Just Finished Reading: Napoleon in Egypt by Paul Strathern (FP: 2007) [427pp] 

It was a dream he had held dear since youth – to be a modern Alexander. But to do so would demand daring, dash and that admirable quality – luck. In 1798 the still young Napoleon Bonaparte had his chance. The Directory, the cabal who ruled revolutionary France, had agreed to his idea to invade Egypt and thereby threaten England’s prized possession – India. Sailing with 335 ships and 40,000 men (the largest long-distance seaborne force the world had ever seen at that time) he managed to avoid contact with the Royal Navy – by luck as much as anything else – the French army landed near Alexandria largely unopposed. This did not last long and all too soon the casualties mounted.  

The invasion was, in many ways, a strange one. Although Egypt was of strategic importance for both the British and the French, it was nominally at least part of Ottoman territory. The complicating factor was that the Ottoman Empire was an ALLY of France! Napoleon hoped that a diplomatic shuffle could smooth the way and prevent any unfortunate repercussions. He was wrong. Although the Turks took their own time about things they did not fail to take umbrage at being attacked in such an unprovoked manner. So much so that they (at least temporarily) allied with both Britain and Russia – their long-term natural enemy – to assist them in evicting the French. This was helped a great deal by the arrival of the Royal Navy and the consequent Battle of the Nile where the French fleet was effectively destroyed in harbour by the brilliant Nelson making him a very rich man and eventually propelling him to the Lords. Now trapped and in danger of being overwhelmed by the combined forces ranged against him, Napoleon needed all of his tactical and strategic brilliance to keep Egypt under French control. This he managed but at huge cost. Seeing which way things were moving and worried about the changing strategic developments in Europe, Napoleon finally agreed to return to France to both save the Republic and secure his place in history. The rest, as they say, is History. 

I knew something of Napoleon’s adventurous foray into the Middle East from previous reading as well as some knowledge of the famous Battle of the Nile, but I had no real idea of the detail. That gap in my knowledge is certainly much narrower now! This was a quite excellent history of a Napoleonic campaign that is often overlooked and all too often forgotten about. Surprisingly, Bonaparte made a number of fundamental errors during this campaign (although he proved his military genius more than once in compensation) making unfounded assumptions – in particular regarding Turkey/Ottoman reaction to his invasion – and singularly failed to appreciate the culture of the Egyptians and how they would react to Western modern ideas crashing into and clashing with their own. It was definitely a learning experience for him as well as an insight into the man himself and the depth of his ambition (essentially boundless). Another highlight of the year and a must read for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Age. I’m already looking forward to reading his previous work on The Medici (which I already own!).  

[Highest page count of the year so far: 427pp][+16pp]