Sedan

Sedan, town in north-eastern France, in the Champagne-Ardenne administrative region, on the River Meuse. Goods manufactured here include woollen textiles, chemicals, and metal products; and coal and iron are mined in the vicinity. The history of Sedan dates back to the 14th century, when it was an ecclesiastical dependency. In the early 15th century it became an independent principality ruled by the La Marck family, who built the immense castle that still dominates the town. Sedan passed to the French Crown in 1642. In 1870 it was the scene of the Battle of Sedan, which was the decisive defeat of French forces in the Franco-Prussian War. In August 1914, at the start of World War I, the town was captured by the Germans; it was relieved by American troops in November 1918. During World War II, German armoured divisions defeated the French Ninth Army at Sedan in May 1940, a victory that initiated the German invasion of France. Population 20,300 (2005 estimate).