Subject: A Better Egypt (Thanks Napoleon) Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 07:21:04 +0000 (UTC) From: randy@euclid.nmu.edu (Randy Appleton) Organization: Northern Michigan University Newsgroups: soc.history.what-if May 1798: Napoleon sails from Toulon to invade Egypt, which is held by the Ottomans. Bonaparte had discounted the feasibility of an invasion of England but hoped, by occupying Egypt, to damage British trade, to threaten India, and to obtain assets for bargaining in any future peace settlement. Meanwhile, as a colony under the benevolent and progressive administration of Revolutionary France, Egypt would be regenerated and regain its ancient prosperity. Just like our TL, Napoleon realizes he's cut off by the British fleet from European France. Just like our TL, he hopes to ally with the local population. But in this TL, he does a much better job. He doesn't introduce any of the administrative revolutions that antaganizes the people. He doesn't over-tax the Egytpians, and above all he doesn't fire artillery into Cairo crowds!!! March 1799: Napoleon lays seige to Acre. Acre is the obvious route by which the Ottomans can take back Egypt. In this TL, Napoleon succeeds. With the city and it's fortifications held by French troups, and with Napoleon thought by Arabs to be as a better govenor of Arabs than the Ottomans, the Ottomans are going to have a harder time taking Egypt back. August 22, 1799: Napoleon goes back to France. Jean Baptist Kleber is his general in chief in Egypt. Being surrounded by Egyptians, and feeling quite "left behind" as it were, he does his best to ingratiate himself with the Egyptians. Of necessity he must tax them, but Jean keeps this to reasonable levels supplmenting his needs with loans. Jean also starts up small-arms manufacturing just so his troups would have some guns to fight. June 14, 1800: Jean is killed by a Syrian gunman. He is succeeded by Abd Allah Jacques Menou, a French officer (and former nobleman) who had turned Muslim. The Cairo populus greets the anouncement with loud chears. Egypt is ruled by a Muslem living in Egypt. It's been a while. March 1801: The British don't land troops to take Egypt back. Instead, the concentrate on other fronts saying "Let the frongs stay where they are, when the main front is decided, we'll deal with them then". However, the Ottomans do attack. June 1801: The Seige of Acre is won by the Ottomans. Ottoman forces march further south, leading to the Battle of Suez. The Ottomans were led by Muhammad Bey al-Bardisi. The Ottomans were at the end of a long logistics chain. Their tactics were frontal attacks against the hasty fortifications built by Menou's combined French/Egyptian forces. Despite outnumbering the French/Egyptians, the Ottomans were unable to make progress. After the third futile charge against the French/Egyptians, the Ottoman general al-Bardisi signales a withdraw. A unit on the northern flank misreads the signal as retreat (smoke from the battle obscured the signal) and all of a sudden the Ottomans were in headlong flight. Menue made his move, and the French/Egyptians came out of the trenches slaughtering Ottomans as they charged forward. By the end of the day, Menou ruled all he saw. August 1801: The last of the Ottoman prisoners were released to Ottoman care as per the peace treaty between the Menou and the Ottoman Sultan Selim III. In a serious bit of double-crossing, Menou has abandoned Napoleon. He releases all claims against Syria (which he no longer holds) and releases all Ottoman prisoners to fight for the Ottomans in some other theatre of war. All French flags come down, and the flag of the Ottoman Empire goes up. In return the Ottomans agree to appoint him Viceroy of Egypt in the name of the great Ottoman Empire. Selim III feels good about this move. Egypt is a backwater. The real fight is in Europe, and he needs no diversions from the important events of Europe. Selim III plans on a return of his attention to Egypt, but not yet. All of this was engineered by the local British Admiral on the scene. He signed the secret Treaty of Acre pledging the British Empire to help the Ottoman's restore order and the rightful rule of law to Egypt, this to happen as soon as Napoleon has been defeated. May 12, 1807: Selim III dies. Mahmud II takes over. Mahmud II has serious problems. He no longer controls any of North Africa, even though he's the sovereign of all of it. Mahmud waits for the Napoleonic wars to end. Taking Egypt (with British help) is the cornerstone of restoring his rule over North Africa. April 6, 1814: Napoleon abdicates! The War is over! May 3, 1814: The Ottoman Empire invokes the Treaty of Acre. However, the British Empire is having nothing to do with it. A war-weary Prime Minister says "I'm sorry our local officer on the scene over-extended his authority, but there is no way I can get a war passed though Parliment so soon after all the losses we have sustained". Is this interesting? Anyone reading this? Suggestions? -Randy -- ======================================================================== || Randy Appleton, Professor of Computer Science at Northern Michigan || || University. And a big fan of Linux! || ================= mailto:randy@euclid.nmu.edu ========================== Subject: Re: A Better Egypt (Thanks Napoleon) Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 14:42:21 -0400 From: Randy McDonald Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Newsgroups: soc.history.what-if References: 1 Randy Appleton wrote: > > [deletia of TL] > > May 12, 1807: Selim III dies. Mahmud II takes over. Mahmud II > has serious problems. He no longer controls any of North Africa, > even though he's the sovereign of all of it. Mahmud waits for > the Napoleonic wars to end. Taking Egypt (with British help) is > the cornerstone of restoring his rule over North Africa. > > April 6, 1814: Napoleon abdicates! The War is over! > > May 3, 1814: The Ottoman Empire invokes the Treaty of Acre. > However, the British Empire is having nothing to do with it. > A war-weary Prime Minister says "I'm sorry our local officer > on the scene over-extended his authority, but there is no way > I can get a war passed though Parliment so soon after all the > losses we have sustained". > > Is this interesting? Anyone reading this? Suggestions? To be honest, I'm not sure how exactly this will make Egypt more powerful in the long run. Indeed, with a French-born head of state Egypt might do a bit worse -- it will be viewed by the British as a French satellite of sorts, and the Egyptian population will probably be somewhat less content with a French ruler born Christian than with an Albanian leader born Muslim. That's my opinion, though. Anyone else? > -Randy > > -- > ======================================================================== > || Randy Appleton, Professor of Computer Science at Northern Michigan || > || University. And a big fan of Linux! || > ================= mailto:randy@euclid.nmu.edu ========================== _________________ Randy McDonald mcdonald@isn.net rmcdonald@upei.ca _________________ Subject: Re: A Better Egypt (Thanks Napoleon) Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 19:19:15 GMT From: Stephen Lazer Organization: @Home Network Member Newsgroups: soc.history.what-if References: 1 ::snip:: > Is this interesting? Anyone reading this? Suggestions? Very good. Basically, I see the new Sultan doing his damndest to get it back. How war-weary was Russia after the war? I can see (maybe) Russia taking the opportunity and ganging up on the OE with Egypt. Otherwise, eventually Egypt will be reconquered. -- Now if a man tried to take his time on Earth and proved before he died what one man's life could be worth, I wonder what would happen to this world - Harry Chapin ecky ecky ecky ecky pi'kang zoop boing - Monty Python