Returning from the battle against the Mamelukes at Sharqiya, Napoleon received disturbing news of the destruction of his fleet at the Battle of Abu Qir. This was followed by a number of events that resulted in an Egyptian outbreak against the French called the “First Cairo Revolution,” so in this article I would like to present the stages , or factors that led to this outbreak.
Battle of Abu Qir
One of the main reasons for the failure of the expedition to Egypt was the destruction of the French army. The commander of this battle, was British General Nelson, who, as I mentioned in the previous article, succeeded Napoleon. After returning to Egypt, Napoleon Bonaparte fought his opponents in Alexandria with extraordinary determination, while asking his generals to take Nelson’s troops to one of the Greek islands or another safe place. Unfortunately, due to the lack of sufficient appreciation of the French army, little attention was paid to this division and the units were left in Abu Qir Bay, where the battle then took place after the arrival of the British fleet at night, and the great general achieved his goal, and then returned to the Mediterranean.
We can imagine what would have happened if the opposite side had won as a result of this battle. The French could have saved their fleet from the British, with incredible consequences: Mohamed Ali would not have ruled Egypt with his family for about 150 years, and Egypt would not have been a British colony, but a French one. However, when Napoleon received this news, he showed his composure and began to react by carrying out his next project.
Survival policy
Because of the withdrawal of the Mamelukes, who managed to escape during the battle and destroy part of the French fleet, and because of the cooperation of the Bedouins with the Arab tribes from Saudi Arabia and the maneuvering of the British army and government, Napoleon decided that there would be no turning back and began to build a colony in Africa, hoping to defeat and nullify the opponent’s previous strategy.
So, for the above reasons, Napoleon decided “there is no turning back,” took up the challenge and decided to start building a French colony in Africa, hoping to expand his reach in the Arab or African area and fortify Cairo as much as possible.
At the same time, many events occurred, such as the pilgrimage that Napoleon decided to join, appointing his leader and writing a letter to the Prince of Mecca, expressing his respect for Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, as well as the need to make peace with him and assuring him that he had no reason to fear him.
In addition, there was a special occasion – the annual celebration of the French Revolution. Napoleon took advantage of this anniversary to give a great speech to his soldiers and encourage them not to forget the principles of the French Revolution and the great duty incumbent on them during the expedition, so that France would increase its role in the territory and become a power.
Discovering Egypt
One of the most important and groundbreaking activities undertaken during this expedition was the construction of a scientific academy in Cairo, whose activities contributed to the knowledge of the value of Egypt not only by the French, but also by the whole world.
The main tasks of the academy included:
Providing and publishing information on Egyptian provinces.
Exploring and studying Egypt’s natural riches.
Advising and seeking advice on important issues.
The academy was located in the center of Cairo, and monsieur Monge, monsieur Fourier as secretary general and monsieur Costaz were appointed its heads.
One of the strangest peculiarities of the expedition to Egypt was the presence of some 150 scientists from many fields of knowledge. No one so far knows the exact reason for this, but the most plausible hypothesis is that Napoleon wanted to be great like Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great. He wanted not only to invade Egypt, but also to ensure his glory.
The inevitable clash
Napoleon was brilliant in military matters, but in economic matters different rules and requirements applied. This was especially true after he found himself in Egypt with some 30000 soldiers and armaments far more sophisticated than Egypt’s. All this came at a very high cost. It was time to pay the price.
Once the battles between the French and Mamelukes were over, and the takeover of the country and its provinces began, the key difference between Mameluke and French rule was the way control was exercised. Under Mameluke rule, chaos reigned, while under French leadership, chaos was systematized.
So it became inevitable to impose new taxes on civilians, merchants and farmers like the Mamelukes, but now under a new regime presenting itself as modern, liberal and civil.
The Egyptians could not accept this and were growing impatient. They decided to complain to their elites, starting with the sheikhs and Al Azhr scholars . Many bloody events ensued, leading to the first revolt by Egyptians against the French, called the “First Cairo Revolution.”