A view of the fortress of Bitche. A depot of punishment for British prisoners of War, 1799

Coloured aquatint by J Rouse, published by J H Wall.

Bitche fortress in Lorraine was built between 1680 and 1697 by King Louis XIV's famous military engineer Marquis de Vauban. In the years that followed it was demolished and rebuilt on several occasions as the Duchy of Lorraine changed hands between France and the Dukes of Lorraine. The French finally annexed Lorraine in 1766 and during the Wars of the French Revolution (1793-1802) Bichte was used as a jail for allied prisoners who had tried to escape from less secure prisons.