The French Empire was one of the most extensive and influential imperial systems in world history, developing through distinct phases that reflected the changing ambitions and capacities of France from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. Its origins lay in the early modern era, when explorers and merchants such as Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain established footholds in North America and the Caribbean, initiating what became known as the First French Colonial Empire. These territorie

Why did France colonize Algeria in 1830?