Napoleon In Egypt: The Greatest Glory
£3.90
Delusions of Grandeur - A belief that one is Napoleon is a common cypher for madness. But such delusions of grandeur are not confined to comic references to asylums inmates, Old Boney himself had visions of being the next Alexander the Great. Unlike most lunatics, however, when thwarted in his designs for an Oriental empire, he settled for being the next Julius Caesar with a European empire instead. He was an extraordinary man without a doubt. One fascinating aspect of his expedition to Egypt in 1798 was the presence of 167 savants, learned men in every walk of science and the arts, including the great mathematician Fourier, who accompanied the general and his army. Napoleon had recently been made a member of the Institute of France, and regarded this honour more highly than his military rank. Once ensconced in Cairo he formed an Institute of Egypt, and the work of this body formed the basis of modern Egypotology, tetraology and other important strands of learning. However, despite Napoleon s ardent attempts to appear to be the friend of Islam, the occupation suffered a fundamental failure to understand the country he was trying to civilise, the first attempt in modern times by a western power to occupy a Middle Eastern country holds parallels for the latest efforts to import western political systems. `The very core of what the French thought they were bringing to the Egyptians ... was not only incomprehensible but offensive to the people they were addressing. This was a situation which the French, in their turn, would soon begin to find incomprehensible and offensive. Unfortunately the military descriptions are badly let down by the author s continuous reference to `rifles , something the French army of the period did not have. Muskets absolutely were not rifles, nor were ramrods designed to clean them, such fundamental errors should not have been allowed to pass in what is otherwise a very entertaining and well written book. Ultimately the expedition was a failure long before Napoleon s decision to return to France, but Nelson s victory and the brilliance of Sir Sidney Smith helped thwart his initial scheme, and as he was taken aboard Bellerophon for his final journey to St Helena in 1815, he exclaimed: `But for you English, I would have been Emperor of the East.
A great history book - I would recommend this book to anyone intereseted in the history of the Napoleonic wars in general and/or Napoleon in general. It is a great read.Starthern has written a very readable and enjoyable study of Napoleon s campaign in Egypt covering in detail (with maps) the various battles of this amazing episode, including Nelson s Battle of the Nile, and the Battle of the Pyramids, the characters involved, the Generals, the Beys and Mamelukes, the Savants and the experiences of the French soldiers. I felt it read like good historical novel in places and being a big fan of historic fiction (books like the Sharpe series) this added to my enjoyment. Read this book!
Must Read for Napoleon Fans - A must read for any fans of Napoleon or the period. Napoleon in Egypt is scholarly, insightful and also good fun. The resonance of Napoleon invading Egypt - and today s incursions into the East - make Napoleon In Egypt all the more readable and rewarding.