HSY2601 Exam Essay for Nov 17 2021

INTRODUCTION In the eighteenth century Egypt was under the control of the Ottoman Empire, after being conquered in 1517. 1 Before the Ottoman rule Egypt had been ruled by the Mamluks, a dynasty of slave warriors, who had themselves seized control in 1250. Napoleon Bonaparte a French statesman and military leader who had risen to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns saw an opportunity in the weakened control of Egypt by the Ottoman Empire. In 1798, a French invasion force under the command of Napoleon disembarked near Alexandria. The invasion force was accompanied by a commission of scholars and scientists whose function was to investigate every aspect of life in ancient and contemporary Egypt. France wanted control of Egypt for two major reasons, its commercial and agricultural potential and its strategic importance to the Anglo-French rivalry. During the eighteenth century, the principal share of European trade with Egypt was handled by French merchants. The French also looked to Egypt as a source of grain and raw materials. In strategic terms, French control of Egypt could be used to threaten British commercial interests in the region and to block Britain's overland route to India. Napoleon intended bring modernity and freedom to Egypt, however this was undermined by the cultural and religious differences between the French and the Egyptians.