History of French-era Tunisia which France approached, traded with and financed, invaded, and then administered Tunisia. It will be seen that modern French politics not only guided the direction of the French colonial venture, but also informed indirectly and in combination with traditions the politics of their clients, the Tunisian people and their leadership. France was not unfamiliar with rule over foreign lands, i.e., two distinct phases of expansion outside Europe, and one within: the 16th–18th century ventures in North America and in India, which lands were lost by the monarchy in 1763 prior to the French Revolution; the Napoleonic conquests over most of
Global silver trade from the 16th to 18th centuries to the expansive and profitable silver trade. In fact, research shows the amount of silver traveling from Manila to China was approximately three million pesos or 94,000 kilograms in the early 1600s. The rarity of silver production was seen as an opportunity for China to control the currency's value and support its own national currency. Silver was one of the only accepted trade items from Europeans and its value in China was astronomical compared to rest of the world. In fact, its value was twice that of Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries. Between 1600 and 1800 China received