In July 1798 Napoleon invaded Egypt, landing an army in the stifling
heat of a North African summer. His invasion came as a shock to the
Egyptians but also as a surprise to the soldiers onboard his armada, for
they had not been briefed on a mission designed to win glory for their
general and, or so it appeared, untold riches for their government. For
these soldiers who followed in Napoleon's wake, the campaign which
followed promised neither fame nor wealth. What it did offer was forced
marches, endless battles against fearsome warriors and the occupation of
a land which mesmerised and repelled them in equal measure. Thousands of
Frenchmen were to die in battle and as many again from disease ‒
including the plague. Somehow, Napoleon managed to parley this costly
adventure into a triumph and soon he would become emperor. Though the
butcher's bill was high, the campaign did shake the Ottoman Empire and
began Europe's love affair with Egypt. Jonathan North presents an
astonishing history of Napoleon's early 'bartering of lives for glory'
based on the words of the soldiers and the many scholars and artists who
took part in this exotic campaign.
