EGYPT AFTER T 11 E FALL oF lion E. A ter the fall of the Boman Empim Egypt almost dis appeared from the knowledge of Europe; Inn it occupied an important place in the Mohammne dan world. it was conquered by the .\rabs under Alma, (A.o. 639-41). and in 96!) became the seat of power of the Patimite dynasty, and its capi tal, Cairo, was one of the religious centres of Islam. The Ayubites succeeded the Fatimites, and under Saladin (1171-93) united much of the Mohammedan world under their rule. In the thirteenth century it was politically and com mercially the real heart of Mohammedanism, and the later Crusaders made it their objective point, with the idea of striking at the vital seat of the enemy's strength. Thp Crusaders took Damietta in 1219; but were caught in the Delta on the march to Cairo, and forc141 to cede all their conquests (1220). Damietta was again captured in 1249. by Louis IX. of France; but his army met a similar fate to that of the war riors of the Fifth Crusade. in advancing on Cairo. In the retreat upon Damietta the army was destroyed. and the King was captured and compelled to pay a large ransom, a part of which was the surrender of Damietta. Under the Mameluke sultans (1250-1517), vigorous war riors but poor administrators. the country fell into poverty and anarchy. The Turkish con quest (1517) by Selim I. left the power of the Mameluke chiefs nearly unchanged. In 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt and defeated the Mamelukes near the Pyramids; but the French forces in Egypt were expelled by the Turks, with British help, in 1SO1. In 1811 Mehemet Ali Pasha (q.v.) massacred the Mame lukes, and formed an army which conquered parts of Arabia (1S16) and Nubia (1820-22), but lost many troops in aiding the Porte during the Creek Revolution. Mehemet Ali founded the present ruling dynasty. and established himself as a practically independent ruler. in 1S31 he rebelled, conquered Syria, and developed de signs upon the whole Ottoman Empire; but in 1840 the intervention of Russia. England. Aus tria, and Prussia forced him to evacuate Syria and renew his allegiance to the Porte. He im proved the agriculture and defense of the coun try, but nearly ruined the people by taxes and monopolies. He (lied in 1849, and his successors, his grandson, Abbas Pasha (1849-34). and his son, Said Pasha (1854-63), restored prosperity to the country and began the Suez Canal. Is mail Pasha (1863-79), who first received the title of Khedive or Viceroy from the Porte, pro moted the construction of the Suez Canal by De Lesseps, extended time conquest of the Sudan be gun by 2,1ehemet Ali. but was forced by the Porte several times to reduce his army and nary. Upon his accession the Egyptian debt was $16, 000,100; in 1879 it had risen to $500,000,000, English and French banking houses were largely concerned in the solvency of the Egyptian (boy eminent, and in 1875 the Kin-dive sold his 176, 602 shares in time Suez Canal for 11.00o,000 to England, thus laying the for that country's influence in Egypt. In 1876 the reve nue was Tait under the management of European commissioners: in 1878 the Khedive's private property went to help the payment of the interest on the public debt. His reckless extravagance made the Egyptian Question one of European polities. and it was closely associated with the Eastern Question (q.v.) by the opening of the Suez Canal.
When Ismail. in 1879, dismissed his financial minister, Nuba• Pasha, and refused the payment of interest. the European governments forced his abdication in favor of his son Tewlik (18i9 9?). In ISSO a dual British and French control was established, which caused a nationalist revolt in the following year, headed by Arabi Pasha (q.v.), a colonel in the army. The demands of
the insurgents were that the army should be in creased to its normal strength. that the Prime Minister of the Khedive. Riaz Pasha, should he dismissed, and that a Chamber of Notables, or National Parliament, should lie convened as sume the government of the people as a repre sentative body. Tewtik was alarmed by the pro portions which the revolt had assumed. and a Chamber of Notables was summoned. Nvhich met at Cairo before the end of the year. In 1882 Arabi was taken into the new Cabinet as As sistant Secretary of War. When it was found that France and England, through the Controller General, were inclined to resist all the demands of the Chamber that would limit foreign inter ference in the management of the finances, the resentment of the popular. or national, party rose to fever heat. Sherif Pasha, the new Pre mier. favored the European powers. Ile was therefore forced to resign, and a new iNlinistry was appointed, with INlahmud Sarni and Arabi Pasha at its head. But the Khedive and his Ministry represented such opposite lines of pol icy that it was evident that a rupture between them was inevitable, and in the middle of May the crisis came. The Khedive's action in par doning certain political offenders was violently attacked by time Nationalists. and England and France each sent out a fleet to Alexandria to maintain the authority of the Khedive. and de manded the resignation of the Ministry and the exile of Arabi. The Ministers obeyed. lint a popular outbreak caused the Khedive to rein state Arabi. Ile was now the idol of the army and the populace. who, encouraged by their suc cess, were threatening violence against their for eign oppressors. An ordinary street fight in Alexandria culminated in a general of the native populace against the Europeans. June 11th. Arabi was emnmissioned by the Khedive to restore order; hut his known sympathy with the rioters only increased the panic of time for eign colony, which fled from the city. England and France had vainly urged the Sultan to send troops into Egypt to enforce the authority of the Khedive and to suppress the growing power of who was virtually dictator of the country. As- the French hesitated to act, the English took matters into their own hands. A •UNUS bclli was found in the filet that certain forts in the harbor of Alexandria were being armed by orders of Arabi. The English admiral, Sir Beauchamp Seymour. accordingly homharded the town. On the next day (June 12111) the insurgents evacuated Alexandria, leaving it in flames, and intrenehed themselves at Kati Dowa•, about 12 miles distant. The Khedive sought refuge with the English fleet. Ile was birmally deposed by the Nationalists, who organized a Provisional Government at Cairo. and intrusted the dcft•itsc of the country to Arabi. :Meanwhile the Emdisit. after an inefieethal siege of some weeks, abandoned the attack on Kali Dowar, and an Anglo-Indian ;t•my of 10,000 men was sent across the Isthmus of Suez, under command of Sir Garnet Wolseley. They landed at Ismailia and all\ a 1Well to Tel el-Keldr, where a large army of insurgents had thrown up intreneh ments. These were stormed September 130. A forced mareh was then made on Cairo, was reached by nightfall. Arabi at once sur rendered, the National army was disbanded, and the Kla-dive was restored to his authority. Arabi was senteneed to death. but the sentence was commuted to exile on the island of Ceylon.