1798, Europe had seen Napoleon conquer Italy, but now he turned his gaze farther to the land of pyramids, pharaohs, and forgotten empires. Egypt, at the crossroads of Africa and Asia, had been ruled for centuries by the Ottomans and guarded by the fierce Mamluks.
Why Egypt? Because controlling it meant controlling trade to the East, and because... well, even a conqueror dreams of standing in the shadows of giants.
Napoleon wasn’t just bringing soldiers. He brought with him over 150 scholars, scientists, artists, and engineers, creating what he called the Commission of Sciences and Arts. This wasn’t only a military conquest. It was a mission of discovery.
Clash on the Sands
The French landed at Alexandria, a once-great port now worn by time and sea spray. From there, they marched inland, where they met the Mamluk cavalry at the Battle of the Pyramids.
Picture it: The Nile glimmering in the heat, the towering pyramids rising in the distance, and in the foreground, lines of disciplined French infantry forming deadly squares against waves of charging Mamluks.
"Soldiers," Napoleon told his men, "from the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries look down upon you."
Victory was swift and brutal. The Mamluks broke, and Cairo fell into French hands. For a brief moment, Napoleon ruled Egypt like a modern-day pharaoh.
A Discovery Hidden in Stone
But amid the battles and politics, something remarkable happened. In 1799, while French soldiers were strengthening a fort near the town of Rosetta (modern-day Rashid), they uncovered a strange black stone.
It was carved with writing in three scripts:
- Ancient Greek,
- Demotic (a common Egyptian script),
- and Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The stone was handed over to the scholars Napoleon had brought with him. They immediately realized its importance. If these texts all said the same thing in three languages, it could be the key to unlocking the lost language of Ancient Egypt.
This slab would be known as the Rosetta Stone and though the British would later capture it and display it in the British Museum, its discovery was the direct result of Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. The world’s understanding of Egypt changed forever.
Trouble on the Horizon
But glory never lasts. Back at sea, the British Royal Navy, led by Admiral Horatio Nelson, shattered the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile. Napoleon and his army were now stranded, cut off from Europe. In Cairo, revolts simmered. The Ottoman Empire, seeing an opportunity, prepared to strike back. Even within Napoleon’s ranks, disease, heat, and exhaustion drained morale. Egypt, once seen as a jewel for the taking, was proving to be a desert mirage.
The Quiet Escape
Sensing the sands shifting against him, Napoleon did something unexpected: He left.
Secretly boarding a ship, he slipped away from Egypt, leaving his army behind. Some called it betrayal. Others called it strategy. Either way, he returned to France where the government was collapsing and his next opportunity awaited.
From Pharaoh to Powerbroker
The Egyptian dream faded in the desert, but the lessons stayed with him. Napoleon had tasted both triumph and failure. He had conquered cities, inspired scholars, and uncovered pieces of ancient history. But in France, an even bigger stage was waiting.
Next Time: Napoleon Bonaparte Part Four | The Crown and the Crossroads
Back in Paris, Napoleon seizes power with a stroke of genius. In a world trembling between monarchy and republic, he crowns himself emperor and dares Europe to stop him.