See also: 1884 in France, other events of 1885, 1886 in France.

Events from the year 1885 in France.

Events

• 28 February - Siege of Tuyen Quang ends, as French Foreign Legion is relieved after being besieged by forces of the Empire of China.
• 23 March - Battle of Bang Bo in Vietnam, significant battle of the Sino-French War and French defeat. Led to the Tonkin Affair, a major political crisis.
• 28 March - French abandon Lang Son.
• 9 June - Sino-French War ends as treaty is signed.
• 14 October - Legislative Election held.
• 18 October - Legislative Election held.

Births

January to June

• 8 January - Charles Basle, motor racing driver (died 1962).
• 22 January - Eug ne Christophe, cyclist (died 1970).
• 28 January - Maurice Brocco, cyclist (died 1965).
• 1 February - Camille Chautemps, politician and three times Prime Minister of France (died 1963).
• 6 March - Yvonne Gall, operatic soprano (died 1972).
• 16 March - Fernand Baldet, astronomer (died 1964).
• 6 April - Jules Goux, motor racing driver (died 1965).
• 5 June - Georges Mandel, politician and Resistance leader (executed) (died 1944).
• 27 June - Pierre Montet, Egyptologist (died 1966).

July to December

• 5 July - Andr Lhote, sculptor and painter (died 1962).
• 26 July - Andr Maurois, author and man of letters (died 1967).
• 26 August - Jules Romains, poet and writer (died 1972).
• 31 August - Lucien Chopard, entomologist (died 1971).
• 11 October - Fran ois Mauriac, author, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (died 1970).
• 25 October - Xavier Lesage, horse rider and Olympic gold medallist (died 1969).
• 10 November - Lou Albert-Lasard, painter (died 1969).
• 23 December - Pierre Brissaud, illustrator, painter and engraver (died 1964).

Full date unknown

• Marcel Allain, writer (died 1970).
• Camille Arambourg, paleontologist (died 1970).
• Roland Dorgel s, novelist (died 1973).
• Yves le Prieur, naval officer and inventor (died 1963).

Deaths

• 16 January - Edmond Fran ois Valentin About, novelist, publicist and journalist (born 1828).
• 18 April - Marc Monnier, writer (born 1827).
• 3 May - Paul-Quentin Desains, physicist (born 1817).
• 18 May - Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville, painter (born 1835).
• 22 May - Victor Hugo, poet, playwright, novelist and statesman (born 1802).
• June - Am d e Courbet, admiral (born 1828).
• 29 July - Henri Milne-Edwards, zoologist (born 1800).
• 17 December - Augustus Th baud, Jesuit educator and publicist (born 1807).
• 24 December - Louis Prosper Gachard, man of letters (born 1800).

References

fr:1885 en France