Person

Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes

1839–1900 · 19th century

Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes was a French artillery officer who led the advance of French power from the upper Senegal to the Niger. As commander of Upper Senegal from 1880 to 1883 he built forts at Kita and Bamako, fought the forces of Samori Ture and laid the foundations of the colony of French Sudan. He later commanded French troops in Indochina, where he died in 1900.

Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes
Image: Ernest-Eugène Appert Upload, stitch and restoration by Jebulon · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

French Sudan

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gustave-borgnis-desbordes
MLA
“Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gustave-borgnis-desbordes. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gustave-borgnis-desbordes.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Gustave Borgnis-Desbordes’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/gustave-borgnis-desbordes (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻