The siege of Paris, which lasted from September 1870 to January 1871, was a brutal and devastating episode in the Franco-Prussian War. Prussian forces, led by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and General Helmuth von Moltke, had Paris under siege for months, cutting off food and supply lines to the city. The French army, led by General Louis Trochu, fought valiantly but was vastly outnumbered and outgunned. As the siege dragged on, the people of Paris suffered terribly, with thousands dying from starvation and disease. Finally, on January 28, 1871, the French government was forced to surrender, and an armistice was signed, marking a crushing defeat for France.