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This article is about the civilization in Age of Empires III. For other uses, see French.
Civilization Technology tree Strategy Home City Cards

Descendants of the Franks who inhabited regions in France. The French held large areas in the New World until the late 1700s. They famously supported the American revolution after the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.
Forgotten Empires website

The French are a playable European civilization in Age of Empires III.

They ancestors, the Franks, are featured in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, and reappear as French in Age of Empires IV. They held large areas in the New World until the late 1700s, and still have small colonies in South America today.

In all three games they are a beginner-friendly civilization whose strong economy provides the resources needed to fund their elite cavalry.

Home City[]

(Default) Explorer names
First names
Aime, Andre, Antoine, Charles, Duc, Jacques, Jean, Julian, Louis, Medard, Nicholas, Pierre, Rene, Samuel, Sieur, Thomas
Last names
Aubert, Aury, Baudin, Bernard, Bonpland, Cartier, Dubuque, Jolliet, Marquette, Michaux, Nicollet, Radisson, Ribault, de Cadillac, de Champlain, de Charlevoix, de Condamine, de Groseillier, de Laudonniere, de la Harpe, de la Perouse, de la Salle, du Sable

  • Fire eater Torchy - An entertainer who performs tricks with fire (1 point)
  • Juggler Juggler - A juggling performer (1 point)
  • Vendor Vendor Cart - A store on wheels hawking goods of all kinds (1 point)
  • Chatter Home City Chatter - Enable this to show comments made by citizens strolling through this city (1 point)
  • Bunting Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
  • HC banner Market Day Pennants - These bright streamers declare it is market day (1 point)
  • We-nwtc1 French New World Trade Center - Original color scheme for French New World Trade Center (Default)
  • We-nwtc2 Bonaparte's Imports and Exports - A red and gold version of the French New World Trade Center (1 point)
  • We-nwtc3 Boissenberry's Outfitters - A blue and white version of the French New World Trade Center (1 point)
  • We-nwtc4 Jean Lafitte's New World Outfitters - A green and red version of the French New World Trade Center (1 point)
  • We-nwtc5 Olde Towne Trade Center - Upgraded version of the original French New World Trade Center (1 point)
  • We-nwtc6 Cosette's Imports and Exports - Upgraded version of the red and gold French New World Trade Center (1 point)
  • We-nwtc7 J.C. Kiley's Outfitters - Upgraded version of the blue and white French New World Trade Center (1 point)
  • We-nwtc8 B. Crow's New World Market - Upgraded version of the green and red French New World Trade Center (1 point)

  • Noble male Nobleman - The uppercrust of any society (1 point)
  • Noble female Noblewoman - An elegant member of any society (1 point)
  • Bunting Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
  • Prop-fountain-64 Sparkling Fountain of Athos - A decorative fountain upon which to gaze (1 point)
  • Props2 Statue of the Sovereign - A tribute to the Empire's famous leader (1 point)
  • We-academy5 French Royal Academy - Original color version of the French Academy (Default)
  • We-academy6 Royal School of Marksmanship - A red and gold version of the French Academy (1 point)
  • We-academy7 Waterloo Academy - A blue and white version of the French Academy (1 point)
  • We-academy8 Charles the Great Academy - A red and green version of the French Academy (1 point)
  • We-academy17 The D'Artagnan Musketeer Institute - An upgraded version of the original French Academy (1 point)
  • We-academy18 Imperial School of Military Studies - An upgraded version of the red and gold French Academy (1 point)
  • We-academy19 The Versailles Academy - An upgraded version of the blue and white French Academy (1 point)
  • We-academy20 Napoleon's Academy - An upgraded version of the red and green French Academy (1 point)

  • Stagecoach The Royal Coach - This coach waits upon the whims of royalty (1 point)
  • Mime Mime - A street performer who interacts with an unseen world (1 point)
  • Hunchback The Hunchback - A bellringer for the Paris Cathedral (1 point)
  • Violin Musician - A strolling entertainer (1 point)
  • Preacher The Reverend - A street preacher sharing the good news (1 point)
  • Par lightset1 Sunrise Lighting - The sun rises above the empire's capitol city (Default)
  • Par lightset2 Daytime Lighting - The city with the sun shining brightly (1 point)
  • Bunting Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
  • Props1 Statue of the Sovereign - A tribute to the Empire's famous leader (1 point)
  • Prop-fountain-64 Richelieu Fountain - A decorative fountain upon which to gaze (1 point)
  • We-cathedral5 Notre Dame (original) - The original color scheme for Notre Dame Cathedral (1 point)
  • We-cathedral6 Notre Dame (red and gold) - A red and gold version of Notre Dame Cathedral (1 point)
  • We-cathedral7 Notre Dame (blue and white) - A blue and white version of Notre Dame Cathedral (1 point)
  • We-cathedral8 Notre Dame (green and red) - A green and red version of the Notre Dame Cathedral (1 point)

  • Painter The Artist - An artist who sets up his easel and paints (1 point)
  • Thug Thug - A brutish and unpleasant fellow (1 point)
  • Bunting Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
  • Street light grey 3 Basic Street Lamps - Simple technology to make streets just a little safer at night (1 point)
  • Street light Elegant Street Lamps - Attractive lighting for the city's byways (1 point)
  • Street light grey 2 Decorative Street Lamps - Street lighting with a dramatic flair (1 point)
  • Street light grey Fancy Street Lamps - Tastefully elegant lighting for the city's best streets (1 point)
  • We-factory1 Paris Foundry - The original color scheme for the French Manufacturing Plant (Default)
  • We-factory2 Sacre Couer Manufacturing - A red and gold version of the French Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
  • We-factory3 Versailles Pipe and Metalworks - A blue and white version of the French Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
  • We-factory4 Orleans Manufacturing - An orange version of the French Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
  • We-factory5 Dominique Foundry - Upgraded version of the original French Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
  • We-factory6 Jacques P. Manufacturing - Upgraded version of the red and gold color French Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
  • We-factory7 R. Rowe Pipe and Metalworks - Upgraded version of the blue and white French Manufacturing Plant (1 point)
  • We-factory8 Metals by Maurice - Upgraded version of the orange French Manufacturing Plant (1 point)

  • Drunk Drunk - A sailor who has overindulged in adult beverages (1 point)
  • Nicelady Nice Lady - A woman in a red dress (1 point)
  • Fisherman Fisherman - A man who would rather be fishing (1 point)
  • Bunting Patriotic Bunting - The citizens show their national pride by decorating with patriotic banners (1 point)
  • HC banner La bannière de l'amiral - A furled banner alerts townsfolk that the fleet is in (1 point)
  • We-dock1 De Bougainville Ministere de la Mer - Original version of the French Dock's color scheme (Default)
  • We-dock2 Comte de Barras Naval Academy - A red and gold version of the French Dock's color scheme (1 point)
  • We-dock3 Compt de la Perouse Charts and Charters - A blue and white themed version of French Dock's color scheme (1 point)
  • We-dock4 Chevalier de Ternay Bureau de l'immigration - A green version of the French Dock's color scheme (1 point)
  • We-dock9 Paris Master of the Port - An upgraded version of the original French Dock (1 point)
  • We-dock10 The Imperial Docks - An upgraded red and gold version of the French Dock (1 point)
  • We-dock11 Brest Shipping - An upgraded version of the blue and white themed French Dock (1 point)
  • We-dock12 The French West Indies Company - An upgraded green version of the French Dock (1 point)

Characteristics[]

Civilization bonuses[]

Unique units[]

Politicians[]

Revolutions[]

Overview[]

The French military possesses a troop roster similar to the Spanish; they have a diverse selection of units. The Lancer unit, however, is replaced by the powerful Cuirassier, which is typically a common sight in late-Age armies. They have one of the best economies in the game due to their fast-gathering Coureur des Bois. One of the French's main specialties is their stronger alliances with Native American settlements as their Home City provides many unique cards for it.

Campaign appearances[]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.

In-game dialogue[]

Main article: French dialogue lines

French units speak their namesake language.

Common[]

Select
  • Oui ? - Yes?
  • Prêt (masculine)/Prête (feminine) - Ready
  • Votre ordre ? - Your order?
  • Bonjour ! - Hello!
Move
  • Oui - Yes
  • Très bien - Very well
  • Je le ferai - I will do it
  • Correct - Right
Attack
  • À l'attaque ! - Attack!
  • Chargez ! - Charge!
  • Oui ! - Yes!

Settler[]

Explorer[]

History[]

France began the age of exploration as one of the more powerful nations in Europe economically, militarily, and geographically. Initially they trailed the Spanish and Portuguese in the quest for overseas trade and empire, but made significant progress in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They were exploring and attempting to settle North America before the British, attracted by the fishing off Newfoundland, fur trading, and their search for a northwest passage around the Americas to the Pacific Ocean and Asia.

A sixteenth century settlement in Florida was wiped out by the Spanish. Several attempts to settle in Nova Scotia and along the St. Lawrence River finally resulted in a permanent settlement in Quebec. From there intrepid explorers, including Champlain, Marquette, and many others, worked their way through the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi to its mouth. They established better relations with the Native Americans than any other European nation, mainly because they encouraged fur trading and were less interested in permanent settlement. French trappers and traders came to America in relatively small numbers to make a fortune in furs, and then returned home. They eventually built a string of trading posts and forts along the interior trade route at New Orleans, St. Louis, Mackinac Island, Detroit, and Fort Duquesne (modern Pittsburgh).

French involvement in Europe, India, and the Caribbean meant that colonizing efforts in Canada were not strongly or systematically supported. The efforts of the smaller French population to keep the rapidly growing British bottled up along the Atlantic seaboard could not be sustained. When war came in the eighteenth century, Canada was lost in battle and traded at the negotiation table for some spice islands in Indonesia. The French retained their control of the Mississippi and Missouri River watersheds until the early nineteenth century, when Napoleon sold France's vast holdings to the fledgling United States to support his wars in Europe.
—In-game history section

France underwent a violent revolution in the late 18th century, and by the early 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte was France's Emperor and supreme commander. He proceeded to conquer almost all of Europe with his Grande Armée, barring Britain and Russia.

Trivia[]

  • Despite the French being unable to create Settlers by standard means, female Settlers have their own voice clips. Males have the same voice clips as Coureurs des Bois.
    • The unused French Settlers have the same appearance as the British and Dutch Settlers.
  • The French flag shown in the game is the Flag of the Kingdom of France that was used between 1365–1794 by the Kingdom of France.
    • According to a unused textures in the game files (french.ddt) and a Napoleon Bonaparte quote, the French flag in the game would be the National flag (also know as the "Tricolore") used by the First Republic and the First French Empire between 1794–1814.
  • The architecture style of the French post Exploration Age is mainly timber framing. This is historically inaccurate as this style was used predominantly in Europe and France while French colonies in North America used French colonial architecture instead.
  • Before the Definitive Edition, the French were highly criticized as the most powerful civilization for treaty games, mostly due to the very high statistics of a Post-Imperial Gendarme. In certain maps, like the Great Plains, they can get the Cheyenne Horse Trading technology at the Cheyenne native site. When combined with a few Home City Cards, they get cavalry trained almost instantly, leading to a critical mass of Gendarmes in a very short time to overrun entire armies of most civilizations, leaving very few but expensive counters to certain civilizations, which were also taken down by the already strong French Skirmishers. This lead to the removal of the decreased training time effect of the Thoroughbreds card and the new calculation of Cuirassier statistics based on the Commerce Age in the Definitive Edition.
  • The French have similarities to the Franks in Age of Empires II and French in Age of Empires IV, where they are a cavalry-focused civilization with a very strong economy. The French also share the same characteristic of a beginner-friendly civilization with their straightforward bonuses and Home City cards.

Gallery[]

Civilizations in Age of Empires III
AfricanFlag Ethiopian aoe3de Ethiopians · Flag Hausa Hausa
AmericanFederal American: Flag MexicanDE Mexicans · Flag American act3 aoe3de United States
Native American: Flag AztecDE Aztecs · Flag IroquoisDE Haudenosaunee (formerly Iroquois) · Flag IncanDE Inca · Flag SiouxDE Lakota (formerly Sioux)
AsianFlag ChineseDE Chinese · Flag IndianDE Indians · Flag JapaneseDE Japanese
EuropeanFlag BritishDE British · Flag DutchDE Dutch · Flag FrenchDE French · Flag GermanDE Germans · Flag ItalianDE Italians · Flag MalteseDE Maltese · Flag OttomanDE Ottomans · Flag PortugueseDE Portuguese · Flag RussianDE Russians · Flag SpanishDE Spanish · Flag SwedishDE Swedes · Polish · Danes
Minor
AfricanAkan Settlement Icon Akan · Berber Settlement Portrait Berbers · Somali Settlement Portrait Somalis · Sudanese settlement portrait Sudanese · Yoruba settlement portait Yoruba
AsianBhakti aoe3de Bhakti Temple · Jesuit aoe3de Jesuit Mission · Native shaolin site icon portrait Shaolin Temple · Sufi aoe3de Sufi Mosque · AOE3DE Tengri Tengri Shrine · Udasi aoe3de Udasi Temple · Zen aoe3de Zen Temple
EuropeanBourbon icon portrait-1 House of Bourbon · Habsburg icon portrait-1 House of Habsburg · Hanover icon portrait-1 House of Hanover · Jagiellon icon portrait-1 House of Jagiellon · Oldenburg icon portrait-1 House of Oldenburg · Phanar icon portrait-1 House of Phanar · Vasa icon portrait-1 House of Vasa · Wettin icon portrait-1 House of Wettin · Wittelsbach icon portrait-1 House of Wittelsbach
Native AmericanApache aoe3de Apache · Aztec native icon aoe3de Aztecs · Carib aoe3de Carib · Cherokee aoe3de Cherokee · Cheyenne aoe3de pre update Cheyenne · Comanche icon aoe3de Comanche · Cree aoe3de Cree · Iroquois aoe3de Haudenosaunee · Huron aoe3de Huron · Klamath settlement portrait Klamath · Sioux aoe3de Lakota · Lenape warrior portrait Lenape · Mapuche icon aoe3de Mapuche · Maya aoe3de Maya · Navajo aoe3de Navajo · Nootka aoe3de Nootka · Inca native icon aoe3de Quechua (formerly Incas) · Seminole aoe3de Seminole · Tupi aoe3de Tupi · Zapotec icon aoe3de Zapotec
Other
CampaignUnited States flag revolt DE Black Family Estate · EIC Flag AoE3DE British · Circle of ossus Circle of Ossus · Flag John Black's Mercenaries DE John Black's Mercenaries · Flag Maltese Cross Knights of St. John · Flag American act3 aoe3de United States
Historical BattlesBarbary States flag revolt Barbary Pirates · Flag CanadianDE Canadians · Flag Ethiopian aoe3de Ethiopians · Flag Moroccan Moroccans · Flag Somali aoe3de Somalians · Flag Tatars aoe3de Tatars · Flag American act3 aoe3de United States
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