Town on the river Meuse, in Ardennes
departement, NE France; population (1982)
24,535. Industries include textiles and
dyestuffs; the town's prosperity dates from
the 16th-17th centuries, when it was a
Huguenot centre. In 1870 Sedan was the scene
of Napoleon III's surrender to Germany during
the Franco-Prussian War. It was the focal
point of the German advance into France 1940.