This is a list of events from 1917 in France.

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Raymond Poincaré Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (, ; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. Trained in law, Poincaré was elected deputy in 1 ...

President of the Council of Ministers The President of the Council of Ministers (sometimes titled Chairman of the Council of Ministers) is the most senior member of the cabinet in the executive branch of government in some countries. Some Presidents of the Council of Ministers are th ...

: ** until 20 March:

Aristide Briand Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...

** 20 March-12 September:

Alexandre Ribot Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot (; 7 February 184213 January 1923) was a French politician, four times Prime Minister. Early career Ribot was born in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais. After a brilliant academic career at the University of Paris, where h ...

** 12 September-16 November:

Paul Painlevé Paul Painlevé (; 5 December 1863 – 29 October 1933) was a French mathematician and statesman. He served twice as Prime Minister of the Third Republic: 12 September – 13 November 1917 and 17 April – 22 November 1925. His entry into politic ...

** starting 16 November:

Georges Clemenceau Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...

Events

* 13 February – Dutch dancer

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by ...

is arrested in Paris for

spying Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

for Germany. * 9 April – Battle of Arras, a British Empire offensive, begins. * 16 April –

Second Battle of the Aisne The Second Battle of the Aisne (french: Bataille du Chemin des Dames or french: Seconde bataille de l'Aisne, 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the Germa ...

begins, the main action of the French

Nivelle Offensive The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front in the First World War which was named after General Robert Nivelle, the commander-in-chief of the French metropolitan armies, who led the offens ...

. * 26 April – The

Agreement of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne The Agreement of St.-Jean-de-Maurienne was an agreement between France, Italy and Great Britain, which emanated from a conference in a railway car at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne on 19 April 1917 and signed by the allies between 18 August and 26 Sept ...

, between France, Italy and the United Kingdom, to settle interests in the Middle East, is signed. * 29 April – Architect of the

and French Commander-in-Chief, General

Robert Nivelle Robert Georges Nivelle (15 October 1856 – 22 March 1924) was a French artillery general officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion and the First World War. In May 1916, he succeeded Philippe Pétain as commander of the French Second Army in th ...

, is dismissed and replaced on 15 May by

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...

. * 3 May – 1917 French Army mutinies begin when the French 2nd Division refuses to follow orders to attack. * 9 May –

ends in failure, leading to desertions. * 27 May – 1917 French Army mutinies: French Army desertions turn to mutiny as up to 30,000 soldiers leave the front line and reserve trenches and return to the rear at

Missy-aux-Bois Missy-aux-Bois () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne. The ...

. * 16 May – Battle of Arras ends. * 1 June – 1917 French Army mutinies: A French infantry regiment seizes

, and declares an anti-war military government. Other French army troops soon apprehend them. * 8 June – 1917 French Army mutinies: French military authorities take action with mass arrests, followed by mass trials. * 15 August – Battle of Hill 70, an Anglo-Canadian offensive, starts on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. * 25 August – Battle of Hill 70 ends. * 15 October –

is executed by

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are us ...

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...

for spying. * 15 November –

becomes prime minister of France. * 20 November – Battle of Cambrai, a British campaign, begins. First successful use of

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

s in a

combined arms Combined arms is an approach to warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme vio ...

operation. * 6 December – Battle of Cambrai ends.

Births

January to June

* 3 January –

Pierre Dervaux Pierre Dervaux (born 3 January 1917 in Juvisy-sur-Orge, France; died 20 February 1992 in Marseilles, France) was a French operatic conductor, composer, and pedagogue. At the Conservatoire de Paris, he studied counterpoint and harmony with Marcel ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

tic conductor and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

(died 1992) * 24 January –

Marcel Hansenne Marcel Hansenne (January 24, 1917 – March 22, 2002) was a French middle distance runner, who won the bronze medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London over 800 m in a time of 1:49.8 min. The race was won by Mal Whitfield. Hansenne al ...

, middle-distance runner (died 2002) * 11 February –

Bernard Destremau Bernard Destremau (; 11 February 1917 – 6 June 2002) was a French tennis player, tank officer, diplomat and politician. Biography Born in Paris into a military family, the third son of a WW I cavalry general, his success in accommodating comp ...

, tennis player (died 2002) * 16 April –

Lucienne Delyle Lucienne Delyle (16 April 1917 – 10 April 1962) was a French singer. After the very famous song ''Mon amant de Saint-Jean'' (my lover from Saint-Jean), in 1942, Lucienne Delyle became one of the most popular French female singers of the ...

, singer (died 1962) * 22 April –

Yvette Chauviré Yvette Chauviré (; 22 April 1917 – 19 October 2016) was a French prima ballerina and actress. She is often described as France's greatest ballerina, and was the coach of prima ballerinas Sylvie Guillem and Marie-Claude Pietragalla. She was awa ...

prima ballerina assoluta ''Prima ballerina assoluta'' is a title awarded to the most notable of female ballet dancers. To be recognised as a ''prima ballerina assoluta'' is a rare honour, traditionally reserved only for the most exceptional dancers of their generatio ...

(died 2016) * 25 April – Jean Lucas, motor racing driver (died 2003) * 29 May –

Élie de Rothschild Élie Robert de Rothschild (29 May 1917 – 6 August 2007) was the guardian of the French branch of the Rothschild family banking dynasty. He followed his father as a partner in the family bank, de Rothschild Frères, and ran the Château Lafi ...

, banker (died 2007) * 31 May –

Jean Rouch Jean Rouch (; 31 May 1917 – 18 February 2004) was a French filmmaker and anthropologist. He is considered one of the founders of cinéma vérité in France. Rouch's practice as a filmmaker, for over 60 years in Africa, was characterized b ...

, filmmaker and anthropologist (died 2004)

July to December

* 14 June –

Gilbert Prouteau Gilbert Prouteau (14 June 1917 – 2 August 2012) was a French poet and film director. He was born in Nesmy, Vendée. In 1948 he won a bronze medal in the art competitions of the Olympic Games for his "Rythme du Stade" ("Rhythm of the Stadiu ...

, poet (died 2012) * 18 July –

Henri Salvador Henri Salvador (18 July 1917 – 13 February 2008) was a French Caribbean comedian, singer and cabaret artist. Biography Salvador was born in Cayenne, French Guiana. His father, Clovis, and his mother, Antonine Paterne, daughter of a native Ca ...

, singer (died 2008) * 25 July –

Philippe De Lacy Philippe De Lacy (July 25, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was a French-American silent film era child actor who became a film producer, director, and cinematographer in adulthood. Early life Born during World War I, the already fatherless Philippe los ...

, actor (died 1995) * 27 July –

Bourvil André Robert Raimbourg (; 27 July 1917 – 23 September 1970), better known as André Bourvil (), and mononymously as Bourvil, was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy films, most notably in his collaboration with Louis ...

, actor and singer (died 1970) * 15 August –

Philippe Viannay Philippe Viannay (15 August 1917 - 27 November 1986) was a French journalist. School foundation He founded the Centre de formation des journalistes, and, later, the sailing school ''Les Glénans''. French resistance During World War II, he led a r ...

, journalist (died 1986) * 17 August –

Paul Tessier Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, surgeon (died 2008) * 24 September – Jean Hermil,

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Viviers (died 2006) * 20 October –

Jean-Pierre Melville Jean-Pierre Melville (; born Jean-Pierre Grumbach; 20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973) was a French filmmaker and actor. Among his films are ''Le Silence de la mer'' (1949), ''Bob le flambeur'' (1956), '' Le Doulos'' (1962), ''Le Samouraï'' (196 ...

, filmmaker (died 1973) * 22 October –

Annette Laming-Emperaire Annette Laming-Emperaire (22 October 1917 – May 1977) was a French archeologist. Biography Born in Petrograd, as the daughter of French diplomats, 15 days before the Bolsheviks took Moscow she went with her parents to France. Annette Lami ...

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...

(died 1977) * 30 October –

Maurice Trintignant Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant (30 October 1917 – 13 February 2005) was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest caree ...

, motor racing driver (died 2005) * 5 November – Jacqueline Auriol,

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

, holder of several world speed records (died 2000) * 11 November – Madeleine Damerment,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

heroine (executed) (died 1944) * 19 November –

Philippe Ragueneau Philippe Ragueneau (19 November 1917 – 22 October 2003) was a French journalist and writer. He was born in Orléans (Loiret) and died in Gordes (Vaucluse). Ragueneau was a resistance and then military fighter during World War II, and friend of ...

, journalist and writer (died 2003) * 22 November – Jean-Étienne Marie, composer (died 1989) * 24 November –

Maurice Lauré Maurice Lauré (24 November 1917 - 20 April 2001) is primarily known for creating the ''taxe sur la valeur ajoutée'' (TVA in French, otherwise known as value added tax (VAT) in English). Originally an engineer of the École Polytechnique with th ...

, creator of ''taxe sur la valeur ajoutée'' (TVA) (died 2001)

Full date unknown

Philippe Charbonneaux Philippe Charbonneaux (18 February 1917 – 4 June 1998) was a French industrial designer, best known for automobile and truck design, but also known for other products such as television sets. Many of his works are now exhibited in places s ...

, industrial designer (died 1998)

Deaths

January to June

* 4 January – Auguste Chauveau, professor and

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

(born 1827) * 20 January –

Amédée Bollée Amédée-Ernest Bollée (11 January 1844 – 20 January 1917) was a French bellfounder and inventor who specialized in steam cars. After 1867 he was known as "Amédée père" to distinguish him from his similarly named son, Amédée-Ernest- ...

(Amédée père), bell-founder (born 1844) * 5 February –

Édouard Drumont Édouard Adolphe Drumont (3 May 1844 – 5 February 1917) was a French antisemitic journalist, author and politician. He initiated the Antisemitic League of France in 1889, and was the founder and editor of the newspaper ''La Libre Parole''. ...

, journalist and writer (born 1844) * 16 February –

Octave Mirbeau Octave Mirbeau (16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still appealing to the ...

, journalist, art critic, pamphleteer, novelist and playwright (born 1848) * 17 February –

Carolus-Duran Charles Auguste Émile Durand, known as Carolus-Duran (Lille 4 July 1837 – 17 February 1917 Paris), was a French painter and art instructor. He is noted for his stylish depictions of members of high society in Third Republic France. Biograph ...

, painter (born 1837) * 23 February –

Jean Gaston Darboux Jean-Gaston Darboux FAS MIF FRS FRSE (14 August 1842 – 23 February 1917) was a French mathematician. Life According this birth certificate he was born in Nîmes in France on 14 August 1842, at 1 am. However, probably due to the midni ...

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

(born 1842) * 26 February –

Joseph Jules Dejerine Joseph Jules Dejerine (3 August 1849 – 26 February 1917), was a French neurologist. Biography Joseph Jules Dejerine was born to French parents in Geneva, Switzerland, where his father was a carriage proprietor. During the Franco-Prussian War ...

neurologist Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal c ...

(born 1849) * 16 March — Friedrich Manschott, German World War I flying ace (born

1893 in Germany Events in the year 1893 in Germany. Incumbents National level * Kaiser – Wilhelm II * Chancellor – Leo von Caprivi State level Kingdoms * King of Bavaria – Otto of Bavaria * King of Prussia – Kaiser Wilhelm II * King of Saxony – A ...

) *

6 April Events Pre–1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) at the Battle of Thapsus. * 402 – Stilicho defeats the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia. * 1 ...

— Friedrich Karl of Prussia, Prince of Prussia (born

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

) * 10 April – Louis Édouard Fournier, painter (born

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

) * 7 May –

Albert Ball Albert Ball, (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a British fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, with 44 victories, and remained its fourth-highest scorer b ...

, English fighter pilot (born 1896 in England) * 10 May – Louis Théophile Joseph Landouzy, neurologist (born 1845) * 25 May –

René Dorme Sous Lieutenant René Pierre Marie Dorme (30 January 1894 – 25 May 1917), ''Légion d'honneur'', ''Médaille militaire'', '' Croix de Guerre'' was a French World War I fighter ace credited with at least confirmed 23 victories.The Aerodrome websit ...

, World War I fighter ace (born 1894; killed in action)''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', pp. 151-152 * 30 June –

Antonio de La Gandara Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular mal ...

, painter and draughtsman (born 1861)

July to December

* 3 August – Stéphane Javelle, astronomer (born

1864 Events January–March * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...

) * 8 September – Charles-Edouard Lefebvre, composer (born 1843) * 20 September –

Émile Boirac Émile Boirac (26 August 1851 – 20 September 1917) was a French philosopher, parapsychologist, promoter of Esperanto and writer. Biography Boirac was born in Guelma, Algeria. He became president of the University of Grenoble in 1898, and ...

, philosopher (born 1851) * 27 September –

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is es ...

, artist (born 1834) * 3 November –

Léon Bloy Léon Bloy (; 11 July 1846 – 3 November 1917) was a French Catholic novelist, essayist, pamphleteer (or lampoonist), and satirist, known additionally for his eventual (and passionate) defense of Catholicism and for his influence within French C ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

ist, pamphleteer and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

(born 1846) * 5 November – Henri Amédée de Broglie, nobleman (born 1849) * 15 November –

Émile Durkheim David Émile Durkheim ( or ; 15 April 1858 – 15 November 1917) was a French sociologist. Durkheim formally established the academic discipline of sociology and is commonly cited as one of the principal architects of modern social science, al ...

, sociologist (born 1858) * 17 November –

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

, sculptor (born 1840) * 20 December –

Lucien Petit-Breton Lucien Georges Mazan (18 October 1882 – 20 December 1917) was a French racing cyclist (pseudonym: Lucien Petit-Breton, ), known as the first two-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Plessé, Loire-Atlantique, a part of Brittany ...

, cyclist, winner of 1907 and 1908

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

(born 1882)

Full date unknown

* François-Victor Équilbecq, author (born 1872) * Adolphe Chenevière, novelist (born 1855)

References

{{Year in Europe, 1917 1910s in France