Egypt as a World Power

[Rameses the Great]

As Egypt was warring Muhammad Ali Pasha, the appointed wali of Egypt from the Ottoman Empire, tried to take control of the nation. As the British were defeated in the first Anglo-Egyptian War Muhammad Ali Pasha tried to move quickly to eliminate any opposition to his throne in Egypt. He killed off the Mamelukes of Egypt and took full control fo the country.

 

Muhammad Ali was of Albanian descent, but considered Egypt as one of the more prized and more free vassals of the Ottoman Empire so he took control. As he took over he modernized agriculture and technology as long as modernize the army along western lines, namely French. Anyways, he served a huge role in helping the Ottomans momentarily retake Greece after the Greeks had inflicted upon the Ottomans critical defeat. The Battle of Navarino is also a battle that is remembered as the joint Egyptian and Ottoman fleet were destroyed by a European coalition to end Ottoman dominance in Greece.

 

There was still a stipulation if Muhammad Ali helped the sultan, he would then receive Syria. When the sultan refused Muhammad Ali took his modernized army and defeated the Turks at the Battle of Ridnayeh and again at the Battle of Nizib two decisive battles that left Istanbul virtually unguarded. Fortunately for the Turks they were save by none other than their traditional enemy, the Russians. A European delegation met with the sultan and pasha. The treaty called for Muhammad Ali not to attack and take Istanbul and return the sultan was to grant Egypt's independence and control over Syria. It was clear the Great Powers preferred a weak Ottoman Empire rather than an up and coming vigorous upstart that was Egypt.

 

Still today he is considered a hero in Egypt. He made other nations recognize Egypt as a power once more. Although his successors debts crippled the nation and led to internal strifes leading to the colonization by Britain in the late 1800's, he was able to make Egypt an independent and considerable power.

 

Does anyone really know this?

[ASCLEPIADES]

Does anyone really know this?

Only a vague notion. Gratiam habeo for the information, RG.

 

I'm curious; did the Egyptian campaign of Napoleon have any effect in all these events?

[Ingsoc]

I'm curious; did the Egyptian campaign of Napoleon have any effect in all these events?

 

The initial reason that Muhammad Ali was stationed in Egypt was to fight Napoleon.

[Gladius Hispaniensis]

The Wali's son Ibrahim Pasha was considered a fine general in his time. He was responsible for crushing the power of the Wahhabis in the Arabian peninsula.

[Kosmo]

Mehmet Ali was a very interesting person. He got to power by a succesfull rebelion of his "arnaut" albanian corps shortly after the french were defeated and the british had withdraw from Egypt. His succes was helped by the blows Napoleon delivered to mameluks and ottomans.

His main weakness was his external policy. Helping his ottoman sovereign in Greece and claiming control over Greece made europeans distrust him. He would have been better seeking de jure independence. His syrian adventures made angry Russia that would have been otherwise a natural ally. Britain was upset by his efforts to industrialize the country using forced labour. This plan, the first in history, would have failed anyway because of the economic weakness of the country that was by now very poor and only added to the peasants burdens. His efforts to promote cotton plantations were succesful, but he did not tried to build a cotton industry.

France was his only allie and this almost started a general european war in 1840. Egypt payed the price of this extensive investments and low international position in 1882.

[Ursus]

I'm afraid I can't talk intelligently about this timeperiod of Egyptian history, though I am game if you wish to talk about the glories of Ancient Egypt's New Kingdom era.

[Rameses the Great]

His main weakness was his external policy. Helping his ottoman sovereign in Greece and claiming control over Greece made europeans distrust him.

 

Egypt never planned on controlling Greece. At that time the Ottomans were backwards and were being humiliated by the Greek navy and land forces so they asked for Egypt's help. The sultan and Muhammad Ali brokered a deal that would give Egypt control of Syria if he helped the Ottomans in the war. The Egyptians crushed both the Greek army and navy which led to the fantacized Greek War of Independence which won the sympathies of the European Powers. Their combined fleet defeated the Ottoman/Egyptian fleet at the Battle of Navarino since the Ottomans and Egyptian only had a few iron clads between then whilst the Europeans had all iron clads.

 

His syrian adventures made angry Russia that would have been otherwise a natural ally.

 

This was not because he took Syria but because he planned to take Istanbul. After the Ottoman sultan renegged on the agreement, Muhammad Ali Pasha decided to take Sryia by force. He then defeated them at the Battle of Nizib and then again at the Battle of Ridnayeh despite the Ottoman's superior numbers and the Prussian coalition under Van Moltke. This left the Ottoman capital undefended so they turned to their traditional ally Russia for help in order to stop Egypt. They held a peace conference in France stating that Egypt would stop it's agression and ambition and in turn would receive Syria. Muhammad Ali reluctantly signed seeing as he had no choice.

 

Ironically though, Russia then tried to take down the Ottomans in the Crimean War...

 

Britain was upset by his efforts to industrialize the country using forced labour.

 

It wasn't forced labor he modernized and industrialized along French lines.

 

This plan, the first in history, would have failed anyway because of the economic weakness of the country that was by now very poor and only added to the peasants burdens. His efforts to promote cotton plantations were succesful, but he did not tried to build a cotton industry.

 

Egypt was indebted to the European power but their economy was one of the best in the world at that time. Egypt did industrialize their cotton plantations that's why they were top in cotton exports. With the American Civil War and with European demand for cotton as war loomed in Europe Egypt's economy was booming.

 

France was his only allie and this almost started a general european war in 1840. Egypt payed the price of this extensive investments and low international position in 1882.

 

The British occupation was because the Egyptian civil war threatened Britain's economy. As rebels were taking over the nation Britain was drawn into the war on the side of the Khedive which led to Egypt's weakness and its defeat at Tell El Kebir. Had Egypt been united and planned to pay back it's debt then perhaps they wouldn't have been in that position, remember Egypt did defeat the British in the first Anglo-Egyptian War.

 

Still though with French interest in the Suez Canal and England's Indian colony I don't think that England wasn't going to make another attempt to take Egypt.

 

I'm afraid I can't talk intelligently about this timeperiod of Egyptian history, though I am game if you wish to talk about the glories of Ancient Egypt's New Kingdom era.

 

I actually have your topic about Egypt saved on my desktop on a word document. lol. I'm planning on opening one about Egypt's making of the first empire in history and think that the New Kingdom would be a good topic. I'll start one and I certainly hope you join in because you probably know the most about Ancient Egypt on this forum.

[ASCLEPIADES]

I think it's noteworthy that the first defeat ever of the General Bonaparte was at the siege of Acre, against a predominantly Turkish force (under Ahmed al-Jazzar Pasha) with British support (under Sir Sidney Smith), sixteen years before Waterloo.

 

Not surprisingly, as with the Battle of Gallipoli at 1915, western historians tend to diminish the Turkish contribution.

 

Anyway, it seems that Mehmet Ali didn't come to this war front until after Napoleon's departure.

[Rameses the Great]

I think it's noteworthy that the first defeat ever of the General Bonaparte was at the siege of Acre, against a predominantly Turkish force (under Ahmed al-Jazzar Pasha) with British support (under Sir Sidney Smith), sixteen years before Waterloo.

 

Not surprisingly, as with the Battle of Gallipoli at 1915, western historians tend to diminish the Turkish contribution.

 

Anyway, it seems that Mehmet Ali didn't come to this war front until after Napoleon's departure.

 

You're right even if the Egyptian army marched on Istanbul througout history it has proven VERY easy to defend.

 

And I think Mehmet was appointed by the sultan to be the wali of Egpyt since the British had since expelled the French from Egypt.

[Ursus]

I actually have your topic about Egypt saved on my desktop on a word document. lol. I'm planning on opening one about Egypt's making of the first empire in history and think that the New Kingdom would be a good topic. I'll start one and I certainly hope you join in because you probably know the most about Ancient Egypt on this forum.

 

I don't know if I know the most, but it's always been an area of interest.

 

Ptolemaic Egypt would also be an excellent topic. The Hellenophiles could chime in on that one.