The unrivaled Prussian army, the most powerful component of the European coalition against the French Revolution, marches from the Rhine to reverse the events of 1789. Verdun and Longwy, border fortresses, quickly surrender. But at Valmy, the rapid and well-aimed fire of the French artillery shatters the Prussians’ cadence and halts their advance: the Duke of Brunswick is forced to retreat. The French Revolution is saved, and the foundations are laid for Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power. Napoleon’s transformations in Europe, among other things, will lead to the fall of the Holy Roman Empire.
