The Napoleonic Expedition to Egypt: The Path to Conquest and Glory – Part I
At the end of the 18th century, Great Britain and France were vying to dominate one another by colonizing several territories across the globe. The English were already ahead in this race – but only just. Egypt was a highly-valued land, insofar as its potential to fill the coffers of the French Republic was concerned. In addition, it was strategically located on the trade route to another vital destination, India. The young and ambitious general, Napoleon Bonaparte, decided to go on the offensive and annex Egypt, thereby, attacking the heart of British commerce. With the help of his ally, Tipu Sultan, he planned to overthrow the English in India as well.
The Emperor Napoleon in his study at the Tuileries by Jacques-Louis David (1812). National Gallery of Art. (Public Domain)
Napoleon, the Man of the Hour
In 1798 the British were locked in a fierce war with the French Republic. Both sides displayed deathly determination to not cede an inch to the other. A few years earlier, in 1792, France was in strife because of the bloody French Revolutionary Wars that pitted the French Revolutionary Army against a Coalition of Austria, Russia, Piedmont-Sardinia, and several Italian states. Northern Italy was the main stage of these conflicts that culminated in 1802.
