The ironclad played a minor role in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, blockading the North Sea coast of Prussia and later a Prussian commerce raider in a neutral Spanish port.

The Provence class was designed as an enlarged version of the Gloire-class ironclads with thicker armor, more powerful guns, and better seakeeping qualities.

[2] The Provence class carried enough coal to allow them to steam for 2,410 nautical miles (4,460 km; 2,770 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

At an unknown date in that year a premature detonation blew the breech off a 240 mm gun, killing a dozen crewmen.

[7] When the Franco-Prussian War began on 19 July 1870, the ship was assigned to Vice Admiral Léon Martin Fourichon's squadron that was tasked to blockade German ports in the Heligoland Bight.

The neutral British denied the French permission to re-coal there and the ships were forced to perform it at sea under dangerous conditions.

Bad weather and a series of storms beginning in late August prevented the squadron from coaling and the ships were forced to return to France in early September.

[8] In January 1871 Valeureuse fruitlessly searched for the German commerce raider SMS Augusta off the Gironde estuary and then joined the blockade of the ship in Vigo, Spain, where she was resupplying in the neutral harbour.