Long before Napoleon, French monarchs plotted to conquer Egypt for centuries.
In short: Dr. Philip Mansel details the French presence in Egypt from the era of Louis XIV to the Bourbon Restoration. This lecture explores how spies, merchants, and scholars established a deep familiarity with the region long before the famous 1798 expedition.
While Napoleon Bonaparte's 1798 expedition is often cited as the start of French interest in Egypt, the region was already a focus for the French monarchy. Louis XIV commissioned spies and officers to map Alexandria, anticipating a potential collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Similar conquest plans persisted under Louis XVI. This geopolitical interest coexisted with a long-standing alliance between France and the Ottoman Empire, which allowed French consuls and travellers to operate within Egypt.
Figures like consul M. de Maillet, who published a detailed account of Egypt in 1735, and travellers like Paul Lucas and Louis Francois Casas, helped bring Egyptian antiquities to the French public. Later, Louis XVIII supported Jean-François Champollion’s work on the Rosetta Stone, and Charles X established the Musée Charles X within the Louvre to house Egyptian collections.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Spotlight Lecture: Consuls, Travellers, Spies
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