French conquest of Tunisia The French conquest of Tunisia occurred in two phases in 1881 : the first ( 28 April – 12 May ) consisting of the invasion and securing of the country before the signing of a treaty of protection , and the second ( 10 June – 28 October ) consisting of the suppression of a rebellion . The French protectorate of Tunisia that was established lasted until the independence of Tunisia on 20 March 1956 . Context . Early contacts . Tunisia had been a province of the Ottoman Empire since the Conquest of Tunis ( 1574 ) , although with great autonomy under the authority of a Bey . In 1770 , Admiral De Broves for Louis XV bombarded the cities of Bizerte , Porto Farina and Monastir in retaliation for acts of piracy . In the 19th century Tunisian commercial contacts with Europe were numerous , and there was a population of French , Italian and British expatriates in the country , represented by Consulates . France had also made a major loan to Tunisia in the mid - 19th century . The Tunisian government was weak , with an inefficient tax system that only brought it one - fifth of the tax collected . The economy was crippled with a series of droughts and the elimination of corsairs by Western fleets . Lastly , Tunisians had little control on foreign trade as ancient 16th century agreements with European powers limited custom taxes to 3 % . As a result , its small industry was devastated by imports , especially in the area of textiles . Colonial competition . Following the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 – 71 , France ' s international prestige was severely damaged , and both Italy and the United Kingdom attempted to reinforce their influence in Tunisia . The Italian representative failed through clumsiness , but the British representative Richard Wood was more successful . In order to limit French influence , Wood obtained the reinstatement of Tunisia as a province of the Ottoman Empire in 1871 , although autonomy was guaranteed at the same time . Great Britain continued to try to exert influence through commercial ventures ; these were not successful , however . There were also various Tunisian land ownership disputes between France , Britain and Italy . The French naturally wished to take control of Tunisia , neighbour of the French colony of Algeria , and to suppress Italian and British influence there . At the Congress of Berlin in 1878 following a three - year crisis in the Balkans , a diplomatic arrangement was made for France to take over Tunisia while Great Britain obtained control of Cyprus from the Ottomans . Finally , the use of Tunisian territory as a sanctuary by rebel Khroumir bands gave a pretext for the military intervention . Occupation . On 28 April 1881 , 28 , 000 men under General Forgemol de Bostquénard entered Tunisia . On 1 May , the city of Bizerte surrendered to the 8 , 000 men of Jules Aimé Bréart , who then continued to Tunis . Bréart entered Tunis between May 3 and May 6 , 1881 . He had in his possessions the Bardo Treaty establishing a protectorate on Tunisia , cabled to him on the eve by the French government . On May 11 , General Bréart , the general consul Théodore Roustan and the General Pierre Léon Mauraud , accompanied by an armed escort , presented to the bey of Tunis , residing in Ksar Saïd , the clauses of the Bardo Treaty . Surprised , Sadok Bey requested several hours for reflection , and immediately gathered his cabinet . Some of its members insisted that the bey should escape towards Kairouan to organize the resistance , but Sadok Bey finally decided to accept the protectorate . The Bardo Treaty was signed by both parties , under the threat of the French troops on 12 May 1881 . An insurrection soon broke out in the south on 10 June 1881 , and then in Sfax . Six ironclads were dispatched from Toulon ( " Colbert " , " Friedland " , " Marengo " , " Trident " , " Revanche " , " Surveillante " ) to join the French Navy ships in Tunisian waters . In Sfax , three ironclads from the Division of the Levant were already present ( " Alma " , " Reine Blanche " , " La Galissonnière " ) , together with four cannon boats . Sfax was bombarded , and on 16 July the city was invested after hard fighting , with 7 dead and 32 wounded for the French . At Kairouan 32 , 000 men , 6 , 000 horses and 20 , 000 tons of supplies and material were landed . Kairouan was taken without a fight on 28 October 1881 . Consequences . Great Britain and Germany silently approved the invasion of the country , while Italy protested in vain . Tunisia thus became a French protectorate , with great powers for the French , the French Resident being simultaneously Prime Minister , controller of the State ' s finances , and Commander in Chief of its armed forces . In 1882 , Paul Cambon energetically took advantage of his position as Resident , leaving the Bey essentially powerless , and in effect administering Tunisia as another French colony . Later , the French established an important naval base at Bizerte in 1898 . Italy would respond with the 1911 – 12 Italo - Turkish War leading to the Italian occupation of Libya .