The Egyptian Campaign

Written By Willem Conner

Nearly half a decade after the declaration of the French Republic sent shockwaves through Europe, only Great Britain remains in a state of war with France. In one of the most romanticized and least understood chapters of the French Revolutionary era, a military expedition under Napoleon Bonaparte is sent to Egypt with the intention of striking a blow against the British and their empire. The consequences of this oriental adventure would affect the course of world history in ways both expected and unexpected. 

This is the story of the Egyptian Campaign.

Cover Image: Bonaparte and his Chief of Staff in Egypt, painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1863.

Episodes (listed in reverse order)

Featured
Egyptian Campaign
The Egyptian Campaign Part 5: Imperial Legacies
Egyptian Campaign

Having been thwarted in his invasion of Syria, Napoleon decides to return to Europe and seek his destiny there. Although his grandiose eastern ambitions did not come to fruition, the effects of his Egyptian adventure would be long felt, though not in ways that may have seemed obvious.

Egyptian Campaign
Egyptian Campaign
The Egyptian Campaign Part 4: Leaving for Syria
Egyptian Campaign

Facing an attempt by the Ottomans to retake Egypt, Napoleon takes his army on the offensive into neighboring Syria. A climatic confrontation with the Ottomans and their British allies ensues, the result of which could alter the course of world history.

Egyptian Campaign
Egyptian Campaign
The Egyptian Campaign Part 3: Ali Bonaparte
Egyptian Campaign

Having established control over the country, Napoleon and the Army of the Orient begin to settle into their positions as the new rulers of Egypt. As Napoleon seeks to win the hearts and minds of the country's majority-Muslim population, a rebellion in Cairo threatens to undo all of his efforts. 

Egyptian Campaign
Egyptian Campaign
The Egyptian Campaign Part 2: The Pyramids and the Nile
Egyptian Campaign

After landing in Egypt, Napoleon Bonaparte and his army win a series of victories against the Mamluk rulers of the country. However, a British fleet under Horatio Nelson deals the French a devastating blow that forces them to reconsider their strategy.

Egyptian Campaign
Egyptian Campaign
The Egyptian Campaign Part 1: Dreams of the Orient
Egyptian Campaign

In May 1798, the young French Republic seeks to strike a blow against its British adversary by seizing Egypt. This mission falls to an up-and-coming army officer named Napoleon Bonaparte, who readily accepts the chance to follow in the footsteps of the heroes of classical antiquity.

Egyptian Campaign

View of the Battle of the Pyramids, July 21, 1798. Painting by Louis-François Lejeune, 1808.

Bibliography

De, Bourrienne, Louis Antoine Fauvelet. The Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte. Vol. 1, Forgotten Books, 2008.

Herold, J. Christopher. Bonaparte in Egypt. Fireship Press, 2009.

Jabarti, Abd al-Rahman. Al-Jabartiʼs Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798: Napoleon in Egypt. Markus Wiener Publishers, 1995.

Strathern, Paul. Napoleon in Egypt. Bantam Books Trade Paperbacks, 2009.

Willem Conner
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