Mehmed Ali From Ottoman Governor to Ruler of Egypt

by Fahmy, Khaled

• ISBN13: 9781851685707
• ISBN10: 1851685707
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-01
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Summary

Mehmed Ali (c. 1770 - 1849), often dubbed the founder of modern Egypt, was one of the most important figures in the history of the Ottoman Empire. Born in what is now Greece, and seemingly headed for obscurity, he joined the Ottoman army at the age of thirty, and later became the ruler of Egypt for half a century. Fahmy assesses the infamous leader's life, and his contribution to Egyptian, and more broadly, Islamic history.

Author Biography

Khaled Fahmy is Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at New York University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Macedonian Origins	p. 1
Birth	p. 2
Childhood and adolescence	p. 4
Marriage	p. 7
The Egyptian Quagmire	p. 10
Husrev Pasha: the beginning of a lifelong enmity	p. 12
The eviction of the Mamluks from Cairo	p. 21
Sending Husrev packing	p. 22
Consolidation of Power	p. 27
The elimination of local rivals	p. 29
The Mamluk massacre	p. 34
Entrenchment	p. 39
Building an alternative power base	p. 40
An economic policy takes shape	p. 42
The Hijaz campaign	p. 44
Absolute power	p. 49
Tightening the screw	p. 50
Investing in infrastructure	p. 51
Lingering anxieties	p. 52
Commercial successes	p. 54
"The old spider in his den"	p. 57
Expanding Horizons	p. 61
A fortuitous year	p. 62
The Greek war	p. 68
The involvement of the European powers	p. 70
Husrev's reappearance	p. 71
The "Auspicious Event"	p. 72
Disaster at Navarino	p. 73
Preparation for the next round	p. 75
The Final Showdown	p. 79
The Benefactor	p. 79
Nagging worries	p. 81
The invasion of Syria	p. 82
Crossing the Rubicon	p. 84
Reorganization and retrenchment	p. 87
The second Syrian crisis	p. 90
Seeking hereditary rule	p. 91
Jubilation	p. 97
Triumph	p. 99
The Pasha and his elite: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?	p. 100
Mehmed Ali and the Egyptians	p. 104
The Pasha's last years	p. 108
The Pasha's Multiple Legacies	p. 112
What went wrong?	p. 119
Bibliography	p. 128
Index	p. 133
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