Franco-Syrian War

The 1920 conflict in which France defeated the Arab Kingdom of Syria and imposed its mandate over the territory.

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Arab Kingdom of Syria: An independent Arab monarchy centered in Damascus, ruled by Faisal from 1920 until French forces overthrew it. Its claim to sovereignty brought Faisal’s government into direct conflict with France.
Battle of Maysalun: The July 24, 1920 battle in which French forces defeated Syrian troops near Damascus. This decisive engagement opened the way for French occupation of the capital.
French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon: The League of Nations mandate under which France governed Syria and Lebanon from the early 1920s until independence. French victory enabled the mandate’s implementation over Syria.
Arab nationalism: A political movement advocating the unity and self-determination of Arab peoples. The kingdom’s independence claim drew on this broader movement.
Faisal I of Iraq: The Hashemite ruler who led the Arab Kingdom of Syria in 1920 and later became king of Iraq. His government rejected French control and organized Syria’s resistance.
Henri Gouraud: The French general who commanded the occupation of Syria and Lebanon and governed the French mandate there. He issued the ultimatum to Faisal’s government and directed the French advance.
State of Greater Lebanon: A French-mandated territory proclaimed in 1920, carved from lands previously associated with the Syrian Arab Kingdom. Its creation accompanied France’s division of the former kingdom’s claimed territory.
French colonial empire: The overseas territories and systems of control governed by France, including mandates after World War I. French policy treated Syria as territory to administer, opposing the kingdom’s claim to independence.
San Remo Conference: The April 1920 Allied meeting that assigned France the mandate over Syria and Lebanon. Its mandate decision made French authority the immediate issue behind the confrontation.
Yusuf al-Azma: A Syrian military officer and minister of war who was killed commanding forces at Maysalun. His decision to resist the French advance made him the battle’s most prominent Syrian commander.