Difference between revisions of "Battle of the Pyramids" - New World Encyclopedia
(Submitted) |
|||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
− | {{Claimed}}{{Contracted}} | + | {{Claimed}}{{Contracted}}{{Submitted}} |
{{Infobox Military Conflict | {{Infobox Military Conflict | ||
|conflict=Battle of the Pyramids | |conflict=Battle of the Pyramids | ||
Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
[[Image:Francois-Louis-Joseph Watteau 001.jpg|thumb|left|''Battle of the Pyramids'', [[Francois-Louis-Joseph Watteau]], 1798-1799.]] | [[Image:Francois-Louis-Joseph Watteau 001.jpg|thumb|left|''Battle of the Pyramids'', [[Francois-Louis-Joseph Watteau]], 1798-1799.]] | ||
− | The '''Battle of the Pyramids''' was a battle fought on | + | The '''Battle of the Pyramids''' was a battle fought on July 21, 1798 between the [[France|French]] army in [[Egypt]] under [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon Bonaparte]] and local [[Mamluk]] forces. It was the battle where [[Napoleon I of France|Bonaparte]] put into use one of his significant contributions to [[Military tactic|tactics]], the massive divisional square. Although the French only occupied Egypt for three years, they left a lasting cultural and social and polical impact that contunues until today. Egypt would later adopt the Napoleonic Code. The invasion saw the birth of Egyptology as a field of study in Europe and also created enduring links between Egypt and Europe. |
==Napoleon's Ibvasion of Egypt== | ==Napoleon's Ibvasion of Egypt== | ||
Line 41: | Line 41: | ||
Kleber's immediate thought was to try withdraw his troops. To faciliate this he negotiated a treaty with the Britsh but when the senior British Admiral refused to honor the terms of the treaty, which permitted an honorable withdrawal, | Kleber's immediate thought was to try withdraw his troops. To faciliate this he negotiated a treaty with the Britsh but when the senior British Admiral refused to honor the terms of the treaty, which permitted an honorable withdrawal, | ||
− | + | In this capacity, seeing no hope of bringing his army back to France or of consolidating his conquests, he negotiated the convention of El-Arish (24 January 1800) with Admiral Smith, winning the right to an honorable evacuation of the French army. Kléber then had little choice but to engage with the Egyptian forces, who were marching on his camp. The battle took place at Heliopolis on March 20th 1800. Despite the fact that the French were overwhelmingly outnumbered by 10,000 to 60,000 men, they won the battle and thus also retook Cairo. Kléber not survive long, being assassinated by a Syrian student June 14th 1800. His successor, General Monou, continued to command a segment of French occupied territory in Egypt as a civil war waged around them in which British, Ottoman and Egyptian forces were all involved. The result of the war was the emergence of [[Muhammad Ali Pasha the Great]] as ruler of Egypt. In August, 1801 having suffered heavy losses, Minou surrendered. The remaining French soldiers were sent back to France in British ships. A great deal of ancient Egyptian artifacts and treasure accompanied them. | |
+ | |||
==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
− | The face of Cairo changed as a result of the three years of French presence: "After the three years that he spent in Cairo, the city would never again be the same Oriental town that it had been. The French left a legacy that is written all over the European parts of Cairo. Their tastes were mainly of a French middle class influence." <ref> Tour Egypt Net, [http://www.touregypt.net/hfrench.htm French Occupation Period] retrieved 19-03-2007. | + | The face of Cairo changed as a result of the three years of French presence: "After the three years that he spent in Cairo, the city would never again be the same Oriental town that it had been. The French left a legacy that is written all over the European parts of Cairo. Their tastes were mainly of a French middle class influence." <ref> Tour Egypt Net, [http://www.touregypt.net/hfrench.htm French Occupation Period] retrieved 19-03-2007.</ref> The real winners, says Rosensweig |
+ | were the scholars, who opened Europe's eyes to the splendout that was Egypt's heritage; "Astounded by the depth of Egypt's previously unknown splendours, they opened the eyes of France and the West to the mysteries of that country. So enchanted were the French by their role in the 'conquest' of Egypt, as Napoleon succeeded in convincing them, that for a century French art and culture would continue to glorify it." <ref>Rosensweig, Brahm "Napoleon in Egypt", The Discovery Channel [http://www.exn.ca/napoleon/egypt.cfm Napoleon in Egypt] retrieved 19-03-2007</ref>. Egyptians may have caught a taste of freedom from awareness of the revolutionary, egalitarian spirit of France on the one hand, on the other, Egypt became a theater for European imperial ambition. Effectively, Egypt became a British possession from 1883 until 1956. | ||
+ | <ref>British Occupation Period, Tour Egypt [http://www.touregypt.net/hbritish.htm British Occupation Period] retreived 19-03-2007</ref>. Napoleon had wanted to free Egypt from [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman rule]] and under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Pasha, they effectively did achieve autonomy, if not full independence. | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*[[Napoleon I of France#The Egyptian expedition of 1798–99|The Egyptian expedition of 1798–1799]] | *[[Napoleon I of France#The Egyptian expedition of 1798–99|The Egyptian expedition of 1798–1799]] | ||
− | + | ==Notes== | |
+ | <references/> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Line 63: | Line 67: | ||
*[http://www.exn.ca/napoleon/egypt.cfm Napoleon in Egypt] at the Discovery Channel, retrieved 19-03-2007 | *[http://www.exn.ca/napoleon/egypt.cfm Napoleon in Egypt] at the Discovery Channel, retrieved 19-03-2007 | ||
− | *[http://www.touregypt.net/hfrench.htm French Occupation Period] retrieved 19-03-2007 | + | *[http://www.touregypt.net/hfrench.htm French Occupation Period] retrieved 19-03-2007 Official site of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism |
*[http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/battles/c_egypt.html Napoleon in Egypt, or Egomaniac on the Loose] retrieved 19-03-2007 | *[http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/battles/c_egypt.html Napoleon in Egypt, or Egomaniac on the Loose] retrieved 19-03-2007 | ||
Revision as of 20:21, 19 March 2007
Battle of the Pyramids | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||
Battle of the Pyramids by Wojciech Kossak | |||||||
| |||||||
Combatants | |||||||
France | Mamluks | ||||||
Commanders | |||||||
Napoleon Bonaparte | Murad Bey, Ibrahim Bey | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
25,000 men | 50,000-75,000 men | ||||||
Casualties | |||||||
300 dead | 4000-6000 dead or wounded |
The Battle of the Pyramids was a battle fought on July 21, 1798 between the French army in Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte and local Mamluk forces. It was the battle where Bonaparte put into use one of his significant contributions to tactics, the massive divisional square. Although the French only occupied Egypt for three years, they left a lasting cultural and social and polical impact that contunues until today. Egypt would later adopt the Napoleonic Code. The invasion saw the birth of Egyptology as a field of study in Europe and also created enduring links between Egypt and Europe.
Napoleon's Ibvasion of Egypt
Napoleon's invasion of Egypt was almost certainly intended to be a stepping stone for further imperial expansion in the East, perhaps with the intent of equalling the achievements of Alecander the Great. Exactly why Napoleon invaded Egypt, however, has been subject to speculation with his own account suggesting that it was for the glory:
- If, when we conclude peace with England, we give up the Cape of Good Hope, we should take Egypt ... [turning to address the navy] without you we could only carry the glory of the French name to a small port of the Continent; with you, we shall cross the seas and out national glory shall be witnessed by the most distant shores (Johnston: 69).
When Napoleon left France for Egypt in July 1798, too, he did not only take his 38 soldiers but scholars and botanists and cartographers. Although Napoleon did not succeed in colonizing Egypt his scholars and short-lived administration there nonetheless profoundly changed the course of Egyptian history and also introduced Egypt to Europe, where Egyptology quickly became a popular subject. His team wrote a 22 volume work, the Descriptions de L'Egypte, and took the Rosetta Stone with its Greek and Egyptian script back to France. This would enable scholars to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. Egypt also turned to Europe. Some eminent Egyptians would study in or visit France, such as the reformer Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905) who lived there from 1884-1888, co-publsihing a newspaper with Jamal-Ud-Din Afghani [1838-1897]. In 1875, when Egypt adopted a modern legal system it would base it on the Napoleonic Code. Many middle and upper class Egyptians still speak French as a second language.
The Battle of The Pyramid
In July of 1798, having landed in Egypt, Napoleon was marching from Alexandria toward Cairo having invaded and captured the former. He met two forces of the ruling Mamluks 15 kilometers from the Pyramids, and only 4 miles from Cairo. The Mamluke forces were commanded by Murad Bey and Ibrahim Bey and had a powerful and highly developed cavalry.
Napoleon realized that the only Egyptian troops of any worth on the battlefield were the cavalry. He had little cavalry of his own and was outnumbered by a factor of two or three to one. He was therefore forced to go on the defensive, and organized his army into hollow "squares" with artillery, cavalry and baggage at the center of each square, and so dispersed sustained charges of Mameluke cavalry with supporting artillery fire. He then stormed the Egyptian camp in the village of Embebeh, routing the disorganized Egyptian infantry and scattering their army.
The battle won Cairo and Lower Egypt for France. When news of the defeat of their legendary cavalry reached Cairo, the Mamluk army dispersed to Syria to reorganize there. The Battle also signalled the final chapter of 700 years of Mamluk rule in Egypt. Despite this auspicious beginning, Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's victory in the Battle of the Nile ten days later ended Bonaparte's hopes for a glorious conquest of the Middle East. Britain saw Egypt as vital to her own interests further East, and would not tolerate a French imperial presence there. This would damge their trade in the region and threaten their hold on India and safe passage to and from that colony.
The Fate of the French in Egypt
Napoleon, with a small contingent, sailed from Egypt August 23, 1799, following his first land defeat at leaving Jean Baptiste Kléber (1753 – 1800) behind to deal with the situation. napoleon's team of intellectuals established the Institut de l'Egypte in Cairo, which housed 35 scholars divided into departments for industry, science and mathematics, health, art and literature. Kleber's immediate thought was to try withdraw his troops. To faciliate this he negotiated a treaty with the Britsh but when the senior British Admiral refused to honor the terms of the treaty, which permitted an honorable withdrawal,
In this capacity, seeing no hope of bringing his army back to France or of consolidating his conquests, he negotiated the convention of El-Arish (24 January 1800) with Admiral Smith, winning the right to an honorable evacuation of the French army. Kléber then had little choice but to engage with the Egyptian forces, who were marching on his camp. The battle took place at Heliopolis on March 20th 1800. Despite the fact that the French were overwhelmingly outnumbered by 10,000 to 60,000 men, they won the battle and thus also retook Cairo. Kléber not survive long, being assassinated by a Syrian student June 14th 1800. His successor, General Monou, continued to command a segment of French occupied territory in Egypt as a civil war waged around them in which British, Ottoman and Egyptian forces were all involved. The result of the war was the emergence of Muhammad Ali Pasha the Great as ruler of Egypt. In August, 1801 having suffered heavy losses, Minou surrendered. The remaining French soldiers were sent back to France in British ships. A great deal of ancient Egyptian artifacts and treasure accompanied them.
Legacy
The face of Cairo changed as a result of the three years of French presence: "After the three years that he spent in Cairo, the city would never again be the same Oriental town that it had been. The French left a legacy that is written all over the European parts of Cairo. Their tastes were mainly of a French middle class influence." [1] The real winners, says Rosensweig were the scholars, who opened Europe's eyes to the splendout that was Egypt's heritage; "Astounded by the depth of Egypt's previously unknown splendours, they opened the eyes of France and the West to the mysteries of that country. So enchanted were the French by their role in the 'conquest' of Egypt, as Napoleon succeeded in convincing them, that for a century French art and culture would continue to glorify it." [2]. Egyptians may have caught a taste of freedom from awareness of the revolutionary, egalitarian spirit of France on the one hand, on the other, Egypt became a theater for European imperial ambition. Effectively, Egypt became a British possession from 1883 until 1956. [3]. Napoleon had wanted to free Egypt from Ottoman rule and under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Pasha, they effectively did achieve autonomy, if not full independence.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Tour Egypt Net, French Occupation Period retrieved 19-03-2007.
- ↑ Rosensweig, Brahm "Napoleon in Egypt", The Discovery Channel Napoleon in Egypt retrieved 19-03-2007
- ↑ British Occupation Period, Tour Egypt British Occupation Period retreived 19-03-2007
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Bierman, Irene A Napoleon in Egypt, Reading, UK \: Ithaca Press \; Los Angeles \: Gustave E. von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies, 2003 ISBN 9780863722998
- Jabartī, ʻAbd al-Raḥmān, Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, and Edward W. Said. Napoleon in Egypt: Al-Jabartî's chronicle of the first seven months of the French occupation, 1798. Princeton: M. Wiener, 1993 ISBN 9781558760691
- Johnston, R. M (ed) The Corsican: A Diary Of Napoleon's Life In His Own Words, Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2004 ISBN 978-1417915361
- Lloyd, Christopher The Nile Campaign: Nelson and Napoleon in Egypt, Newton Abbot: David and Charles; New York: Barnes and Noble, 1973 ISBN 9780715354490
- Strathern, Paul Napoleon in Egypt: a clash of cultures, London: Jonathan Cape, 2007 ISBN 9780224076814
External Links
- Napoleon in Egypt at the Discovery Channel, retrieved 19-03-2007
- French Occupation Period retrieved 19-03-2007 Official site of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism
- Napoleon in Egypt, or Egomaniac on the Loose retrieved 19-03-2007
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.