The French colonial empire (French: Empire colonial français) was a colonial empire that constituted of the client states, overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule. In rivalry with England (and later Great Britain), France began to establish colonies in North America, the Caribbean, and Indian subcontinent, following the Spanish and Portuguese successes during the Age of Discovery. A distinction is generally made between the "first colonial empire", that existed until 1814 and by which time most of it had been lost, and the "second colonial empire", which began with the conquest of Algier in 1830 and came to an end with the granting of independence to Algeria in 1962. By 1900, it had become the world's second-largest colonial empire, albeit far behind the British Empire both in terms of population and size.
French colonies, protectorates and possessions[]
Europe[]
- Batavian Republic (1795-1806) → became the Kingdom of Holland (1806-1810) → annexed into the French Empire (1810-1813) → gained independence as the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands (1813)
- Kingdom of Spain (1796-1813) → relinquished its protectorate status (1813)
- Cisalpine Republic (1797-1802) → renamed as the Italian Republic (1802-1805) → became the Kingdom of Italy (1805-1814) → abolished by the Austrian Empire (1814)
- Roman Republic (1798-1799) → the Papal States restored (1799)
- Irish Republic (1798) → abolished by the Kingdom of Ireland (1798)
- Helvetic Republic (1798-1803) → Swiss Confederation re-established (1803) → relinquished its protectorate status (1815)
- Subalpine Republic (1800-1802) → divided between the French Republic and the Italian Republic (1802)
- Kingdom of Naples (1806-1815) → relinquished its protectorate status (1815)
- Free City of Danzig (1807-1814) → re-incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia (1814)
North America[]
- New France (1534-1763)
- French Guiana (1604-present)
- Haiti (1624-1804)
- French Louisiana (1763-1764; 1800-1804)
South America[]
Africa[]
- Senegal (1677–1895) → Four Communes of Senegal were granted the rights of full French citizenship and representation to the French Parliament (1848) → merged into French West Africa (1895)
- Albreda (1681–1857) → controlled definitively by the British (1857)
- Saint-Jacques Island (1695–1697, 1702) → controlled definitively by the British (1702)
- São Tomé and Príncipe (1709–1715) → returned to the Portuguese control (1715)
- Réunion (1710–1810; 1814–1946) → invaded and controlled by the British (1810) → returned to the French control (1814) → became the overseas department of France (1946)
- Isle de France (1715–1810) → invaded and controlled by the British (1810)
- French administration of Egypt (1798–1801) → returned to the Ottoman suzerainty (1801)
- French Algeria (1830–1962) → gained independence as the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (1962)
- Gabon (1839–1910) → merged into French Equatorial Africa (1910)
- Ivory Coast (1843–1895) → merged into French West Africa (1895)
- French Somaliland (1862–1946) → became the overseas territory of France (1946) → renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas (1967–1977) → gained independence as the Republic of Djibouti
- Comoros (1841–1975) → Mayotte voted to separate and became the overseas collectivity of France (1974) → the rest of islands gained independence as the Union of the Comoros (1975)
- French Congo (1875–1910) → merged into French Equatorial Africa (1910)
- Dahomey (1883–1895) → merged into French West Africa (1895)
- French Sudan (1883–1895) → merged into French West Africa (1895)
- French Guinea (1891–1895) → merged into French West Africa (1895)
- Emirate of Muri (1892–1893) → relinquished protectorate status (1893)
- Sultanate of Bangassou (1894–1917) → abolished and merged into French Equatorial Africa (1917)
- French West Africa (1895–1964) → gained independence as the West African Federation (1964)
- Sultanate of Rafai (1895–1939) → abolished and merged into French Equatorial Africa (1939)
- Sultanate of Zemio (1895–1923) → abolished and merged into French Equatorial Africa (1923)
- Sultanate of Dar al Kuti (1897–1912) → abolished and merged into French Equatorial Africa (1912)
- Enclaves of Forcados and Badjibo (1900–1927) → leasing was not renewed and the territory was returned to the British (1927)
- French Chad (1900–1910) → merged into French Equatorial Africa (1910)
- Oubangui-Chari (1905–1910) → merged into French Equatorial Africa (1910)
- French Equatorial Africa (1910–1964) → gained independence as the Central African Republic (1964)
- French protectorate in Morocco (1912–1956) → gained independence as the Kingdom of Morocco (1956)
- French Togoland (1918–1960) → gained independence as the Republic of Togo (1960)
- French Cameroon (1918–1960) → gained independence as the Republic of Cameroon (1960)
- French Mandate of the Rif (1920–1926) → Republic of the Rif gained self-government (1926–1947) → gained independence (1947)
- Mayotte (1974–2011) → became the overseas department of France (2011)
Asia[]
- French India (1769–1954) → the French Indian Federation gained self-government (1947) → renamed as the South Indian Federation (1949) → renamed as the Deccan Federation and gained independence (1954)
- French Indochina (1887–1941; 1945–1949) → the Republic of Vietnam and Kingdom of Laos declared independence (1945) → Vietnam and Laos joined the Indochinese Union (1946) → Cambodia gained self-government within the Union (1947) → the State of Vietnam seceded from the Union (1949) → the Kingdom of Laos seceded from the Union (1950) → the Kingdom of Cambodia gained independence (1951)
- French Mandate of Syria (1920–1946) → the State of Damascus, the State of Aleppo, the State of Greater Lebanon and the Alawite State gained self-government (1920) → the State of Jabal Druze gained self-government (1921) → Damascus, Aleppo and the Alawite State joined as the Syrian Federation (1924) → Alawite State seceded from the Federation (1925) → the Federation became the State of Syria (1925) → State of Syria became the Syrian Republic (1930) → Alawite State and Jabal Druze merged into the Republic (1936) → the Lebanese Republic gained independence (1943) → the Syrian Republic gained independence (1946)
- Dutch East Indies (1808–1811)
- The territory of Kouang-Tchéou-Wan, a dependency of French Indochina) (1898–1945)
- The foreign concessions : French Concession of Shanghai (1849–1946), Tianjin (1860–1946) and Hankou (1898–1946)
- Shamian Island (1859–1949) (a fifth of the island)