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.
*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
Conflict | France & allies | France's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis (1823) Location: Spain | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | French and Spanish Royalist victory |
Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) Location: Greece | 1821:![]() ![]() After 1822: ![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Greek victory
|
Franco-Trarzan War of 1825 (1825) Location: Waalo, West Africa | ![]() | Trarza | French victory |
Irish and German Mercenary Soldiers' Revolt (1825) Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Irish mercenaries German mercenaries | Revolt suppressed |
July Revolution (July 1830) Location: France | ![]() | Orléanists | Orléanist victory
|
Conflict | France & allies | France's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Liberal Wars (1828–34) Location: Portugal | ![]() Supported by: | ![]() Supported by: | Liberal victory |
French conquest of Algeria (1827–1830–1857) Location: Regency of Algiers | ![]() | ![]() | French victory |
Belgian Revolution (1830–31) Location: The Low Countries | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Franco-Belgian victory
|
June Rebellion (1832) Location: Paris, France | ![]() | ![]() | Orléanist victory, rebellion crushed |
First Carlist War (1833–1840) Location: Spain | ![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Supported by: ![]() | French and Liberal victory |
First Franco-Mexican War (1838–1839) Location: Mexico | ![]() | ![]() | French victory
|
Uruguayan Civil War (1839–1851) Location: Uruguay | ![]()
|
| Colorado victory |
First Franco-Moroccan War (1844) Location: Morocco | ![]() | French victory | |
Franco-Tahitian War (1844–1847) Location: Tahiti | ![]() | French victory | |
Bombardment of Tourane (1847) Location: Off Tourane (Da Nang), South Central Coast of Vietnam | ![]() | Nguyễn dynasty | French victory |
French Revolution of 1848 (February 1848) | ![]() |
| Republican victory
|
Conflict | France & allies | France's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
June Days uprising (June 1848) Location: France | ![]() | Insurgents | Second Republic victory
|
First Italian War of Independence (1848–1849) | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Supported by: | French-Austrian Victory
|
French invasion of Honolulu (1849) | ![]() | ![]() | Victory |
Conflict | France & allies | France's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Taiping Rebellion (1850–1871) Location: China | Later stages: | Qing victory
| |
Bombardment of Salé (1851) Location: Morocco | ![]() | ![]() | French military victory French political failure |
Crimean War (1853–1856) Location: Crimea, Caucasus, Balkans, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, White Sea, Far East | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() ![]() Abkhazia [f] | ![]() ![]() | Allied victory |
Second Opium War (1857) Location: China | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Allied victory |
Siege of Medina Fort (1857) Location: Médine, Mali | ![]() | Toucouleur Empire | French victory |
Cochinchina Campaign (1858–1862) Location: Vietnam | ![]() ![]() | Nguyễn dynasty | Franco-Spanish victory
|
Second Italian War of Independence (1859) Location: Lombardy–Venetia, Piedmont and the Austrian Littoral | ![]() ![]() Supported By: ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Franco-Sardinian victory |
Second Franco-Mexican War (1862–1867) Location: Mexico | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() | French defeat
|
Shimonoseki Campaign (1863–1864) Location: Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Allied victory |
French campaign against Korea (1866) Location: Korea | ![]() | ![]() | French defeat
|
Garibaldi's expedition to Rome (1867) Location: Rome | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Franco-Papal Victory |
Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) Location: France | ![]() | ![]()
| French defeat
|
Conflict | France & allies | France's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Franco-Thai War (1940–1941) Location: French Indochina | ![]() | ![]() | Inconclusive
|
Conflict | France & allies | France's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Basque conflict (1959–2011) Location: Basque country | ![]() | Neo-fascist paramilitaries:
Basque National Liberation Movement:
| Victory |
Bizerte crisis (1961) | ![]() | ![]() | French victory |
Sand War (1963–1964) | ![]() Support: ![]() | ![]() Support: ![]() ![]() | Military stalemate [41]
|
Dirty War (1974–1983) Location: Argentina | ![]()
Supported by: | ![]()
| Argentine government victory
|
Western Sahara War (1975–1991) Location: Western Sahara | ![]() ![]() ![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() | ![]()
| Inconclusive
|
Angolan Civil War (1975–2002) Location: Angola | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Supported By ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Material support: ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Executive Outcomes (1993–1995) ![]() ![]() Material support: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | MPLA Victory |
Corsican conflict (1976–present) Location: Corsica | ![]() | Corsican nationalist paramilitaries
| Ongoing
|
Shaba I (1977) Location: Shaba Province, Zaire | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() ![]() | Zairian victory |
Chadian–Libyan Conflict (1978–1987) Location: Chad | ![]()
| ![]()
| Chadian-French victory
|
Shaba II (1978) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Supported by ![]() | ![]() Supported by ![]() ![]() ![]() | Zairian victory |
Rwandan Civil War (1990−1994) Location: Rwanda | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) victory |
Gulf War (1990–1991) Location: Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Coalition victory
|
Djiboutian Civil War (1991–1994) Location: Northern Djibouti | ![]() Supported by : ![]() | ![]() | Franco-Djiboutian victory
|
Bosnian War (1992–1995) Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina | ![]() ![]() ![]() Support: ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() Support: ![]() | Croatian and Bosnian victory |
Kosovo War (1998–1999) Location: Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (then part of Serbia) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | NATO Victory |
War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) Location: Afghanistan | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Taliban victory
|
Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Ongoing |
First Ivorian Civil War (2002–2007) Location: Ivory Coast | ![]() ![]() ![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() ![]() | Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire | Victory |
Haitian coup d'état (2004) Location: Haiti | ![]() | ![]() | Victory |
Chadian Civil War (2005–2010) Location: Chad | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Rebels![]() Alleged support: ![]() | Victory |
Somali Civil War (2009–present) Location: Somalia | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Ongoing |
Boko Haram insurgency (2009–present) Location: Northeast Nigeria | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Ongoing |
Second Ivorian Civil War (2010–2011) Location: Ivory Coast | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Victory |
First Libyan Civil War (2011) Location: Libya ![]() | ![]() | ![]()
| Victory
|
Northern Mali Conflict (2012–2022) Location: Northern Mali | ![]() | ![]() (MNLA)
| Mixed Results
|
Central African Republic Civil War (2012–2021) Location: Central African Republic ![]() | ![]() ![]() MISCA (2013–2014) MICOPAX (2013)
| ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | France ended support for Central African Republic in 2021. [46] |
Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017) Location: Iraq | ![]() ![]() | ![]() | Victory |
Opération Chammal (2014–present) ![]() | ![]() | ![]() Syria | Ongoing
|
Operation Aspides (19 February 2024 – present) Location: Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Yemen | ![]() | ![]()
| Ongoing |
The death knell of the French empire was sounded by the bitterly fought Algerian war of independence, which ended in 1962.
The Algerian War came to an end in 1962, and with it closed some 130 years of French colonial presence in Algeria (and North Africa). With this outcome, the French Empire, celebrated in pomp in Paris in the Exposition coloniale of 1931 ... received its decisive death blow.
The independence of Algeria in 1962, after a long and bitter war, marked the end of the French Empire.
The difficult relationship which France has with the period of history dominated by the Algerian war has been well documented. The reluctance, which ended only in 1999, to acknowledge 'les évenements' as a war, the shame over the fate of the harki detachments, the amnesty covering many of the deeds committed during the war and the humiliation of a colonial defeat which marked the end of the French empire are just some of the reasons why France has preferred to look towards a Eurocentric future, rather than confront the painful aspects of its colonial past.
L'armée française était en 1963 présente en Algérie et au Maroc. Le gouvernement français, officiellement neutre, comme le rappelle le Conseil des ministres du 25 octobre 1963, n'a pas pu empêcher que la coopération très étroite entre l'armée française et l'armée marocaine n'ait eu quelques répercussions sur le terrain. == The French Army was in 1963 present in Algeria and Morocco. The French government, officially neutral, as recalled by the Council of Ministers on October 25, 1963, could not prevent the very close cooperation between the French army and the Moroccan army from having some repercussions on the ground.
In this instance, unlike several others, the Cubans did no fighting; Algeria concluded an armistice with the Moroccan king.