This article is about the specific polity French Somaliland and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a French colony in the Horn of Africa. The Republic of Djibouti is its legal successor state,.
Establishment
January 1843: In 1842, Rochet d'Héricourt, a French naval officer, acquired the town of Tadjoura from the King of Shewa in the Gulf of Tadjoura. This acquisition marked the beginning of French influence in the region, eventually leading to the establishment of French Somaliland.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was a conflict between Aussa, Oromo, and Somali tribesmen, and the Khedivate of Egypt from 1874 to 1885. In 1874, the Egyptians invaded Eastern Ethiopia and ruled it for 11 years.
January 1885: Egyptian occupation of the Gulf of Tadjoura.
Expansion during the rule of Menelik II in the Ethiopian Empire.
January 1899: Ethiopia's expansion under Menlik II until 1898.
Was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945 (it started sooner in certain regions) between the Axis Powers (mainly Germany, Japan and Italy) and the Allies (mainly the Soviet Union, the U.S.A., the U.K., China and France). It was the war with more fatalities in history. The war in Asia began when Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. The war in Europe began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The war ended with the complete defeat of the Axis powers, which were occupied by the Allies.
3.1.World War II (East African Theatre)
Was the East African theatre of World War II.
3.1.1.French Somaliland during World War II
Was an Italian military campaign in French Somaliland during World War II.
June 1940: Italian troops under General Guglielmo Nasi attacked the fort of Ali-Sabieh in the south and Dadda'to in the north.
June 1940: By the end of June the Italians had also occupied the border fortifications of Magdoul, Daimoli, Balambolta, Birt Eyla, Asmailo, Tewo, Abba, Alailou, Madda and Rahale.
July 1940: Germain succeeded Legentilhomme as commander-in-chief of French forces. He was loyal to Vichy France.
December 1942: Christian Raimond Dupont, Governor of French Somaliland, surrendered to British forces. French Somaliland ceased to be part of the Vichy France colonial empire.
January 1858: The sultanate of Obock is sold to the French (1857) .
June 1884: The Sultanata of Tadjoura was proclaimed a French protectorate.
January 1885: Sultan Ahmed Loeta was the ruler of the Sultanate of Goba'ad, located in present-day Djibouti. Léonce Lagarde was a French colonial administrator. The treaty signed in 1885 established French control over the Sultanate, leading to its incorporation into French Somaliland.
January 1886: Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia signed an accord with Great Britain to cease fighting the Egyptians and to allow the evacuation of Egyptian forces from Ethiopia and the Somalia littoral. The Egyptian garrison was withdrawn from Tadjoura.
January 1888: Establishment of French Somaliland.
January 1889: Sagallo was a short-lived Russian settlement established in 1889 on the Gulf of Tadjoura.
February 1889: The Cossacks noticed one French cruiser and three French gunboats. An ultimatum was issued, but Achinov misunderstood it and did not surrender. The artillery barrage that followed came as a complete surprise for the Russians, leaving 6 colonists dead and 22 wounded. A white shirt was raised to show surrender. The Russian Government disavowed Achinov, accusing him of disobedience to the Czar and acts of piracy.
May 1889: The Treaty of Wuchale was signed between Italy and Menelik II, the Emperor of Ethiopia. It established the borders between Italian Eritrea and the Ethiopian Empire in 1889.
May 1896: On May 20, 1896, a decree of the President of the French Republic declared the annexation of the "territory of Obock as well as the protectorates of Tadjourah and the Danakil countries".
June 1977: A third vote took place. A landslide 99.8% of the electorate supported disengagement from France, officially marking Djibouti's independence.
Disestablishment
June 1977: A third vote took place. A landslide 99.8% of the electorate supported disengagement from France, officially marking Djibouti's independence.
Selected Sources
Thompson, Virginia McLean; Adloff, Richard (1968). Djibouti and the Horn of Africa. Stanford University Press. p. 21.
French Somaliland
