Prime Minister of France
Appointed Prime Minister of France, forms & leads the Government of National unity
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1914 in France
Explore 98 historical events and records for France in 1914.
Historical records for France in 1914
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 98 unique records.
98Unique records
1 of 3Page
18Named events on this page
9Named people on this page
4Places on this page
June
July
Assassination of Jean Jaures
Assassinated by a French nationalist fanatic
Death of Jean Jaures
Death of Jean Jaures, assassinated
Commander of Thirty 3rd Regiment
Appointed Commander of the 33rd Regiment
August
Mobilization
Issues the mobilization proclamation to France
Battle of Mulhouse
The taking of Mulhouse, albeit without opposition, sparked wild celebrations in France, the French are regarded as liberators by the inhabitants of Mulhouse. The Battle of Mulhouse was intended to secure the recapture of Alsace (with Lorraine to follow separately), territories lost to Germany as a consequence of losing the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71
Capture of Mulhouse
The taking of Mulhouse, albeit without opposition, sparked wild celebrations in France, the French are regarded as liberators by the inhabitants of Mulhouse
Chief of General Staff
Appointed Commander of the French Army
Chief of General Staff
Appointed Commander of the French Army
Battle of Mulhouse
The Germans mount a counter-attack at nearby Cernay, Bonneau begins a slow withdrawal
Battle of Mulhouse
Despatches a reserve division to assist in the defence, but they arrived too late to save the town from recapture, Bonneau withdrawing towards Belfort on 10 August in order to escape German encirclement
Battle of Mulhouse
Charges Bonneau with a lack of aggression & relieves him of his command, Joffre adds four more divisions to the Army of Alsace placed under the command of General Pau
Battle of Frontiers
One of the battles of the Frontiers, the Invasion of Lorraine (also known as the Battle of Morhange-Sarrebourg) begins with the French First and Second Armies entering the city
First Army
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified
First Army
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified
First Army
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified
Invasion of Lorraine
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified
Invasion of Lorraine
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified
Invasion of Lorraine
One of the battles of the Frontiers, the Invasion of Lorraine (also known as the Battle of Morhange-Sarrebourg) begins with the French First and Second Armies entering the city.
Invasion of Lorraine
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified.
Invasion of Lorraine
The French invasion of Lorraine forms one of the major objectives of the French pre-war offensive strategy against Germany, Plan XVII.
Plan XVII
The French invasion of Lorraine forms one of the major objectives of the French pre-war offensive strategy against Germany, Plan XVII
Second Army
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified
Second Army
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified
Second Army
The French First Army, under General Auguste Dubail, intended to take Sarrebourg, east of Nancy, a strongly defended town, with General Noel de Castelnaus Second Army taking Morhange, similarly fortified
Invasion of Lorraine
Castelnaus army is forced to retreat to Nancy
Siege of Nancy
Castelnaus army is forced to retreat to Nancy
Battle of Ardennes
General Pierre Ruffeys 3rd Army and, further north, General Fernand de Langle de Carys 4th Army, fought the German 4th and 5th Armies: the former led by Duke Albrecht, the latter by Crown Prince Wilhelm
Fourth Army
General Pierre Ruffeys 3rd Army and, further north, General Fernand de Langle de Carys 4th Army, fought the German 4th and 5th Armies: the former led by Duke Albrecht, the latter by Crown Prince Wilhelm
Third Army
General Pierre Ruffeys 3rd Army and, further north, General Fernand de Langle de Carys 4th Army, fought the German 4th and 5th Armies: the former led by Duke Albrecht, the latter by Crown Prince Wilhelm
Battle of Frontiers
Eight days after the French offensive had begun both First and Second Armies are back to the fortress zones of Belfort, Epinal and Toul
Invasion of Lorraine
Eight days after the French offensive had begun both First and Second Armies are back to the fortress zones of Belfort, Epinal and Toul
Battle of Ardennes
The French forces begin a disorderly retreat, the 3rd Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German 5th Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and 4th Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay
Battle of Ardennes
The French forces begin a disorderly retreat, the 3rd Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German 5th Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and 4th Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay
Battle of Ardennes
The French forces begin a disorderly retreat, the 3rd Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German 5th Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and 4th Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay
Fifth Army
The French forces begin a disorderly retreat, the 3rd Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German 5th Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and 4th Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay
Fifth Army
The French forces begin a disorderly retreat, the 3rd Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German 5th Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and 4th Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay
Fifth Army
The French forces begin a disorderly retreat, the 3rd Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German 5th Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and 4th Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay
Fourth Army
The French forces begin a disorderly retreat, the 3rd Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German 5th Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and 4th Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay
Fourth Army
The French forces begin a disorderly retreat, the 3rd Army withdrawing to Verdun chased by the German 5th Army (where Ruffey was subsequently removed by Joffre), and 4th Army retreating near Sedan and Stenay
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.