Battles inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe

The following is a list of the 158 battles inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris,[1][2] which were fought by the French First Republic and the First French Empire between 1792 and 1815:

  • The names of 96 battles are engraved on the inner façades, under the great arches (24 on each of the four pillars).
  • The names of 32 battles are engraved on the inner façades, under the small arches (8 on each of the four pillars).
  • The names of 30 battles are engraved on the attic (11 on each of the long façades and 4 on each of the short ones).

Additionally, some of these battles are represented in low relief on the inner and outer façades of the monument:

  • On the inner façades, under the small arches, four low reliefs list the names of 16 battles (6 on the low relief on the northern pillar, 4 on the low reliefs on the eastern and southern pillars, 2 on the low relief on the western pillar).
  • On the outer façades, five battles are represented in low relief (2 on the northern façade facing the Avenue de la Grande Armée, 1 on each of the other façades).

Related list: Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe.

Great arches

  • Northern pillar: Siege of Lille – Battle of Höchstädt.
    Northern pillar: Siege of Lille – Battle of Höchstädt.
  • Eastern pillar: Battle of Wertingen – Battle of Bautzen.
    Eastern pillar: Battle of Wertingen – Battle of Bautzen.
  • Southern pillar: Battle of Loano – Siege of Gaeta.
    Southern pillar: Battle of Loano – Siege of Gaeta.
  • Western pillar: Battle of the Baztan Valley – Siege of Valencia.
    Western pillar: Battle of the Baztan Valley – Siege of Valencia.


List of battles engraved under the great arches of the monument (24 on each of the four pillars).


The names of the 96 battles inscribed under the great arches
Northern pillar Eastern pillar Southern pillar Western pillar
• • • •
LILLE WERTINGEN LOANO LE BASTAN
HONDSCHOOTTE GUNTZBOURG MILLESIMO LE BOULOU
WATTIGNIES ELCHINGEN DEGO BURGOS
ARLON DIERNSTEIN MONDOVI ESPINOSA
COURTRAI HOLLABRUNN ROVEREDO TUDELA
TOURCOING SAALFELD BASSANO UCLEZ
WEISSEMBOURG HALLE ST GEORGES LA COROGNE
• • • •
MAESTRICHT PRENTZLOW MANTOUE SARRAGOSSE
ALDENHOVEN LUBECK TAGLIAMENTO VALLS
LANDAU PULTUSK SEDIMAN MEDELLIN
NEUWIED EYLAU MONT THABOR MARIA-BELCHITE
RASTADT OSTROLENKA CHEBREISSE ALMONACID
ETLINGEN DANTZIG BASSIGNANO OCANA
NERESHEIM HEILSBERG SAN GIULIANO ALBA DE TORMÈS
BAMBERG LANDSHUT DIETIKON VIQUE
AMBERG ECKMULH MUTTA THAL LERIDA
FRIEDBERG RATISBONNE GENES CIUDAD-RODRIGO
• • • •
BIBERACH RAAB LE VAR ALMEIDA
ALTENKIRCHEN MOHILEW MONTEBELLO TORTOSE
SCHLIENGEN SMOLENSKO LE MINCIO GEBORA
KEHL VALONTINA CALDIERO BADAJOZ
ENGEN POLOTZK CASTEL FRANCO TARRAGONE
MOESKIRCH KRASNOÉ RAGUSE SAGONTE
HOCHSTETT WURSCHEN GAETE VALENCE
• • • •

Small arches

  • Northern pillar: Battle of Diersheim – Siege of Bergen op Zoom.
    Northern pillar: Battle of Diersheim – Siege of Bergen op Zoom.
  • Eastern pillar: Siege of Jaffa – Battle of Champaubert.
    Eastern pillar: Siege of Jaffa – Battle of Champaubert.
  • Southern pillar: Battle of Verona – Siege of Mequinenza.
    Southern pillar: Battle of Verona – Siege of Mequinenza.
  • Western pillar: Siege of Roses – Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro.
    Western pillar: Siege of Roses – Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro.


The battles of Diersheim, Düsseldorf, Grand Port and Maloyaroslavets engraved under one of the small arches of the monument (inner façade of the northern pillar, left column).


The names of the 32 battles inscribed under the small arches
Northern pillar Eastern pillar Southern pillar Western pillar
• • • •
Left column Left column Left column Left column
DIERSHEIM JAFFA ADIGE ROSES
DUSSELDORF PESCHIERA MONTAGNE NOIRE ASTORGA
GRAND PORT CAIRE POZZOLO GIRONE
M.JAROSLAWIETZ CAPRÉE LA PIAVE OLIVENZA
• • • •
Right column Right column Right column Right column
YPRES GRATZ NAPLES TOULOUSE
LUXEMBOURG C. DE SPRIMONT PLAISANCE M. DEL RIOSECO
BRESLAW GEISBERG MADRID OPORTO
BERG-OP-ZOOM CHAMPAUBERT MEQUINENZA FUENTE D'OŨORO
• • • •

Attic

  • Avenue des Champs-Élysées: Battle of Valmy – Battle of Alkmaer.
    Avenue des Champs-Élysées: Battle of Valmy – Battle of Alkmaer.
  • Avenue de Wagram: Battle of Zurich – Battle of Hohenlinden.
    Avenue de Wagram: Battle of Zurich – Battle of Hohenlinden.
  • Avenue de la Grande Armée: Battle of Ulm – Battle of Dresden.
    Avenue de la Grande Armée: Battle of Ulm – Battle of Dresden.
  • Avenue Kléber: Battle of Hanau – Battle of Ligny.
    Avenue Kléber: Battle of Hanau – Battle of Ligny.


List of battles engraved in chronological order on the attic of the monument (11 on each of the long façades and 4 on each of the short ones).


The names of the 30 battles inscribed on the shields of the attic
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
VALMY ・ JEMMAPES ・ FLEURUS ・ MONTENOTTE ・ LODI ・ CASTIGLIONE ・ ARCOLE ・ RIVOLI ・ LES PYRAMIDES ・ ABOUKIR ・ ALKMAER
•
Avenue de Wagram
ZURICH ・ HELIOPOLIS ・ MARENGO ・ HOHENLINDEN
•
Avenue de la Grande Armée
ULM ・ AUSTERLITZ ・ IENA ・ FRIEDLAND ・ SOMO SIERRA ・ ESLING ・ WAGRAM ・ MOSKOWA ・ LUTZEN ・ BAUTZEN ・ DRESDE
•
Avenue Kléber
HANAU ・ MONTMIRAIL ・ MONTEREAU ・ LIGNY
•

Low reliefs

Inner low reliefs

  • Northern pillar: Battle of Austerlitz – Battle of Eylau.
    Northern pillar: Battle of Austerlitz – Battle of Eylau.
  • Eastern pillar: Capture of Alexandria – Battle of Heliopolis.
    Eastern pillar: Capture of Alexandria – Battle of Heliopolis.
  • Southern pillar: Battle of Marengo – Battle of Lodi.
    Southern pillar: Battle of Marengo – Battle of Lodi.
  • Western pillar: Battle of Jemappes – Battle of Fleurus.
    Western pillar: Battle of Jemappes – Battle of Fleurus.


Tablet bearing the names of the battles of Alexandria, the Pyramids, Abukir and Heliopolis, carved in the low relief representing the Attributes of the Victories of the East (inner façade of the eastern pillar).


The names of the 16 battles inscribed on the tablets of the inner low reliefs
Northern pillar Eastern pillar Southern pillar Western pillar
• • • •
AUSTERLITZ ALEXANDRIE MARENGO JEMMAPES
IENA PYRAMIDES RIVOLI FLEURUS
FRIEDLAND ABOUKIR ARCOLE •
ULM HELIOPOLIS LODI
WAGRAM • •
EYLAU
•

Outer low reliefs

  • Avenue des Champs-Élysées (left): Battle of Abukir.
    Avenue des Champs-Élysées (left): Battle of Abukir.
  • Avenue des Champs-Élysées (right): Funeral of General Marceau.
    Avenue des Champs-Élysées (right): Funeral of General Marceau.
  • Avenue de la Grande Armée (left): Capture of Alexandria.
    Avenue de la Grande Armée (left): Capture of Alexandria.
  • Avenue de la Grande Armée (right): Battle of Arcole.
    Avenue de la Grande Armée (right): Battle of Arcole.
  • Avenue de Wagram: Battle of Austerlitz.
    Avenue de Wagram: Battle of Austerlitz.
  • Avenue Kléber: Battle of Jemappes.
    Avenue Kléber: Battle of Jemappes.


Outer low reliefs, representing the Battle of Abukir (left) and the funeral of General Marceau (right), on the southern façade of the Arc de Triomphe (Avenue des Champs-Élysées).


The names of the 5 battles represented in low relief on the outer façades
Left low relief Avenue des Champs-Élysées Right low relief
ABOUKIR MARCEAU[3]
•
Avenue de Wagram
AUSTERLITZ
•
Left low relief Avenue de la Grande Armée Right low relief
ALEXANDRIE ARCOLE
•
Avenue Kléber
JEMMAPES
•

See also

References

  1. ^ Battles on the Arc de Triomphe.
  2. ^ Inscriptions on the Arc de Triomphe.
  3. ^ The low relief on the right (facing the Avenue des Champs-Élysées) does not represent a battle, but the funeral of General François Séverin Marceau in Altenkirchen on 21 September 1796.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Inscriptions on the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile.
  • Jensen, Nathan D. (2012). "FrenchEmpire.net: 1789–1815 military history". Arcdetriomphe.info. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
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