Most of the executive and judicial power in french territories resided with the governor-general, particularly in territories that were further away from france. While the french empire was mainly รขโ‚ฌยฆ France had colonial possessions, in various forms, from the beginning of the 17th century until the 1960s.

In the mid-18th century, a series of colonial conflicts began between france and the kingdom of great britain, which would ultimately result in the demise of most of the first french colonial empire. The french colonial empire in the americas comprised new france (including canada and louisiana), french west indies (including saint-domingue, guadeloupe, martinique, dominica, st. Throughout their history, the french met with significant opposition from the british but eventually found success in their expansion in africa in the later nineteenth century, establishing numerous colonies in รขโ‚ฌยฆ French colonial rule refers to the system of governance and administration established by france in its overseas territories, particularly during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The french colonial empire (french: Empire colonial franรงais) consisted of the overseas colonies, protectorates, and mandate territories that came under french rule from the 16th century onward.

The french colonial empire (french: Empire colonial franรงais) consisted of the overseas colonies, protectorates, and mandate territories that came under french rule from the 16th century onward.