Timeline of French Imperialism

A timeline of the creation and maintenance of the French Empire.

1500s

• 1555: France attempts to create a colony in Rio de Janerio, now Brazil called 'French Antarctique'
• 1562: France attempts to create a colony in Florida, now USA called Fort Caroline.
• 1565: France abandons Fort Caroline after a conflict with the Spanish Empire.
• 1567: France abandons French Antarctique.

1600s

• 1605: France colonizes Nova Scotia, now Canada.
• 1608: France colonizes Quebec, now Canada.
• 1624: France colonists French Guiana.
• 1624: France establishes trading posts on the coast of Senegal.
• 1625: France colonizes part of Saint Kitts, shared with the British Empire.
• 1635: France colonizes Guadelope and Martinique.
• 1650: France colonizes Saint Lucia.
• 1660: France begins the Carib Expulsion, involving killing, enslaving or deporting the remaining survivors to Dominica and Saint Vincent.
• 1664: France colonizes Haiti.
• 1664: France colonizes Réunion.
• 1673: France colonizes parts of India, establishing the city of Chandernagore.
• 1674: France colonizes Pondichéry in India.
• 1680: France colonizes Illinois, now USA.

1700s

• 1713: Following the War of the Spanish Succession, France is forced to give away Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Saint Kitts to the British Empire.
• 1718: France colonizes Mauritius.
• 1723: France colonizes Yanam in India.
• 1725: France colonizes Mahe in India.
• 1739: France colonizes Karikal in India.
• 1756: France colonizes the Seychelles.
• 1791: The Haitian Revolution begins as the first major anti-colonial revolt against the French.

1800s

• 1804:
• 1815: France has its colonies returned to it by Britain, at this point consisting of Guadelope, Martinique, French Guiana, trading posts in Senegal, Réunion and France's cities in India. However, the British Empire claims the Seychelles, Mauritius, Tobago and Saint Lucia.
• 1830: France seizes the city of Algiers from the Ottoman Empire.
• 1884: France colonies Vietnam.
• 1893: France colonies Laos.

1900s

• 1945: French colonial police massacre Algerian protesters, killing thousands of people.
• 1945: An anti-colonial revolution begins in Vietnam as rebels led by Ho Chi Minh fight for an independent Vietnam.
• 1947: France brutally suppresses an attempted anti-colonial revolt in Madagascar.
• 1954: France decolonizes Vietnam as the country is split into two.
• 1954: The Algerian Revolution begins as the most famous anti-colonial revolt in the French Empire.
• 1956: France decolonizes Tunisia.
• 1958: France decolonizes Guinea.
• 1960: France decolonizes its colonies in Africa, leading to the formation of Cameroon, Togo, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Mauritania.
• 1962: France withdraws from Algeria as the country becomes independent.
• 1975: France decolonizes the Comoros.
• 1977: France decolonizes Djibouti.
• 1980: France decolonizes Vanuatu, becoming its last act of decolonisation.
• 1987: France participates in the coup that ousts Thomas Sankara from being leader of Burkina Faso.

See Also

• Timeline of US Imperialism
• Timeline of British Imperialism
• Timeline of Spanish Imperialism
• Timeline of Portuguese Imperialism
• Timeline of Russian Imperialism
• Timeline of German Imperialism
• Timeline of Japanese Imperialism