Western History 178: How extensive were France’s colonial/protectorate holdings?

France’s so-called colonial Empire (although it wasn't a true Empire like that of the British) was only second in terms of size to that of Britain by the Nineteenth century. Its origins date back to the 16^th century and evolved like the British and Spanish Empires during the Age of Exploration. The colonial holdings peaked in 1920 when it covered 11,500,000 km² and included a population of 110 million people. Port Royal in Acadia was the first successful French colony following on the heels of failed colonies in Brazil and Florida. Like later French colonies it was mercantile in nature (driven initially by the endeavours of the West and East Indies Trading Companies).

The Old and the New French Empires. Source: AnnieAndre.com

French colonies existed in the Caribbean, South America, North and West Africa, Madagascar, India and South East Asia. The Empire served to spread Catholicism and French culture and likel other European Empires had an element of duty to it that manifested itself in the necessity for cultural and civilization expansion (the so-called civilizing mission). Today many of the former French colonial territories are linked to the mother country via La francophonie.

So what were these territories under French control? In North America this included Quebec, the Canadian maritime province and much of what would later become the Louisiana Purchase. Collectively this formed part of New France. The former would be lost to Britain following the War of The Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War, The latter would be acquired by the United States via financial means during the turbulent Period of the Napoleonic wars.

French holdings in the Caribbean were significant and they included at various times Saint-Domingue (Haiti) , Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, St. Lucia, St Kitts, Grenada and Tobago. France also had control of South American territory in French Guiana  which to this day is considered an overseas Department of France like Reunion in the Indian Ocean. Colonies established here were largely dependent on sugar production that relied heavily on the Trans Atlantic Slave trade. The dynamics of such an economy would eventually result in the displacement and expulsion of the indigenous Carib population (the same was true in the English Caribbean colonies).

French activities in Africa would see the establishment of a trading post in what is today Senegal (West Africa). Further expansions in the 19^th century would result in  France acquiring territoryon the Indian sub-continent  in Chandannagar, Pondicherry, Yanam, Mahe and Karikal.  These would later succumb to British dominance and be incorporated in the Raj. Reunion, Mauritius (Isle de France) and the Seychelles were key French holdings in the Indian Ocean.

France’s colonial 'empire' was essentially built in two stages (as shown in the map above). A resurgence began after 1830. France increased her Pacific possessions after the French-Taihitian War (1844-1847) with later initiatives being orchestrated by Emperor Napoleon III in New Caledonia and Cochinchina (part of Vietnam). Further expansion occurred in Senegal, Cambodia, Laos, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria with the modern day nations of Mauritania, Mali, Ivory Coast, Benin, Guinea, Niger, Madagascar,Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Tunisia, Morocco, Gabon and Cameroon and Djibouti.

The French and British would coordinate their colonial/protectorate efforts to some degree to minimize conflict following the signing of the 1860 Cobden-Chevalier Treaty. Although conflict still arose as was evident by the 1898 Fashoda Incident.

Further territorial gains in the 20^th followed the Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920).

French Colonial holdings just after WWI. Shown in Dark Blue. Source: International Encyclopedia of the First World War

Source for Size of Empire: Robert Aldrich, Greater France: A History of French Overseas Expansion (1996).