List of wars involving France

This is a list of wars involving modern France from the abolition of the French monarchy and the establishment of the French First Republic on 21 September 1792 until the current Fifth Republic.

  French victory
  French defeat
  Another result *
  Ongoing conflict

*e.g. a treaty or peace without a clear result, status quo ante bellum, result of civil or internal conflict, result unknown or indecisive, inconclusive

First French Republic (1792–1804)

[edit]
Conflict Allies Opponents Outcome
French Revolution
(1789–1799)

Location: France

Kingdom of France Kingdom of France Revolutionaries French Republican victory
War of the First Coalition
(1792–1797)

Location: Western, Central, and Southern Europe, West Indies

French First Republic French Republic

French satellites:[1]

French naval allies:

Kingdom of France Armée des Émigrés First Coalition:
Dutch Republic Dutch Republic
(1792–1795)[5]
 Great Britain
 Holy Roman Empire (1792–1797)[6]

Papal States Papal States (1792–1797)[9]
 Parma (1792–1796)
 Portugal
 Prussia (1792–1795)[7]
Sardinia (1792–1796)[10]
Spain Spain (1792–1795)[7]
 Naples (1792–1796)
Other Italian states[11]

French victory
War in the Vendée
(1793–1796)

Location: Western France (former provinces of Anjou, Poitou, and Brittany)

France French First Republic: Kingdom of France French Royalists:

Supported by:  Great Britain

French Republican victory
War of the Pyrenees
(1793–1795)

Location: Pyrenees

 France Spain Kingdom of Spain
 Kingdom of Portugal
French victory
Haitian Revolution
(1791–1804)

Location: Saint-Domingue

Collage of the Haitian Revolution
Slave owners
Kingdom of France
French Republic
Ex-slaves
French royalists
Captaincy General of Santo Domingo (1793–1795)
 Great Britain
Ex-slaves (1802–1803)
Haitian victory
French invasion of Switzerland
(1798)

Location: Switzerland

 France  Switzerland French victory
War of the Second Coalition
(1798–1802)

Location: Europe, Middle East, Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas

 France


 Spain
Polish Legions
French client republics:

 Holy Roman Empire (until 1801)[c]

 Great Britain (pre-1801)
 United Kingdom (post-1801)
 Russia (until 1799)
 Ottoman Empire
 Portugal
 Naples (until 1801)
Tuscany Grand Duchy of Tuscany (until 1801)
Sovereign Military Order of Malta Order of Saint John (1798)
Kingdom of France French Royalists

French victory
Peasants' War
(1798)

Location: Southern Netherlands

France French Republic Brigands French victory
Quasi-War

(1798–1800)

Location: Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Seas
USS Constellation vs. L'Insurgente
France French Republic  United States

Co-belligerent:

 Great Britain

Convention of 1800
  • Peaceful cessation of Franco-American alliance
  • End of French privateer attacks on American shipping
  • American neutrality and renunciation of claims by France
War of the Oranges
(1801)

Location: Portugal

 France


Spain Kingdom of Spain

 Kingdom of Portugal French victory
  • Portugal closes its ports to British ships

First French Empire (1804–1814, 1815)

[edit]
Conflict France & allies France's opposition Outcome
War of the Third Coalition
(1803–06)

Location: Central Europe, Italy and the Atlantic Ocean

First French Empire France
Batavian Republic Batavian Republic
Electorate of Bavaria Bavaria
Etruria
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic) Italy
Spain
Württemberg
Holy Roman Empire Holy Roman Empire
Naples
Russian Empire Russia
Kingdom of Sicily Sicily
Sweden
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom
French victory
Franco-Swedish War
(1805–10)

Location: Swedish Pomerania

France Sweden French victory
Siege of Santo Domingo
(1805)

Location: Santo Domingo, Saint-Domingue
present day Dominican Republic

France Haiti French victory
War of the Fourth Coalition
(1806)

Location: Central Europe, Wallachia and Moldavia

France

Spain
Switzerland

Kingdom of Prussia Prussia
Russian Empire Russia
Electorate of Saxony Saxony
(until 11 December 1806)
Sicily
Sweden
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom
French victory
Gunboat War
(1807–1814)

Location: Danish–Norwegian waters

Denmark Denmark–Norway

Co-belligerent:
Russian Empire Russian Empire (1808–09)
Supported by:
First French Empire French Empire[12]

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom

Co-belligerent:
Sweden
(1809, 1813–1814)

British victory
Finnish War
(1808–1809)

Location: Finland and Sweden

Russian Empire Russian Empire

Co-belligerent:
Denmark–Norway Denmark–Norway Supported by:
First French Empire French Empire

Sweden

Supported by:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom

Russian victory
Dano-Swedish War of 1808–1809
(1808–1809)

Location: Scandinavia

Denmark–Norway Denmark–Norway

Co-belligerent:
Russian Empire Russian Empire
Supported by:
First French Empire French Empire

Sweden

Co-belligerent:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom

Inconclusive
Peninsular War
(1808–1814)

Location: Iberian Peninsula and Southern France

First French Empire France Spain
Portugal
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom
Coalition victory
War of the Fifth Coalition
(1809)

Location: Central Europe, Italy and Netherlands

First French Empire France  Austria

Portugal Portugal
 Sardinia
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies Sicily
Spain Spain
Tyrol
 United Kingdom

French victory
Tyrolean Rebellion
(1809)

Location: Tyrol

First French Empire French Empire Tyrolean partisans French victory
  • Uprising crushed
French invasion of Russia
(1812)

Location: Eastern Europe

 France  Russia Russian victory
War of the Sixth Coalition
(1813–1814)

Location: Central and Eastern Europe

 France

Until January 1814

Original coalition

After the Armistice of Pläswitz

After the Battle of Leipzig

After January 1814

Coalition victory
Hundred Days
(1815)

Location: France and Netherlands

France
Naples
Austrian Empire Austria
Kingdom of Prussia Prussia
Russian Empire Russia
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom
 Baden
Kingdom of Bavaria Bavaria
Duchy of Brunswick Brunswick
Denmark Denmark
Kingdom of France Kingdom of France
Province of Hanover Hanover
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein
 Nassau
United Kingdom of the Netherlands Netherlands
 Portugal
 Sardinia
Kingdom of Saxony Saxony
 Sicily
Spain Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tuscany
Kingdom of Württemberg Württemberg
Coalition-Bourbon victory

Bourbon Restoration (1814–15, 1815–1830)

[edit]
Conflict France & allies France's opposition Outcome
Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis
(1823)

Location: Spain

Kingdom of France
Spain Armée de la Foi
Spain Partisans of the Cortes French and Spanish Royalist victory
Greek War of Independence
(1821–1829)

Location: Greece

1821:
Filiki Eteria
Greek revolutionaries
After 1822:
Hellenic Republic
Supported by:
Romanian Revolutionaries (1821)
Greece Philhellenes
 United Kingdom (after 1826)
Russian Empire (after 1826)
Kingdom of France (after 1826)
Serb and Montenegrin volunteers
Ottoman Empire Greek victory
  • First Hellenic Republic established and recognized
Franco-Trarzan War of 1825
(1825)

Location: Waalo, West Africa

France Trarza French victory
Irish and German Mercenary Soldiers' Revolt
(1825)

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Empire of Brazil Empire of Brazil
France
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom
Irish mercenaries
German mercenaries
Revolt Suppressed
July Revolution
(July 1830)

Location: France

 Bourbon Restoration (Legitimists) Orléanists Orléanist victory

July Monarchy (1830–1848)

[edit]
Conflict France & allies France's opposition Outcome
Liberal Wars
(1828–34)

Location: Portugal

Liberals

Supported by:
United Kingdom (1828–1834)
France (1830–1834)
Belgian volunteers (1832–1834)[13]
Spain (1833–1834)

Miguelites

Supported by:
Spain (1828–1833)

Liberal victory
French conquest of Algeria
(1827–1830–1857)

Location: Regency of Algiers

 France  Ottoman Empire

Emirate of Abdelkader
Beni Abbas Kingdom2 Kingdom of Ait Abbas
Kel Ahaggar
Sultanate of Morocco

French victory
Belgian Revolution
(1830–31)

Location: The Low Countries

Belgian rebels
France
 United Netherlands Franco-Belgian victory
  • Most European powers' recognition of Belgium's independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands
June Rebellion
(1832)

Location: Paris, France

 July Monarchy Republicans Orléanist victory, rebellion crushed
First Carlist War
(1833–1840)

Location: Spain

Liberals
Supported by:
France France
United Kingdom
Portugal (from 1834)
Carlists
Supported by:
Portugal (until 1834)
French and Liberal victory
First Franco-Mexican War
(1838–1839)

Location: Mexico

 France Mexico French victory
  • Mexican government agrees to pay damages of 600,000 pesos
Uruguyan Civil War
(1839-1851)

Location: Uruguay

Colorados Colorado victory
Second Egyptian-Ottoman War
(1839–1841)

Location: The Levant

Eyalet of Egypt
France Kingdom of France
Spain Kingdom of Spain
Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire
United Kingdom British Empire
Austrian Empire Austrian Empire
Russia Russian Empire
Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Prussia
Ottoman victory
  • Egypt renounces claim on Syria, Britain recognizes Muhammad Ali and his descendants as the legitimate rulers of Egypt
First Franco-Moroccan War
(1844)

Location: Morocco

 France Morocco
Algerian volunteers
French victory
Franco-Tahitian War
(1844–1847)

Location: Tahiti

France Tahiti
Huahine
Raiatea
Bora Bora and Tahaa
French victory
Bombardment of Tourane
(1847)

Location: Off Tourane (Da Nang), South Central Coast of Vietnam

 France Nguyễn dynasty French victory
French Revolution of 1848
(February 1848)

Location: Paris, France

 July Monarchy
Supported by:
 United Kingdom
Republicans
Socialists
Republican victory

Second French Republic (1848–1852)

[edit]
Conflict France & allies France's opposition Outcome
First Italian War of Independence
(1848–1849)

Location: Lombardy; Rome

Austrian Empire Austrian Empire
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
 France (1849)
Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Sardinia

Supported by:

French-Austrian Victory
  • Austria keeps Lombardy–Venetia
  • French Victory over Roman Republic
    • Papal rule restored over Rome[14]
June Days uprising
(June 1848)

Location: France

 French Second Republic Socialist rebels Second Republic victory
  • New constitution adopted from the provisional government
French invasion of Honolulu
(1849)

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

 France Hawaii Hawaiian Kingdom Victory

Second French Empire (1852–1870)

[edit]
Conflict France & allies France's opposition Outcome
Taiping Rebellion
(1850–1871)

Location: China

Qing victory
Bombardment of Salé
(1851)

Location: Morocco

 France Sherifian Empire French military victory
French political failure
  • Morocco agreed to pay 100,000 francs to the French on 29 November 1851 to avoid further conflict.[15]
  • France had desired a revolt against the governor of Salé to force repayment and avoid destruction of the city, but this did not occur.[16]
Crimean War
(1853–1856)

Location: Crimea, Caucasus, Balkans, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, White Sea, Far East

France
 Ottoman Empire  Britain[e]
Kingdom of Sardinia Sardinia[f]
Supported by:
 Austrian Empire
Caucasus Imamate[g]
Circassia
Abkhazia[f]
Russian Empire Russian Empire Kurdish rebels
Greece Greece[h]
Allied victory
Second Opium War
(1857)

Location: China

France
 United Kingdom
 India
United States
Qing dynasty Allied victory
Siege of Medina Fort
(1857)

Location: Médine, Mali

France Toucouleur Empire French victory
Cochinchina Campaign
(1858–1862)

Location: Vietnam

France Second French Empire
Spain Spain
Nguyễn dynasty Franco-Spanish victory
Second Italian War of Independence
(1859)

Location: Lombardy–Venetia, Piedmont and the Austrian Littoral

Second French Empire French Empire
Kingdom of Sardinia
Supported By:
United Principalities
Austrian Empire Austrian Empire
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia
Franco-Sardinian victory
Expedition of the Thousand
(1860–61)

Location: Sicily and Southern Italy

 Two Sicilies
Supported by
Papal States Papal States
Second French Empire France
Spain
Kingdom of Sardinia Sardinia
Supported by
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Unification Victory
Second Franco-Mexican War
(1862–1867)

Location: Mexico

France
Mexican Empire
United Mexican States
 United States (from 1865)[17]
French Defeat
  • Establishment, then fall, of the Second Mexican Empire
  • French withdrawal following the continued loss of territory by Mexican Republic forces and American threats.
Shimonoseki Campaign
(1863–1864)

Location: Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan

 Britain
French Empire
 Netherlands
 United States
Chōshū Domain Allied victory
French campaign against Korea
(1866)

Location: Korea

France Korea French defeat
  • French withdrawal, Korea reaffirms its isolationism
Garibaldis Expedition to Rome 1867

Location: Rome

France France
 Papal States
 Italian volunteers Franco-Papal Victory
Franco-Prussian War
(1870–71)

Location: France

France North German Confederation

Grand Duchy of Baden
 Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Württemberg
Grand Duchy of Hesse

French Defeat
  • Dissolution of the Second French Empire, Third Republic Established

French Third Republic (1870–1940)

[edit]
Conflict France & allies France's opposition Outcome
Paris Commune
(1871)

Location: Paris

France French Third Republic Communards
National Guards
Third Republic victory
Annexation of the Leeward Islands
(1880–1897)

Location: Society Islands

France France
Tahiti (French protectorate)
Raiatea-Tahaa
Huahine
Bora Bora
French Victory
French conquest of Tunisia
(1881)

Location: Tunisia

France Beylik of Tunis French victory
  • Tunisia becomes a French protectorate
Mandingo Wars
(1883–1898)

Location: West Africa

France Wassoulou Empire French victory
First Madagascar expedition
(1883–1885)

Location: Madagascar

France Merina Kingdom French victory
Sino-French War
(1884–1885)

Location: Southeast mainland China, Taiwan, northern Vietnam

France China
Black Flag Army
Nguyễn dynasty
Both sides declared victory
  • Limited "victory" for Qing forces on land (China won one battle at the end before suing for peace)
  • Defeat of Qing forces on Taiwan and surrounding islands
  • Collapse of Ferry's government in late March due to public opinion against the war
  • Treaty of Tientsin
  • China officially recognizes French domination over Vietnam
Tonkin Campaign
(1883–1886)

Location: Northern Vietnam

France Qing dynasty
Black Flag Army
Nguyễn dynasty
French victory
First Franco-Dahomean War
(1890)

Location: Ouémé Department of modern Benin

France Dahomey French victory
  • Dahomey recognizes Porto-Novo as a French protectorate and gives up customs rights to Cotonou in exchange for yearly payment
Second Franco-Dahomean War
(1892–1894)

Location: Ouémé Department and Zou Department of modern Benin

France Dahomey French victory
  • Dahomey conquered and incorporated as a French protectorate
Franco-Siamese conflict
(1893)

Location: French Indochina, Siam

French Republic Siam French victory
First Italo-Ethiopian War
(1894–1896)

Location: Eritrea and Ethiopia

 Ethiopia
Support:
 Russia[18][19][20]
 France[21][22]
Eritrean rebels[23]
 Italy Ethiopian victory
Second Madagascar expedition
(1894–1895)

Location: Madagascar

France Merina Kingdom French victory
Cretan Revolt (1897–1898)

Location: Crete

Cretan revolutionaries
Kingdom of Greece
 British Empire
 France
Kingdom of Italy Italy
 Russian Empire
 Austria-Hungary (until April 12, 1898)
 German Empire (until March 16, 1898)
 Ottoman Empire French victory
  • Establishment of the Cretan State.
  • Withdraw of Ottoman forces from Crete.
Boxer Rebellion
(1899)

Location: North China

 France
 British Empire  Russia
 Japan
 Germany
 United States
 Italy
 Austria-Hungary
 Netherlands
 Belgium
Spain
Mutual Protection of Southeast China
Boxers
Qing dynasty
Allied victory
Rabih War
(1899–1901)

Location: West Africa

France Kanem–Bornu Empire French victory
1904–1905 uprising in Madagascar
(1904–1905)

Location: Madagascar

France Rebels French victory
  • Rebellion suppressed
Ouaddai War
(1909–1911)

Location: Ouaddai Empire

France Ouaddai Empire French victory
French conquest of Morocco
(1911–1934)

Location: North Africa

France Zaian Confederation
Varying other Berber tribes
French victory
Zaian War
(1914–1921)

Location: French protectorate of Morocco

France Zaian Confederation
Varying other Berber tribes
Supported during the First World War by the Central Powers
French victory
First World War
(1914–1918)

Location: Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East, the Pacific Islands, and coast of North and South America

Allied Powers

France
 British Empire

Russian Empire
 United States
 Italy
 Japan
 China
 Serbia
 Montenegro
 Romania
 Belgium
 Greece
 Portugal
 Brazil

Central Powers

 Germany
 Austria-Hungary
 Ottoman Empire
 Bulgaria

Allied victory
Volta-Bani War
(1915–1917)

Location: Burkino Faso, Mali

France Marka, Bwa, Lela, Nuni, and Bobo people French victory
Kaocen revolt
(1916–1917)

Location: Northern Niger

France Tuareg guerrillas French victory
Thái Nguyên uprising
(1917–1918)

Location: Northern Vietnam

France Vietnamese rebels French victory
  • Uprising suppressed.
Occupation of Constantinople
(1918–1923)

Location: Istanbul

 United Kingdom
 France
 Italy
 Greece
 United States[24]
 Japan[24]
 Ottoman Empire Temporary occupation
November 1918 insurgency in Alsace-Lorraine

Location: Alsace-Lorraine

 French Third Republic Alsace-Lorraine Soviet Republic Third Republic victory
Hungarian-Romanian War
(1918–1919)

Location: Hungary, and Transylvania

 Romania
Supported by:
 France

 Czechoslovakia

 Hungarian Republic
(until 21 March 1919)
 Soviet Hungary
Supported by:
 Soviet Russia
Romanian victory
Franco-Turkish War
(1918–1921)

Location: Cilicia and Upper Mesopotamia

France Grand National Assembly French loss
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
(1918–1920)

Location: Russia, Mongolia, and Iran

Russia White Movement
 British Empire

 United States
France France
 Japan
 Czechoslovakia
 Greece
 Estonia
 Serbia
 Italy
Poland
 Romania
 China

 Russian SFSR
 Far Eastern Republic
Latvian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
Commune of Estonia
Mongolian Communists

Allied withdrawal
  • Allied withdrawal from Russia
  • Bolshevik victory over White Army
German Revolution of 1918–1919
(1918–1919)

Location: German Empire

1918–1919:
 Weimar Republic

Supported by:
 France

FSR Germany
Supported by:
 Russian SFSR
Weimar victory
Hungarian–Czechoslovak War
(1918–1919)

Location: Slovakia, Carpathian Ruthenia, Hungary

 Czechoslovakia
Supported by:
 France
 Romania
 Hungarian Republic
(until 21 March 1919)
 Soviet Hungary
(from 21 March 1919)
Supported by:
 Soviet Russia
Czechoslovakian victory
1919 Luxembourgish rebellion
(January 1919)

Location: Luxembourg

 French Third Republic
 Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Comité de Salut Public (Luxembourg) [nl]
Republic of Luxembourg
French and Luxembourgish monarchist victory
  • Luxembourgish republican and pro-Belgian rebellion suppressed (10 January 1919)
Polish-Soviet War
(1919–1921)

Location: Central and Eastern Europe

 Poland
Belarusian PR
 Latvia[i]
Ukrainian People's Republic[j]
Supported by:
 France
 Hungarian Republic
 Romania
Russian Whites
 United Kingdom[k]
 United States[k]
 Russian SFSR
 Byelorussian SSR
Polrewkom
 Ukrainian SSR
Polish victory
Bender Uprising
(1919)

Location: Tighina, Kingdom of Romania (present day Bender, Moldova)

France
Romania
Red Guards
 Ukrainian SSR
Franco-Romanian victory
Franco-Syrian War
(1920)

Location: Syria

France Arab Kingdom of Syria
  • Arab militias
French victory
Rif War
(1920–1927)

Location: Morocco

Spain
 France (1925–1926)
Jebala tribes
Republic of the Rif
Jebala tribes
Franco-Spanish victory
Great Syrian Revolt
(1925–1927)

Location: French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon

Damascus in flames as the result of the French air raid on October 18, 1925.
France Syrian rebels French victory
Kongo-Wara rebellion
(1928–1931)

Location: French Equatorial Africa, French Cameroon

France

Fula people


Co-belligerents:
Gbaya chiefdoms

Gbaya people and clans

Co-belligerents:
Mbum people
Mbai people
Pana people
Yangere people
Mbimou people
Goundi people

French victory
Yên Bái mutiny
(1930)

Location: Vietnam

France Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng French victory
  • Uprising crushed
    VNQDĐ severely damaged by deaths and arrests, jailings and executions by French authorities[25]
Second World War
(1939–1945)

Location: Europe, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Mediterranean, North Africa, Oceania, North and South America

Allied Powers

 United States
 Soviet Union
 United Kingdom
 China
Free France Free France
Poland Poland
 Canada
 Australia
 New Zealand
 India
 South Africa
 Yugoslavia
 Greece
 Denmark
 Norway
 Netherlands
 Belgium
 Luxembourg
 Czechoslovakia
 Brazil
 Mexico

Axis Powers

 Germany
 Japan
 Italy
 Hungary
 Romania
 Bulgaria
 Croatia
 Slovakia
 Finland
 Thailand
 Manchukuo
 Mengjiang

Allied victory

Vichy France (1940–1944)

[edit]
Conflict France & allies France's opposition Outcome
Franco-Thai War
(1940–1941)

Location: French Indochina

 Vichy France Thailand Inconclusive
  • Japanese-mediated ceasefire
  • On Japanese decision, disputed territories in French Indochina ceded by France to Thailand

French Fourth Republic (1946–1958)

[edit]
Conflict France & allies France's opposition Outcome
War in Vietnam
(1945–1946)

Location: Vietnam

France
 British Empire
Japan Allied captured soldiers.
Việt Minh Operational success
First Indochina War
(1946–1954)

Location: French Indochina