Book Review - Napoleon in Egypt

Napoleon in Egypt, by Paul Strathern

I finished this book today and enjoyed it greatly. Obviously, the book focuses on Napoleon's invasion and occupation of Egypt in 1798. This is not a period of history about which I knew much and I found this well-researched book quite interesting.

Strathern discusses all aspects of the venture, including the scientific accomplishments. But the focus of the book is clearly on Napoleon and the what, how and why of the invasion. He makes a very good case that Napoleon was intent on following in the footsteps of Alexander the Great and establishing an empire based in Egpyt founded on French culture and science. The large number of "savants" he recruited for the mission is just one piece of evidence supporting this idea.

Strathern discusses the major military engagements as well as the political maneuvering between and among France, England, Austria, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and other states.

My favorite chapters were 18 & 19 which document the pursuit of Murad Bey, one of the previous Mameluke rulers, south along the Nile into Upper Egypt by Napoleon's general, Desaix . This was country through which few, if any, Europeans had traveled and the ancient temples and other ruins they passed were unknown to European historians. The artist, Donon, accompanied the soldiers on this campaign, and the hundreds of sketches he brought back were instrumental in sparking European interest in ancient Egypt and establishing modern Egyptology.

Ultimately, the French were expelled from Egypt by the combined forces of Britain and the Ottomans. Napoleon abandoned his army and returned to Franch before this, however, in 1799, after a failed invasion of Palestine.

The parallels between Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and the US war in Iraq are many, though by no means perfect. This gives the book a lot of contemporary interest beyond the history.

Strathern notes that, "between 1o,000 and 15,000 Frenchmen were probably killed or died of disease during the occupation of Egypt, as well as many times that number of Muslim warriors and Mamelukes -- all in the vain attempt to impose European civilization upon a backward people whose religion encouraged them to regard all change and all foreigners with the deepest suspicion." Regardless of how accurate that assessment is, the book still documents a very good historic example of the limits of military power.