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Why did Napoleon Bonaparte send a French expedition to Egypt in 1798?
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Horatio Nelson
Lord Nelson, detail of an oil painting by J.F. Rigaud; in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Eng.
Napoleon Bonaparte initiated the 1798 expedition to Egypt primarily to undermine British global power. After abandoning plans for a direct invasion of Great Britain, Napoleon and the French Directory sought to disrupt British trade routes in the Levant and threaten British control over India.21
By establishing a presence in Egypt, the French aimed to constrict Britain's economic interests and challenge its strategic position in the region. This expedition ultimately led to a decisive confrontation with the British fleet under Horatio Nelson, who successfully tracked the French forces and destroyed their fleet at the Battle of the Nile, effectively isolating Napoleonās army and securing British dominance in the Mediterranean.12