-
Period: to
Age of Imperialism: Egypt
-
Muhammad Ali Seizes Power
The process of Muhammad Ali's seizure of power in Egypt was a long three-way civil war between the Ottoman Turks, Egyptian Mamluks who had ruled Egypt for centuries, and Albanian mercenaries in the service of the Ottomans. In 1805, a group of prominent Egyptians led by the ulema demanded the replacement of Wāli (governor) Ahmad Khurshid Pasha by Muhammad Ali, and the Ottomans yielded. By appearing as the champion of the people, he was able to anticipate popular opposition until he had power. -
Muhammad Ali Dies & New Reign Begins
Muhammad Ali died at Ras el-Tin Palace in Alexandria on 2 August 1849, and ultimately was buried in the imposing mosque he had commissioned in the Cairo Citadel. By the time he was deceased he had accomplished many things. He invaded the Sudan and Syria, created an educational system, nationalized all farm land, reformed and expanded the army, and introduced new crops and technology. Sa'id, took over his rule when he passed away. He made sure Egypt was peaceful and well off for 3 years. -
Ferdinand de Lesseps helps build Suez Canal
Sa'id gave the French allowance to build the canal in order to boost the economy and sold the Egyptian business for the canal. They offered peasant farmers to move for free, work on canal for free. Egypt got 45% ownership and the other 55% went to a French company which also stated they had no voting rights for decisions. De Lesseps had a disagreement with France and immediately returned to Egypt, where he was given a warm welcome and, soon afterwards, permission to begin work on the Suez Canal. -
Ground Broken for Suez Canal
At Port Said, Egypt, ground is broken for the Suez Canal, an artificial waterway intended to stretch 101 miles across the isthmus of Suez and connect the Mediterranean and the Red seas. Construction began in April 1859, and at first digging was done by hand with picks and shovels wielded by forced laborers. Later, European workers with dredgers and steam shovels arrived. Labor disputes and a cholera epidemic slowed construction, and the Suez Canal was not completed until 1869–four years behind. -
Suez Canal Opens
On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was officially inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony attended by French Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. Ferdinand de Lesseps would later attempt, unsuccessfully, to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. He died in 1894. When it opened, the Suez Canal was only 25 feet deep, 72 feet wide at the bottom, and 200 to 300 feet wide at the surface. Consequently, fewer than 500 ships navigated it in its first full year of operation. -
British Gain Control of Suez Canal & Egypt invades Ethiopia
In 1875, Great Britain became the largest shareholder in the Suez Canal Company when it bought up the stock of the new Ottoman governor of Egypt. British troops moved in to protect the canal from a civil war that was happening in Egypt. At that point, the British government owned part of the canal because the ruler of Egypt sold it to Britain when Egypt needed money. The Ethio-Egyptian War was a war between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt from 1874 to 1876, Ethiopian victory. -
Ismail's Government
After the death of Said, Ismail was proclaimed Khedive on January 19, 1863, though the Ottoman Empire and the other Great Powers recognized him only as Wāli. Ismail's government asked for British financial advisors. Disraeli sent Stephen Case to take a look at Egypt's economic system. He stated that Egypt's economy was mostly stable but needed extra European help. The governments of France and Britain sent people to monitor Egyptian finances. -
Anglo-French Joint Note
This was signed by France and Britain to try and strengthen Tewfik. By signing this, they pledged to support Tewfik against anyone who disturbed the peace. This act backfired on them. The Egyptians saw it as a signal that the Europeans were going to invade them to protect Tewfik. On June 11, Egyptians rioted in Alexandria and killed aroung 50 Europeans. In response, on Jult 11, Britain bombarded Alexandria. Arabi's army then cut off Alexandria's water supplies. -
Revolts
Arabi Pasha formed a revolt from the Egyptian army. Riots also started against the Europeans in Egypts. The French didn't want to participate in the bombardment of Alexandria because of political problems. The Arabists were defeated at Tel el-Kabir and Cairo was taken over the day after. -
Martial Law introduced in Egypt
Martial law is the imposition of the highest-ranking military officer as the military governor or as the head of the government, thus removing all power from the previous executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.[1] It is usually imposed temporarily when the government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively (e.g., maintain order and security, or provide essential services).
