Illustration of a Prussian gun battery during the Siege of Paris, France. The Siege of Paris took place from 19th September 1870 to 28th January 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. Paris was starved into surrender, with the attempts to procure food and the cold weather being two key aspects of the siege. The siege ended with the bombardment and capture of the city by the encircling Prussian forces. Illustration from 1876.