1862 in France

Events from the year 1862 in France.

Incumbents

 * Monarch – Napoleon III

Events

 * 6 January - French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico, beginning the French intervention in Mexico.
 * 5 May - Battle of Puebla, victory for the Mexican Army against the French occupational forces.

Arts and literature

 * 3 April - The first two volumes of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo is published.
 * 15 May - The remainder of Les Misérables is published.

Births

 * 28 March - Aristide Briand, statesman, Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner (died 1932)
 * 6 April - Georges Darien, writer (died 1921)
 * 22 August - Claude Debussy, composer (died 1918)
 * 19 October - Auguste Lumière, filmmaker (died 1954)
 * 7 December - Paul Adam, novelist (died 1920)
 * 8 December - Georges Feydeau, playwright (died 1921)

Deaths

 * 11 January - Jean Philibert Damiron, philosopher (born 1794)
 * 7 February - Prosper Ménière, scientist (born 1799)
 * 11 February - Jules Lequier, philosopher (born 1814)
 * 17 March - Fromental Halévy, composer (born 1799)
 * 9 April - Charles Deval, ophthalmologist (born 1806)
 * 18 June - Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix, vicar apostolic of Eastern Siam (born 1805)
 * 5 July - Étienne-Denis Pasquier, statesman (born 1767)
 * September - Mathieu-Richard-Auguste Henrion, magistrate, historian and journalist (born 1805)

Full date unknown

 * Louis Alfred Becquerel, physicist and medical researcher (born 1814)
 * Antoine Fauchery, photographer (born 1823)
 * Louis Petitot, sculptor (born 1794)