Flag of France - wikipedia Flag of France French Republic Name Tricolour Use National flag Proportion 2 : 3 Adopted First as ensign : 15 February 1794 ; As Napoleon army flag : 1812 ; Readopted July 1830 Design A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red Designed by Lafayette, Jacques - Louis David Variant flag of French Republic Use National ensign Proportion 2 : 3 Adopted 15 February 1794 ( with equal bars ) ; 17 May 1853 ( with bars in proportion 30 : 33 : 37 ) Design As above, but with bars in proportion 30 : 33 : 37. ( See French ensigns. ) The flag of France ( French : Drapeau français ) is a tricolour flag featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side ), white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the French Tricolour or simply the Tricolour ( French : Tricolore ). The royal government used many flags, the best known being a blue shield and gold fleur - de-lis ( the Royal Arms of France ) on a white background, or state flag. Early in the French Revolution, the Paris militia, which played a prominent role in the storming of the Bastille, wore a cockade of blue and red, the city 's traditional colours. According to French general Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, white was the `` ancient French colour '' and was added to the militia cockade to create a tricolour, or national, cockade. This cockade became part of the uniform of the National Guard, which succeeded the militia and was commanded by Lafayette. The colours and design of the cockade are the basis of the Tricolour flag, adopted in 1790. The only difference was that the 1790 flag 's colours were reversed. A modified design by Jacques - Louis David was adopted in 1794. The royal white flag was used during the Bourbon restoration from 1815 to 1830 ; the tricolour was brought back after the July Revolution and has been used ever since 1830. Contents 1 Design 2 Symbolism 3 History 3.1 Kingdom of France 3.2 The Tricolore 4 Regimental flags 5 Naval flags 6 Colonial flags 7 Other 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links Design The colours adopted by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, which replaced a darker version of the flag. It has been in used from 1974 to 1981. The French constitution of 1946 mention in its article 2 that `` the national emblem is the tricolour flag, blue, white, red, with three vertical stripes of equal dimensions. '' Nowadays, the darker blue is in use on national monuments, military buildings as well as for ships. Some diplomatic services abroad still use the light blue ( reflex blue ) version of the flag. Flag colour scheme Scheme Blue White Red Pantone Reflex blue Safe Red 032 CMYK 100.92. 43.52 0.0. 0.0 0.73. 78.6 RGB ( 5, 20, 64 ) ( 255,255,255 ) ( 239, 65, 53 ) HEX # 051440 # FFFFFF # EF4135 NCS S 2565 R80B base colour S 0580 Y80R Currently, the flag is one and a half times wider than its height ( i.e. in the proportion 2 : 3 ) and, except in the French navy, has stripes of equal width. Initially, the three stripes of the flag were not equally wide, being in the proportions 30 ( blue ), 33 ( white ) and 37 ( red ). Under Napoleon I, the proportions were changed to make the stripes ' width equal, but by a regulation dated 17 May 1853, the navy went back to using the 30 : 33 : 37 proportions, which it now continues to use, as the flapping of the flag makes portions farther from the halyard seem smaller. Symbolism Multiple French flags as commonly flown from public buildings. Blue and red are the traditional colours of Paris, used on the city 's coat of arms. Blue is identified with Saint Martin, red with Saint Denis. At the storming of the Bastille in 1789, the Paris militia wore blue and red cockades on their hats. White had long featured prominently on French flags and is described as the `` ancient French colour '' by Lafayette. White was added to the `` revolutionary '' colours of the militia cockade to `` nationalise '' the design, thus creating the tricolour cockade. Although Lafayette identified the white stripe with the nation, other accounts identify it with the monarchy. Lafayette denied that the flag contains any reference to the red - and - white livery of the Duc d'Orléans. Despite this, Orléanists adopted the tricolour as their own. Blue and red are associated with the Virgin Mary, the patroness of France, and were the colours of the oriflamme. The colours of the French flag may also represent the three main estates of the Ancien Régime ( the clergy : white, the nobility : red and the bourgeoisie : blue ). Blue, as the symbol of class, comes first and red, representing the nobility, comes last. Both extreme colours are situated on each side of white referring to a superior order. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin was one of many world landmarks illuminated in the French flag colors after the November 2015 Paris attacks. Lafayette 's tricolour cockade was adopted in July 1789, a moment of national unity that soon faded. Royalists began wearing white cockades and flying white flags, while the Jacobins, and later the Socialists, flew the red flag. The tricolour, which combines royalist white with republican red, came to be seen as a symbol of moderation and of a nationalism that transcended factionalism. The French government website states that the white field was the colour of the king, while blue and red were the colours of Paris. The three colours are occasionally taken to represent the three elements of the revolutionary motto, liberté ( freedom : blue ), égalité ( equality : white ), fraternité ( brotherhood : red ) ; this symbolism was referenced in Krzysztof Kieślowski 's three colours film trilogy, for example. In the aftermath of the November 2015 Paris attacks, many famous landmarks and stadiums were illuminated in the flag colours to honour the victims. History Kingdom of France During the early Middle Ages, the oriflamme, the flag of Saint Denis, was used -- red, with two, three, or five spikes. Originally, it was the royal banner under the Capetians. It was stored in Saint - Denis abbey, where it was taken when war broke out. French kings went forth into battle preceded either by Saint Martin 's red cape, which was supposed to protect the monarch, or by the red banner of Saint Denis. Later during the Middle Ages, these colours came to be associated with the reigning house of France. In 1328, the coat - of - arms of the House of Valois was blue with gold fleurs - de-lis bordered in red. From this time on, the kings of France were represented in vignettes and manuscripts wearing a red gown under a blue coat decorated with gold fleurs - de-lis. During the Hundred Years ' War, England was recognised by a red cross, Burgundy, a red saltire, and France, a white cross. This cross could figure either on a blue or a red field. The blue field eventually became the common standard for French armies. The French regiments were later assigned the white cross as standard, with their proper colours in the cantons. The French flag of a white cross on a blue field is still seen on some flags derived from it, such as those of Quebec and Martinique. The flag of Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years ' War is described in her own words, `` I had a banner of which the field was sprinkled with lilies ; the world was painted there, with an angel at each side ; it was white of the white cloth called ' boccassin ' ; there was written above it, I believe, ' JHESUS MARIA ' ; it was fringed with silk. ''. Joan 's standard led to the prominent use of white on later French flags. From the accession of the Bourbons to the throne of France, the green ensign of the navy became a plain white flag, the symbol of purity and royal authority. The merchant navy was assigned `` the old flag of the nation of France '', the white cross on a blue field. The Oriflamme, the banner of the Capetians `` France ancien '', the early coat of arms of the French kings appeared circa 1211 Banner of the Kingdom of France during 12th to 13th century `` France moderne '', a simplified coat of arms adopted in 1376 Blue Capetian flag was still used during the French Renaissance. It is now the flag of present - day Île - de-France. Standard of the French royal family prior to 1789 and from 1815 to 1830. Flag of the Kingdom of France from 1814 to 1830 ( Bourbon Restoration ) also naval ensign prior to 1789 and then from 1814 - 1830 After the end of the French Wars of Religion ( 1598 ), the white Bourbon flag was commonly used. Naval Flag of the Kingdom of France. Flag of New France. One of the flags used by Royalists during the French Revolution. Flag used by the Kingdom of France and the First French Republic from 1790 to 1794. The tricolore Play media The national flag of France at the Arc de Triomphe. The White flag of the monarchy transformed into the Tricolore as a result of the July Revolution, painting by Léon Cogniet ( 1830 ). Lamartine, before the Hôtel de Ville, Paris, rejects the Red Flag, 25 February 1848. By Henri Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux. The tricolour flag is derived from the cockades used during the French Revolution. These were circular rosette - like emblems attached to the hat. Camille Desmoulins asked his followers to wear green cockades on 12 July 1789. The Paris militia, formed on 13 July, adopted a blue and red cockade. Blue and red are the traditional colours of Paris, and they are used on the city 's coat of arms. Cockades with various colour schemes were used during the storming of the Bastille on 14 July. The blue and red cockade was presented to King Louis XVI at the Hôtel de Ville on 17 July. Lafayette argued for the addition of a white stripe to `` nationalise '' the design. On 27 July, a tricolour cockade was adopted as part of the uniform of the National Guard, the national police force that succeeded the militia. A drapeau tricolore with vertical red, white and blue stripes was approved by the Constituent Assembly on 24 October 1790. Simplified designs were used to illustrate how the revolution had broken with the past. The order was reversed to blue - white - red, the current design, by a resolution passed on 15 February 1794. Despite its official status, the tricolore was rarely used during the revolution. Instead, the red flag of the Jacobin Club, symbolizing defiance and national emergency, was flown. The tricolore was restored to prominence under Napoleon. When the Bourbon dynasty was restored following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the tricolore -- with its revolutionary connotations -- was replaced by a white flag, the pre-revolutionary naval flag. However, following the July Revolution of 1830, the `` citizen - king '', Louis - Philippe, restored the tricolore, and it has remained France 's national flag since that time. On 25 February 1848 Lamartine, during the Revolution of 1848, said about the Tricoloured Flag : `` I spoke as a citizen earlier, Now listen to me, your Foreign Minister. If I remove the tricolor, know it, you will remove me half the external force of France ! Because Europe knows the flag of his defeats and of our victories in the flag of the Republic and of the Empire. By seeing the red flag, they 'll see the flag of a party ! This is the flag of France, it is the flag of our victorious armies, it is the flag of our triumphs that must be addressed before Europe. France and the tricolor is the same thought, the same prestige, even terror, if necessary, for our enemies ! Consider how much blood you would have to make for another flag fame ! Citizens, for me, the red flag, I am not adopting it, and I 'll tell you why I 'm against with all the strength of my patriotism. It 's that the tricolor has toured the world with the Republic and the Empire with your freedoms and your glory, and the red flag was that around the Champ - de-Mars, dragged into the people 's blood ''. Following the overthrow of Napoleon III, voters elected a royalist majority to the National Assembly of the new Third Republic. This parliament then offered the throne to the Bourbon pretender, Henri, comte de Chambord. However, he insisted that he would accept the throne only on the condition that the tricolour be replaced by the white flag. As the tricolour had become a cherished national symbol, this demand proved impossible to accommodate. Plans to restore the monarchy were adjourned and ultimately dropped, and France has remained a republic, with the tricolour flag, ever since. The Vichy régime, which dropped the word `` republic '' in favour of `` the French state '', maintained the use of the tricolore, but Philippe Pétain used as his personal standard a version of the flag with, in the white stripe, an axe made with a star - studded marshal 's baton. This axe is called the `` Francisque '' in reference to the ancient Frankish throwing axe. During this same period, the Free French Forces used a tricolore with, in the white stripe, a red Cross of Lorraine. The constitutions of 1946 and 1958 instituted the `` blue, white, and red '' flag as the national emblem of the Republic. Flag of Paris, source of the tricolour 's blue and red stripes. The tricolour cockade, created in July 1789. White was added to `` nationalise '' an earlier blue and red design. The flag of France since 1794 ( interruption 1815 -- 30 ). The French tricolore with the royal crown and fleur - de-lys was possibly designed by the Count of Chambord in his younger years as a compromise From 1912 onwards to today, the French Air Force originated the use of roundels on military aircraft shortly before World War I. Similar national cockades, with different ordering of colours, were later adopted as aircraft roundels by their allies. Personal standard of Philippe Pétain, as Chief of the French State. Flag used by the Free French Forces during World War II ; in the centre is the Cross of Lorraine ; later, the personal standard of President Charles de Gaulle. Regimental flags The French soldiers started to use white crosses, during the Hundred Years ' War, to distinguish themselves from the English soldiers wearing red crosses ( battle of Formigny ). A white - crossed regimental flag during the Ancien Régime ( here, Régiment d'Auvergne ). La Sarre Regiment ( Régiment de la Sarre ) King 's Regiment ( Régiment du Roi ) Queen 's Regiment ( Régiment de la Reine ) General Lévis 's Regiment Flag in North America. Now official flag of the city of Lévis, Quebec The pre-revolutionary regimental flags inspired the flag of Quebec ( here, the Compagnies Franches de la Marine ). Regimental flag of the 1st Regiment of Grenadiers of the French Imperial Guard ( 1812 ). Current regimental flags of the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the French Foreign Legion Naval flags Main article : French ensigns Colonial flags Further information : French colonial flags and French Colonial Empire Most French colonies either used the regular tricolour or a regional flag without the French flag. There were some exceptions : Flag of Annam, French Indochina Flag of Laos, French Indochina Flag of the Autonomous Republic of Togo ( 1957 -- 1958 ) Flag of Gabon ( 1959 -- 1960 ) Flag used by some military units based in the French protectorate of Tunisia Flag of the French Mandate of Syria in 1920 Flag of the French Mandate of Syria Flag of the State of Alawites, later Sanjak of Latakia, in the French Mandate of Syria Flag of the State of Aleppo, in the French Mandate of Syria Flag of the State of Damascus, in the French Mandate of Syria Flag of Jabal ad - Druze, in the French Mandate of Syria Flag of Madagascar under French protection ( 1885 -- 1895 ) Merchant flag of the French protectorate of Morocco ( 1912 -- 1956 ) Flag of Republic of Independent Guyana ( 1886 -- 1887 ) Flag of New Hebrides ( Vanuatu ) under the Anglo - French Joint Naval Commission ( 1887 -- 1906 ) Flag of French Polynesia under the Protectorate of France ( 1845 -- 1880 ) Flag of the State of Greater Lebanon during the French mandate 1920 -- 1943 Flag of the Sip Song Chau Tai, French Indochina ( 1948 - 1955 ) Flag of the French Protectorate of Wallis and Futuna ( Uvea ) ( 1860 -- 1886 ) Flag of French Sudan ( 1958 -- 1959 ) Flag of the French protectorate of Rurutu in French Polynesia ( 1858 -- 1889 ) Flag of French Governor Other Many provinces and territories in Canada have French - speaking communities with flags representing their communities : The Acadian flag used in Canada is based on the tricolour flag of France, but this flag was never used during French rule of Acadia. It was adopted in 1884, for more see Flag of Acadia. Acadians live mainly in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia The current Flag of Quebec. The use of blue and white is characteristic of pre-revolutionary flags Flag of Franco - Albertans The flag of Franco - Newfoundlanders Flag of Franco - Manitobains The Franco - Ontarian flag used by Francophone Ontario since 1975 and officially recognised in 2001 Flag of Fransaskois or French speaking Saskatchewans Flag of Franco - Yukonnais Flag of Franco - Ténois Flag of Franco - Columbian Flag of Franco - Nunavois Many areas in the United States have substantial French - speaking and ancestral communities : Flag of Acadiana Flag of United Franco - Americans Flag of New England Franco - Americans Flag of Aroostook county Franco - Americans Flag of Mid-West Franco - Americans Flag of New Orleans, Louisiana Although part of France, the flag of Saint - Pierre and Miquelon does not incorporate the current national flag. The island 's flag is based on the historic regional emblems of France. This flag lacks official status. Flag of Saint - Pierre and Miquelon See also France portal List of French flags Flags of the regions of France National emblem of France Notes ^ Jump up to : Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier Lafayette ( marquis de ), Memoirs, correspondence and manuscripts of General Lafayette, vol. 2, p. 252. ^ Jump up to : `` Die Symbole der französischen Republik '' ( in German ). Embassy of the French Republic in Germany. Retrieved 28 September 2009. Jump up ^ `` Le drapeau français '' ( in French ). Retrieved 29 February 2012. Jump up ^ `` France, the tricolour banner ''. Retrieved 22 March 2008. ^ Jump up to : Whitney Smith, Flags through the ages and across the world, McGraw - Hill, England, 1975 ISBN 0 - 07 - 059093 - 1, pp. 66 - 67, The Standard of Joan of Arc, after quoting her from her trial transcript he states : `` it was her influence which determined that white should serve as the principal French national colour from shortly after her death in 1431 until the French Revolution almost 350 years later. '' Jump up ^ ``... the standard of France was white, sprinkled with golden fleur de lis... '' ( Ripley & Dana 1879, p. 250 ). On the reverse of this plate it says : `` Le pavillon royal était véritablement le drapeau national au dix - huitième siecle... Vue du chateau d'arrière d'un vaisseau de guerre de haut rang portant le pavillon royal ( blanc, avec les armes de France ) '' ( Vinkhuijzen collection 2011 ). `` The oriflamme and the Chape de St Martin were succeeded at the end of the 16th century, when Henry III., the last of the house of Valois, came to the throne, by the white standard powdered with fleurs - de-lis. This in turn gave place to the famous tricolour '' ( Chisholm 1911, p. 460 ). Jump up ^ Crowdy, Terry, French Revolutionary Infantry 1789 -- 1802, p. 42 ( 2004 ). Jump up ^ Clifford, Dale, `` Can the Uniform Make the Citizen ? Paris, 1789 - 1791, '' Eighteenth - Century Studies, 2001, p. 369. Jump up ^ Alphonse de Lamartine, Trois mois au pouvoir, Paris, Michel Lévy, 1848. Jump up ^ La France du Renouveau - Bourbon Royalist design. Jump up ^ Whitney Smith. Flags through the ages and cross the world. McGraw - Hill Book Company. 1975. p. 75. Jump up ^ Royal Air Force Museum Archived 2 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. References Chisholm, Hugh, ed. ( 1911 ). `` Flag ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. 10 ( 11th ed. ). Cambridge University Press. pp. 454 -- 463. Ripley, George ; Dana, Charles A., eds. ( 1879 ). `` Flag ''. The American Cyclopædia. 8. p. 250. `` The Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms : France, 1750 - 1757 ''. New York Public Library. 25 March 2011 ( 2004 ). Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Further reading Flags Through the Ages and Across the World, Smith, Whitney, McGraw - Hill Book Co. Ltd, England, 1975. ISBN 0 - 07 - 059093 - 1. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of France. France at Flags of the World France topics History Periods Timeline Prehistory Celtic Gaul Roman Gaul Kingdom of the Visigoths Francia West Francia Middle Ages Early modern era Long nineteenth century Revolutionary era Napoleonic era Belle Époque Twentieth century Regimes Absolute monarchy Ancien Régime First Republic First Empire Constitutional monarchy Bourbon Restoration July Monarchy Second Republic Second Empire Third Republic France during the Second World War Free France Vichy France Provisional Republic Fourth Republic Fifth Republic Geography Administrative divisions Cities Climate Extreme points Islands Lakes Mountains Rivers Politics Constitution Elections presidential Foreign relations Government Human rights Intersex LGBT Judiciary Law enforcement Military Parliament Political parties Economy Agriculture Banking Central bank Economic history Energy Euro Exports Franc ( former currency ) French subdivisions by GDP Stock exchange Taxation Telecommunications Tourism Trade unions Transport Society Crime Demographics Education Health care People Poverty Religion Social class Welfare Culture Architecture Art Cinema ( comedy ) Cuisine Fashion Gardens Language Literature Media Music Philosophy Public holidays Sport Symbols Theatre Outline Book Portal WikiProject Symbols of the French Republic Marianne Flag Ensign Emblem Great Seal French Revolution Causes Timeline Ancien Régime Revolution Constitutional monarchy Republic Directory Consulate Glossary Significant civil and political events by year 1788 Day of the Tiles ( 7 Jun 1788 ) Assembly of Vizille ( 21 Jul 1788 ) 1789 What Is the Third Estate ? ( Jan 1789 ) Réveillon riots ( 28 Apr 1789 ) Convocation of the Estates - General ( 5 May 1789 ) National Assembly ( 17 Jun -- 9 Jul 1790 ) Tennis Court Oath ( 20 Jun 1789 ) National Constituent Assembly ( 9 Jul -- 30 Sep 1791 ) Storming of the Bastille ( 14 Jul 1789 ) Great Fear ( 20 Jul -- 5 Aug 1789 ) Abolition of Feudalism ( 4 - 11 Aug 1789 ) Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen ( 27 Aug 1789 ) Women 's March on Versailles ( 5 Oct 1789 ) 1790 Abolition of the Parlements ( Feb -- Jul 1790 ) Abolition of the Nobility ( 19 Jun 1790 ) Civil Constitution of the Clergy ( 12 Jul 1790 ) 1791 Flight to Varennes ( 20 -- 21 Jun 1791 ) Champ de Mars Massacre ( 17 Jul 1791 ) Declaration of Pillnitz ( 27 Aug 1791 ) The Constitution of 1791 ( 3 Sep 1791 ) Legislative Assembly ( 1 Oct 1791 -- Sep 1792 ) 1792 France declares war ( 20 Apr 1792 ) Brunswick Manifesto ( 25 Jul 1792 ) Paris Commune becomes insurrectionary ( Jun 1792 ) 10th of August ( 10 Aug 1792 ) September Massacres ( Sep 1792 ) National Convention ( 20 Sep 1792 -- 26 Oct 1795 ) First republic declared ( 22 Sep 1792 ) 1793 Execution of Louis XVI ( 21 Jan 1793 ) Revolutionary Tribunal ( 9 Mar 1793 -- 31 May 1795 ) Reign of Terror ( 27 Jun 1793 -- 27 Jul 1794 ) Committee of Public Safety Committee of General Security Fall of the Girondists ( 2 Jun 1793 ) Assassination of Marat ( 13 Jul 1793 ) Levée en masse ( 23 Aug 1793 ) The Death of Marat ( painting ) Law of Suspects ( 17 Sep 1793 ) Marie Antoinette is guillotined ( 16 Oct 1793 ) Anti-clerical laws ( throughout the year ) 1794 Danton and Desmoulins guillotined ( 5 Apr 1794 ) Law of 22 Prairial ( 10 Jun 1794 ) Thermidorian Reaction ( 27 Jul 1794 ) Robespierre guillotined ( 28 Jul 1794 ) White Terror ( Fall 1794 ) Closing of the Jacobin Club ( 11 Nov 1794 ) 1795 Constitution of the Year III ( 22 Aug 1795 ) Conspiracy of the Equals ( Nov 1795 ) Directoire ( 1795 -- 99 ) Council of Five Hundred Council of Ancients 1797 Coup of 18 Fructidor ( 4 Sep 1797 ) Second Congress of Rastatt ( Dec 1797 ) 1799 Coup of 30 Prairial VII ( 18 Jun 1799 ) Coup of 18 Brumaire ( 9 Nov 1799 ) Constitution of the Year VIII ( 24 Dec 1799 ) Consulate Revolutionary campaigns 1792 Verdun Thionville Valmy Royalist Revolts Chouannerie Vendée Dauphiné Lille Siege of Mainz Jemappes Namur ( fr ) 1793 First Coalition Siege of Toulon ( 18 Sep -- 18 Dec 1793 ) War in the Vendée Battle of Neerwinden ) Battle of Famars ( 23 May 1793 ) Expédition de Sardaigne ( 21 Dec 1792 - 25 May 1793 ) Battle of Kaiserslautern Siege of Mainz Battle of Wattignies Battle of Hondschoote Siege of Bellegarde Battle of Peyrestortes ( Pyrenees ) First Battle of Wissembourg ( 13 Oct 1793 ) Battle of Truillas ( Pyrenees ) Second Battle of Wissembourg ( 26 -- 27 Dec 1793 ) 1794 Battle of Villers - en - Cauchies ( 24 Apr 1794 ) Battle of Boulou ( Pyrenees ) ( 30 Apr -- 1 May 1794 ) Battle of Tournay ( 22 May 1794 ) Battle of Fleurus ( 26 Jun 1794 ) Chouannerie Battle of Tourcoing ( 18 May 1794 ) Battle of Aldenhoven ( 2 Oct 1794 ) 1795 Peace of Basel 1796 Battle of Lonato ( 3 -- 4 Aug 1796 ) Battle of Castiglione ( 5 Aug 1796 ) Battle of Theiningen Battle of Neresheim ( 11 Aug 1796 ) Battle of Amberg ( 24 Aug 1796 ) Battle of Würzburg ( 3 Sep 1796 ) Battle of Rovereto ( 4 Sep 1796 ) First Battle of Bassano ( 8 Sep 1796 ) Battle of Emmendingen ( 19 Oct 1796 ) Battle of Schliengen ( 26 Oct 1796 ) Second Battle of Bassano ( 6 Nov 1796 ) Battle of Calliano ( 6 -- 7 Nov 1796 ) Battle of the Bridge of Arcole ( 15 -- 17 Nov 1796 ) The Ireland Expedition ( Dec 1796 ) 1797 Naval Engagement off Brittany ( 13 Jan 1797 ) Battle of Rivoli ( 14 -- 15 Jan 1797 ) Battle of the Bay of Cádiz ( 25 Jan 1797 ) Treaty of Leoben ( 17 Apr 1797 ) Battle of Neuwied ( 18 Apr 1797 ) Treaty of Campo Formio ( 17 Oct 1797 ) 1798 French invasion of Switzerland ( 28 January -- 17 May 1798 ) French Invasion of Egypt ( 1798 -- 1801 ) Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( 23 May -- 23 Sep 1798 ) Quasi-War ( 1798 -- 1800 ) Peasants ' War ( 12 Oct -- 5 Dec 1798 ) 1799 Second Coalition ( 1798 -- 1802 ) Siege of Acre ( 20 Mar -- 21 May 1799 ) Battle of Ostrach ( 20 -- 21 Mar 1799 ) Battle of Stockach ( 25 Mar 1799 ) Battle of Magnano ( 5 Apr 1799 ) Battle of Cassano ( 27 Apr 1799 ) First Battle of Zurich ( 4 -- 7 Jun 1799 ) Battle of Trebbia ( 19 Jun 1799 ) Battle of Novi ( 15 Aug 1799 ) Second Battle of Zurich ( 25 -- 26 Sep 1799 ) 1800 Battle of Marengo ( 14 Jun 1800 ) Battle of Hohenlinden ( 3 Dec 1800 ) League of Armed Neutrality ( 1800 -- 02 ) 1801 Treaty of Lunéville ( 9 Feb 1801 ) Treaty of Florence ( 18 Mar 1801 ) Algeciras Campaign ( 8 Jul 1801 ) 1802 Treaty of Amiens ( 25 Mar 1802 ) Military leaders French Army Eustache Charles d'Aoust Pierre Augereau Alexandre de Beauharnais Jean - Baptiste Bernadotte Louis - Alexandre Berthier Jean - Baptiste Bessières Guillaume - Marie - Anne Brune Jean François Carteaux Jean Étienne Championnet Chapuis de Tourville Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine Louis - Nicolas Davout Louis Desaix Jacques François Dugommier Thomas - Alexandre Dumas Charles François Dumouriez Pierre Marie Barthélemy Ferino Louis - Charles de Flers Paul Grenier Emmanuel de Grouchy Jacques Maurice Hatry Lazare Hoche Jean - Baptiste Jourdan François Christophe de Kellermann Jean - Baptiste Kléber Pierre Choderlos de Laclos Jean Lannes Charles Leclerc Claude Lecourbe François Joseph Lefebvre Jacques MacDonald Jean - Antoine Marbot Jean Baptiste de Marbot François Séverin Marceau - Desgraviers Auguste de Marmont André Masséna Bon - Adrien Jeannot de Moncey Jean Victor Marie Moreau Édouard Mortier, duc de Trévise Joachim Murat Michel Ney Pierre - Jacques Osten ( fr ) Nicolas Oudinot Catherine - Dominique de Pérignon Jean - Charles Pichegru Józef Poniatowski Laurent de Gouvion Saint - Cyr Barthélemy Louis Joseph Schérer Jean - Mathieu - Philibert Sérurier Joseph Souham Jean - de-Dieu Soult Louis - Gabriel Suchet Belgrand de Vaubois Claude Victor - Perrin, Duc de Belluno French Navy Charles - Alexandre Linois Opposition Austria József Alvinczi Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen Count of Clerfayt ( Walloon ) Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze ( Swiss ) Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth Pál Kray ( Hungarian ) Charles Eugene, Prince of Lambesc ( French ) Maximilian Baillet de Latour ( Walloon ) Karl Mack von Leiberich Rudolf Ritter von Otto ( Saxon ) Prince Josias of Saxe - Coburg - Saalfeld Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich Prince Heinrich XV of Reuss - Plauen Johann Mészáros von Szoboszló ( Hungarian ) Karl Philipp Sebottendorf Dagobert von Wurmser Britain Sir Ralph Abercromby Admiral Sir James Saumarez Admiral Sir Edward Pellew Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Dutch Republic William V, Prince of Orange Prussia Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick - Wolfenbüttel Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe - Ingelfingen Russia Alexander Korsakov Alexander Suvorov Spain Luis Firmin de Carvajal Antonio Ricardos Other significant figures and factions Society of 1789 Jean Sylvain Bailly Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucauld - Liancourt Isaac René Guy le Chapelier Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès Charles - Maurice de Talleyrand - Périgord Nicolas de Condorcet Feuillants and monarchiens Madame de Lamballe Madame du Barry Louis de Breteuil Loménie de Brienne Charles Alexandre de Calonne de Chateaubriand Jean Chouan Grace Elliott Arnaud de La Porte Jean - Sifrein Maury Jacques Necker François - Marie, marquis de Barthélemy Guillaume - Mathieu Dumas Antoine Barnave Lafayette Alexandre - Théodore - Victor, comte de Lameth Charles Malo François Lameth André Chénier Jean - François Rewbell Camille Jordan Madame de Staël Boissy d'Anglas Jean - Charles Pichegru Pierre Paul Royer - Collard Girondists Jacques Pierre Brissot Roland de La Platière Madame Roland Father Henri Grégoire Étienne Clavière Marquis de Condorcet Charlotte Corday Marie Jean Hérault Jean Baptiste Treilhard Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve Jean Debry Jean - Jacques Duval d'Eprémesnil Olympe de Gouges Jean - Baptiste Robert Lindet Louis Marie de La Révellière - Lépeaux The Plain Abbé Sieyès de Cambacérès Charles François Lebrun Lazare Nicolas Marguerite Carnot Philippe Égalité Louis Philippe I Mirabeau Antoine Christophe Merlin de Thionville Jean Joseph Mounier Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours François de Neufchâteau Montagnards Maximilien Robespierre Georges Danton Jean - Paul Marat Camille Desmoulins Louis Antoine de Saint - Just Paul Nicolas, vicomte de Barras Louis Philippe I Louis Michel le Peletier de Saint - Fargeau Jacques - Louis David Marquis de Sade Jacques - Louis David Georges Couthon Roger Ducos Jean - Marie Collot d'Herbois Jean - Henri Voulland Philippe - Antoine Merlin de Douai Antoine Quentin Fouquier - Tinville Philippe - François - Joseph Le Bas Marc - Guillaume Alexis Vadier Jean - Pierre - André Amar Prieur de la Côte - d'Or Prieur de la Marne Gilbert Romme Jean Bon Saint - André Jean - Lambert Tallien Pierre Louis Prieur Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac Antoine Christophe Saliceti Hébertists and Enragés Jacques Hébert Jacques Nicolas Billaud - Varenne Pierre Gaspard Chaumette Charles - Philippe Ronsin Antoine - François Momoro François - Nicolas Vincent François Chabot Jean Baptiste Noël Bouchotte Jean - Baptiste - Joseph Gobel François Hanriot Jacques Roux Stanislas - Marie Maillard Charles - Philippe Ronsin Jean - François Varlet Theophile Leclerc Claire Lacombe Pauline Léon Gracchus Babeuf Sylvain Maréchal Others Charles X Louis XVI Louis XVII Louis XVIII Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien Louis Henri, Prince of Condé Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé Marie Antoinette Napoléon Bonaparte Lucien Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Fesch Joséphine de Beauharnais Joachim Murat Jean Sylvain Bailly Jacques - 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Question: the french flag is referred to as the because of its three colors
Answer: the French Tricolour or simply the Tricolour (French: Tricolore)