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The French first came to the New World as travelers seeking a route to the Pacific Ocean and wealth. Major French exploration of North America began under the rule of Francis I, King of France. In 1524, Francis sent Italian-born Giovanni da Verrazzano to explore the region between Florida and Newfoundland for a route to the Pacific Ocean.
From the 16th to the 17th centuries, the First French colonial empire stretched from a total area at its peak in 1680 to over 10,000,000 km 2 (3,900,000 sq mi), the second largest empire in the world at the time behind only the Spanish Empire.
1541: Failed French settlement at Charlesbourg-Royal (Quebec City) by Cartier and Roberval. 1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo reaches the California coast. 1559: Failed Spanish settlement at Pensacola, Florida. 1562: Failed Huguenot settlement in South Carolina (Charlesfort-Santa Elena site). 1564: French Huguenots at Jacksonville, Florida (Fort ...
French presence in Senegal began in 1626, although formal colonies and trading posts were not established until 1659 with the founding of Saint-Louis, and 1677 with the founding of Gorée. [27] Additionally, the first settlement of Madagascar began in 1642 with the establishment of Fort Dauphin. [28]
The first French colonial empire stretched to over 10,000,000 km 2 (3,900,000 sq mi) at its peak in 1710, which was the second largest colonial empire in the world, after the Spanish Empire. [33] [34] In the French colonial regions, the focus of the economy was on sugar plantations in the French West Indies.
The First French Empire [4] [a] or French Empire (French: Empire français; Latin: Imperium Francicum) and also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century.
The first French settlement of Madagascar began in 1642 with the establishment of Fort Dauphin. ... thus war was to start again. [37] The expansion of France, 1552 to ...
In the 19th century, starting with the Occupation of Algeria in 1830, France began to establish a new empire in Africa and Southeast Asia. The following is a list of all countries that were part of the French colonial empires from 1534; 491 years ago () to the present, either entirely or in part, either under French sovereignty or as mandate.