Reddit
reddit.com › r/history › what happened to napoleon's troops in egypt?
r/history on Reddit: What happened to Napoleon's Troops in Egypt?
December 8, 2020 -
I remember learning in class once about the time that Napoleon sent a large number of soldiers to attempt to take over Egypt. I also learned that he later abandoned the expedition when things started to take a turn for the worse. Other than that, I heard nothing of it in class. What was the fate of the remaining French soldiers in Egypt?
Top answer 1 of 5
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Napoleon abandoned them. The army was defeated by a coalition of British and local troops. They surrendered to the British who took the officers as prisoners and repatriated the soldiers to France.
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I don't exactly know what happened to the troops but he also had many scholars, architects and scientists along with him to survey Egypt and they ended up setting up schools and what not after the defeat to the British. The British let the French hold on to all they had found while excavating various sites, which was awfully decent of us lol. Not exactly a very good answer but I got that info from The Great Courses lecture series by Bob Brier, absolutely fantastic and I'd urge you to check them out on audible.
Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign was a Disaster (full video link in comment) Nov 28, 2023
r/Napoleon 2y ago
After Napoleon’s fleet was destroyed in the Battle of the Nile, how did Napoleon get back to France? May 9, 2023
r/AskHistory 3y ago
Age of Revolution
ageofrevolution.waterlooassociation.org.uk › home › napoleon’s departure from egypt, 23rd march 1799
Napoleon’s Departure from Egypt, 23rd March 1799 - Age of Revolution
June 5, 2018 - When the Ottomans decided that the French presence in Egypt could not be tolerated, Napoleon extended his military activities into Syria, successfully taking Jaffa in March 1799 but failing at Acre after a siege that lasted two months and saw British involvement in the form of a naval flotilla under the command of Sir Sidney Smith.
Why did Napoleon abandon his army in Egypt and return to France?
Napoleon claimed to have abandoned his army in Egypt because his talents were needed in Europe, where France was fighting the War of the Second Coalition; however, he may have also been disavowing the Egyptian campaign which had become unsuccessful.
worldhistory.org
worldhistory.org › home › early modern period › africa › napoleon's campaign in egypt and syria
Napoleon's Campaign in Egypt and Syria - World History Encyclopedia
What happened in Napoleon's Egypt campaign?
Napoleon's Egypt campaign was initially successful, as he won the Battle of the Pyramids and captured Cairo. But French defeats at the Battle of the Nile and the Siege of Acre caused the campaign to end in failure, as Napoleon abandoned his army in Alexandria and returned to Europe.
worldhistory.org
worldhistory.org › home › early modern period › africa › napoleon's campaign in egypt and syria
Napoleon's Campaign in Egypt and Syria - World History Encyclopedia
Why did Napoleon lead a campaign into Egypt?
Napoleon led a campaign into Egypt to establish a French colony there, which would allow France to threaten British trade in the Mediterranean and India. Napoleon was also motivated by a desire to follow in the footsteps of his hero Alexander the Great and carve out an empire in the Middle East and Asia.
worldhistory.org
worldhistory.org › home › early modern period › africa › napoleon's campaign in egypt and syria
Napoleon's Campaign in Egypt and Syria - World History Encyclopedia
Reddit
reddit.com › r/napoleon › napoleon abandoning his troops in egypt - what about his (future) generals? or rather, his staff
r/Napoleon on Reddit: Napoleon abandoning his troops in Egypt - What about his (future) Generals? Or rather, his Staff
January 8, 2024 -
Before I even ask my Question: I'm not talking about people like Dumat or Kléber
I'm talking about people like Berthier, Desaix, Murat, Marmont, Lannes, Davout, etc.
Were they even Generals at that time?
Did they get to leave with Napoleon?
Did it affect their "relationship" to him?
These Questions have gotten into my head mainly because i was reminded by EpicHistoryTV that Davout was in egypt. And i was wondering, who else (apart from the people i mentioned) of Napoleons future companions were in Egypt and what was their view of it?
I think we can all agree that Napoleon straight up abandoned his army with that doomed campaign. Wouldnt that have been a problem for some of his officers/generals? (again, not talking about Dumat or Kléber, who obviously and rightfully hated Napoleon for it)
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Well Berthier, Murat, Lannes, and Marmont all went with Napoleon when he fled Egypt (and Dumas had left previously), so the only officer of note who remained was Kleber, and he obviously wasn't happy about it. The troops were very angry as well, to the point of revolt, but Kleber soothed them by claiming that Napoleon's absence was only temporary and that he would return after settling matters in France, which obviously never happened. Kleber won a few victories against the Mamluks after Napoleon left, and after his assassination in 1800 command passed to Menou, veteran of the Vendee, who surrendered to the British in Alexandria in 1801, which is how the Rosetta Stone ended up in the British Museum instead of the Louvre.
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Berthier, Desaix, Murat, Marmont, Lannes were all generals when Napoleon left Egypt. IIRC Desaix was supposed to return to France with Napoleon but was delayed, only coming back shortly before his death at Marengo, Davout returned with him. Berthier wrote a summary of the Egyptian and Syrian campaigns during the trip back from Egypt, it can be accessed in French for free online if you’d like, although obviously a summary of the campaign written by Napoleon’s chief of staff will be somewhat biased. Berthier admired Napoleon a lot, and was willing to overlook many of his flaws, at least up until ~1810 when their relationship started to worsen. Even then, Berthier’s reaction to Napoleon leaving the army in Russia seems (at least from what I’ve seen) to be a lot more “hey can you take me with you” than “hey don’t just leave”, so I doubt that Napoleon’s choice to leave Egypt in 1799 would’ve changed Berthier’s impression of him much. I don’t know enough about the others to say how much their impression of Bonaparte was affected by his choice to abandon the army in Egypt, but even if they disliked it I assume Napoleon’s political influence would’ve been an incentive to not be too vocal about it.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/napoleon › why did napoleon abandon his army in egypt?
r/Napoleon on Reddit: Why did Napoleon abandon his army in Egypt?
November 28, 2025 -
Was it really a no win situation? And did he know of the French military failures in 1799?
Top answer 1 of 12
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His supply line had been destroyed. He abandoned them for selfish abd personal reasons. No morale excuse can justify it. In this day and age he would have been arrested upon his arrival to France
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A newspaper reached him (dropped by the British to affect the morale of the French). The report basically said that all the fronts were collapsing and all his gains in Italy had been reversed. You can argue where his duty lay (France or his army), but if you reckon yourself the best general in your country (which he was) it's hard to blame him for wanting to get back to Europe ASAP.
World History Encyclopedia
worldhistory.org › home › early modern period › africa › napoleon's campaign in egypt and syria
Napoleon's Campaign in Egypt and Syria - World History Encyclopedia
April 27, 2023 - 23 Aug 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte leaves Egypt for France, abandoning his army in Alexandria.
Quora
quora.com › Why-did-Napoleon-Bonaparte-leave-his-soldiers-in-Egypt
Why did Napoleon Bonaparte leave his soldiers in Egypt? - Quora
Answer (1 of 13): Napoleon was one to think that France needed him, hence his quote that would be said later on, “France needs me more than I need France.” Naturally, he saw that after he rebuilt his reputation after the French defeat in the Battle of the Nile, he realized that France was ...
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › French_invasion_of_Egypt_and_Syria
French invasion of Egypt and Syria - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - The campaign aimed to undermine ... in Egypt. Napoleon also sought to sever Britain's connection to its colonial holdings in India, with the long-term ambition of challenging British dominance in the region. Departing from Toulon in May 1798, Napoleon’s fleet, comprising around 36,000 troops, landed in ...
EBSCO
ebsco.com › research-starters › history › napoleons-egyptian-campaign
Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign | History | Research Starters | EBSCO Research
Ultimately, recognizing the untenable situation, Napoleon abandoned his troops in 1799 and returned to France, leaving General Jean Kléber to manage the remaining forces. The expedition ended in 1801 with the surrender of French troops to the ...
Quora
quora.com › Why-did-Napoleon-abandon-his-soldiers-in-Egypt-and-how-did-his-leaders-react
Why did Napoleon abandon his soldiers in Egypt and how did his leaders react? - Quora
Answer (1 of 5): Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed the French Fleet at anchor in Egypt at the Battle of the Nile. It was a total wipe-out of anchored ships by an entire line of Royal Navy ships under Nelson’s command. The French were not expecting attack from the water between their ships ...
Missed History
missedhistory.com › missed history › military history › napoleon's forgotten desert campaign in egypt
Napoleon's Forgotten Desert Campaign in Egypt | Missed History
June 7, 2026 - In 1799, Napoleon secretly abandoned 40,000 troops in the Egyptian desert.
History Snacks
historysnacks.io › event › ADka3MCq › napoleon-bonaparte-left-egypt-to-return-to-france-abandoning-his-army-this
Napoleon Leaves Egypt, and His Army Behind (1799)
Secret Departure: Napoleon’s departure from Egypt was conducted in secrecy. He left behind a significant portion of his army under the command of General Jean-Baptiste Kléber, who was tasked with maintaining French control in Egypt. Napoleon’s decision was controversial, as it left his troops in a vulnerable position.
Regency History
regencyhistory.net › blog › napoleons-invasion-of-egypt-eyewitness
Book review: Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt - Regency History
August 9, 2024 - Napoleon and his army arrived in July 1798 and the survivors left three years later, in 1801. Bonaparte himself effectively abandoned his troops in late 1800, sailing back to France, somehow evading the British Royal Navy.
War History Network
warhistorynetwork.com › groups › early-modern-and-napoleonic-warfare › forum › topics › napoleon-s-taking-leave-of-the-french-in-egypt-abandonment-or-jus
Napoleon's Taking Leave of the French in Egypt: Abandonment or Justified? - EARLY MODERN AND NAPOLEONIC WARFARE: 1500-1815 - War History Network
January 26, 2025 - This, combined with voluminous amounts of self-confidence, led Napoleon in his decision to return to the European mainland and therefore, leave his force in Egypt. This was justified for several important reasons.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/askhistorians › what happened to the some 30,000 french soldiers that napoleon left behind in egypt?
r/AskHistorians on Reddit: What happened to the some 30,000 French soldiers that Napoleon left behind in Egypt?
October 31, 2023 -
I watched a PBS documentary that said after the French fleet had been destroyed the French army was stranded in Egypt for almost two years. Then Napoleon found some ship and sailed back secretly to France without his men.
What happened to those men?
Top answer 1 of 2
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Indeed, what remained of the French army was stranded for two years in Egypt after the hasty departure of Bonaparte in August 1799, who had decided that he had better things to do in France. Bonaparte named the faithful general Jean-Baptiste Kléber as his successor in Egypt, vaguely promising him reinforcements. He told him that keeping Egypt was of the utmost importance, while hinting that he should negotiate with the Ottoman Empire if defending Egypt proved impossible. French soldiers were indignant when they learned of Bonaparte's departure, but they trusted Kléber. In October 1799, there were 22000 French soldiers still in Egypt, but 6000 were no longer able to fight due to sickness and wounds. The French still held the most important cities, from Aswan in the South, Alexandria and Cairo in the North, and Arich in the Sinai, but the army was in a pitiful state and Kléber knew that he faced a coalition of British and Ottoman forces. French troops repelled an Ottoman landing force in Damietta in November 1799, but lost Arich in December. Negotiations were opened with the Ottomans, and a convention of armistice was signed on 24 January 1800, according to which the French had three months to leave Egypt. The French army evacuated Upper Egypt and some cities in Lower Egypt. A few units and their officers left Alexandria and returned to France, including general Desaix. In March 1800, Kléber learned that the British, who had not signed the armistice, considered that the French army should be made prisoners. For Kléber, this made the convention of armistice void, and the war resumed. On 20 March, French troops defeated the approaching Ottoman army in the Battle of Heliopolis , near Cairo. The Turks retreated to Gaza but about 6000 men reached Cairo. The population of Cairo, with the help of the Turks and Bedouins, rose up against the French. It took a month for Kléber to retake the city from the insurgents in bloody street battles that caused numerous casualties in the population. The inhabitants of Cairo were forced to pay an indemnity of 10 million francs, half of it in kind. The French also repelled a small British landing in Suez. The situation calmed down, and the French believed that they would be able to hold Egypt. In June 1800, Kléber was assassinated by a Syrian student, possibly manipulated by the Turks. Kléber was replaced by general Jacques-François de Menou, called Abdallah-Jacques Menou after his conversion to Islam. Menou was much less appreciated by his troops than Kléber, and his military skills were hardly notable. Naming his son Souleyman, which was also the name of Kléber's assassin, did not endear him to his men... Yet the French "colony" of Egypt, more or less pacified, continued to exist. A flotilla sent by Bonaparte in January 1801 failed to reach Egypt due to the British blocus of the shores. In March 1801, a British fleet commanded by Admiral Keith anchored at Abukir. Its expeditionary force disembarked, and, thanks in part to Menou's poor tactical choices, British forces and their allies forced the French to retreat to Alexandria. While Menou was under siege in that city, general Belliard found himself also under siege in Cairo, towards which converged British and Ottoman troops. In addition, Cairo suffered from a plague epidemic... Belliard surrendered on 27 June. In Alexandria, Menou refused to capitulate. The French held the starving city for two other months, but surrendered on 30 August. Bonaparte's Campaign of Egypt was over. Later treaties confirmed the restitution of Egypt to the Ottoman Empire. In the months following the capitulations in Cairo and Alexandria, about 23000 people were repatriated to France on British and Russian ships. They usually landed in Marseilles, where they were quarantined due to the plague. This number included French troops, but also French and European civilians, women and children, and native people, notably Copts and Mameluks, who were fearing retaliation for their collaboration with the French despite promises that they would not be harmed if they stayed in Egypt. The fate of the repatriated soldiers was diverse. Some left the army for good, due to the toll taken on their health by the hardships they suffered in Egypt and Syria. Others remained in service and kept fighting in the Napoleonic wars. This was also the case for some Mameluks, who were faithful to Bonaparte and were integrated in the French army. About 400 French officers who had fought in Egypt were still in the Imperial army in 1814, often in high position due to their veteran status. Mameluks, Copts and their families, or "Egyptian refugees" as they were called, settled in Marseilles, where they formed a small community. Some later returned to Egypt, and some moved to other regions of France, notably to Paris, but this is another story (see Coller, 2010). Sources Boudon, Jacques-Olivier. La campagne d’Égypte. Belin, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3917/bel.boudo.2018.01 . Coller, Ian. Arab France: Islam and the Making of Modern Europe, 1798-1831. University of California Press, 2011.
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Quora
quora.com › What-happened-to-the-soldiers-Napoleon-left-in-Egypt
What happened to the soldiers Napoleon left in Egypt? - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): The troops Bonaparte left behind were supposed to be honorably evacuated under the terms of the Convention of El Arish Kléber had negotiated with Smith and the Ottoman commander Kör Yusuf in early 1800, but Britain refused to sign and Kör Yusuf sent an amphibious assault ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/askhistorians › what happened to the army napoleon left in egypt ?
r/AskHistorians on Reddit: What happened to the Army Napoleon left in Egypt ?
October 4, 2012 - It's worth mentioning that the commanders of the Ottoman portion of that joint force were two cousins, the junior being Muhammad Ali al Masud ibn Agha, who in turn went on to transform Egypt--in part by approaching the French for technical assistance and adapting key reforms of the Imperial period in an effort to modernize Egypt's economy and military (though not really its society). So that's one thing Napoleon also "left" in Egypt, at least in part: a lasting link between Egypt and France.
History Skills
historyskills.com › classroom › modern history
Napoleon's catastrophic invasion of Egypt: What went wrong? - History Skills
The mounting casualties, coupled with the growing threat of a British-Ottoman counteroffensive, forced Napoleon to abandon his broader ambitions in Syria and retreat back to Egypt.
Quora
quora.com › What-happened-to-Napoleons-army-in-Egypt-when-he-left-in-1799
What happened to Napoleon's army in Egypt when he left in 1799? - Quora
Answer (1 of 12): Following Napoleon’s return to France, his army continued operations in Egypt under General Kléber. Kléber eventually reached terms with British Admiral Sidney Smith which would allow the French forces to be evacuated back to France with all the honours of war, that is ...
Napoleon Series
napoleon-series.org › military-info › battles › c_egypt.html
Napoleon in Egypt, or Egomaniac on the Loose
One army would be transported by sea with the assistance of the Royal Navy, while another would approach Egypt by way of Damascus and the Sinai. Napoleon being who he was, during January he planned and readied his men for a preemptive strike into Syria. His goals were to leave 10,000 troops in control of Egypt, and take the rest into Palestine, seize the fortress city of Acre, defeat the Damascus army, and then hurry back in time to face the sea-borne force.
War History Online
warhistoryonline.com › home › disaster in the desert: napoleon’s egyptian campaign
Disaster In The Desert: Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign | War History Online
December 20, 2017 - Napoleon consolidated his reputation through propaganda, but he escaped the physical effects far more directly. He left Egypt onboard a boat with a few of his closest companions, dodged the British Navy, and returned to France.