German side by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

Why it matters

The treaty forced France to cede Alsace and most of Lorraine to Germany and pay a huge war indemnity, while recognising Wilhelm I as German Emperor. It confirmed German unification but left deep French resentment, feeding a desire for revenge that shaped European politics for decades and later became one of the causes historians point to for World War I.

Why it matters

Look closer

  • Why might harsh territorial and financial terms create problems for peace later on?
  • What does the treaty reveal about how nationalism and strategy shaped the new German-French border?
  • Whose voices are missing from a treaty negotiated between governments?

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