Islam in France and France in the Territory of Islam in the Late 18th — First Half of the 19th Century

In the first half of the 19th century France began an active colonial penetration into the region of the Middle East and North Africa, to the territories inhabited mainly by Muslims. Despite its rich colonial experience in the past and long-standing trade and diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Empire, France for the first time met Islam so closely and faced the necessity to govern the territories inhabited by a Muslim majority. This article provides an overview of the relationship between France and Islam at the end of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries, analyzes the process of awakening interest in this religion among the French and examines the first political steps towards Islam, undertaken by the French authorities during this unstable period, which saw three revolutions in France.