MEHEMET ALI, mfithe-m(st 1849). Viceroy of Egypt. Ile was horn in 1769 at Kavala, a little town in Macedonia. Left an orphan, he was taken into the service of a captain of the .Janizaries. Ile learned much of military matters and of intrigue, made a rich marriage in 1787, and was thus able to obtain a commission as an officer in the irregular troops of the Sultan. Through relations which lie formed with a Marseilles merchant lie amassed wealth in trade, He received a command in Egypt to cooperate with time British against the French invaders, and at length became com mander of the Albanian or Arnaut Corps. In 1805 he was recognized by the. Porte as Viceroy of Egypt and Pasha of Three Tails. but was soon involved in disputes with the Alamelukes (q.v.), who had long practically ruled E* pt. The struggle was finally terminated in 1811 by the massacre of the greater number of these at Cairo. The rest lied to Upper Egypt, hut were expelled by Mehemet in the following year. They then took refuge in Nubia. but in 1820 he fol lowed them there and completely vanquished them. From 1811 to ISIS he carried on war against the Wall :Ibis in Arabia, who were sub jugated by his adopted sun, Ibrahim Pasha. Shortly after he conquered Kordofan. added it to his dominions. and opened a great trade in slaves from the interior of Africa. About this time he began to reorganize his army on something like European principles, built a fleet, and erected fortresses, military shop-works, and arsenals. lle
sent a strong force to assist the Sultan in sup pressing the Greek revolt in 1824, hut his new fleet was destroyed at Navarino in 1827. In 1830 the Porte conferred on him the Govs•rnWient of Crete, but this did not satisfy his ambition. Ile determined to times Syria to his dominions, and in 1831 despatched an army under Ihraliiin l'aslm, who overran the country, defeating the Turks at Boras, slul•, 1832, and by his victory at Konich (December 20. 1832) brought the Turkish Government to the brink of ruin. Rus sia now stepped in, and a treaty was concluded (May 4, 1833) by which Syria was handed over to Mehemet. Neither of the belligerents was satisfied, and _Mehemet continued to plot till Sul tan Malimnd II. declared war in 1839 against his dangerous subject. At Nisib, June 24, 1839. the Turkish army was eructed by the forces of Mehemet Ali, but the European powers again in terfered, and Mehemet was compelled to give up Syria and Crete and to content himself with the hereditary yiee-royalty of Egypt ( 1S41 ). lieniet was at once a remorseless tyrant and an able, progressive administrator, and did much to develop Egypt. lie cleared his dominions of rob hers, osc•ented great public works, and may be said almost to have introduced the cultivation of cotton. indigo, and sugar into the country. Ile also established a system of national education in Egypt. He died August 2, 1849. See EGYPT.