Napoleon In Egypt

Napoleon In Egypt (1798-1799)         In all of history there is only a handful of truly great figures, and none was greater than Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon could arguably be considered one of the greatest rulers that ever lived. There are more books written about Napoleon than any other man it history; but you don't get to be that famous by being just a great general. No, Napoleon was a genius, interested in everything: art, literature, mathematics; but in spite of his fame there's a mystery year in his life that practically no one knows about. It was a year that changed the World.

                Approximately two hundred years ago in Egypt ( a land virtually unknown to Europeans at that time), Napoleon Bonaparte, a twenty-nine year old general, had just amazed the world with his military victories in Italy. He intended to establish his fame and glory by conquering Egypt. Why Egypt? Simply this, France was at war with Britain, and by conquering Egypt Napoleon would block the trade routes to Britain's most valuable possession, India.#

There was another motive as well, Bonaparte was hungry for a new challenge. Europe he wrote, presents no field for glorious exploits; no great empires or revolutions are to be found, but in the east where there are six hundred 2 million men"¦. My glory is declining. This little corner of Europe is too small to supply it. We must go East. All the great men of the world have there acquired their celebrity.# Seeking fame and glory Napoleon would follow in the footsteps of his hero, Alexander the Great. He would sail for Egypt, an exotic land that for centuries had been isolated from the Western world.

                After weeks at sea the French had landed near Alexandria. They had captured the city with little resistance.