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The Army That Never Says No!
The Egyptian Army during the era of Muhammad Ali Pasha's descendants
The Egyptian Army during the era of Muhammad Ali Pasha's descendants
In 1840, the Egyptian army engaged in a series of wars where the sons of Muhammad Ali Pasha were "favoring" international powers. The great Egyptian army was sent as a supporting force in external conflicts; whether it was an empire facing a revolution, or a border dispute here or there.
For example, in 1854, the Egyptian administration favored the French, Italians, and the Ottoman Empire against Russia in the famous war known as the "Crimean War".
In 1863, Egyptian forces were sent to favor the King of Mexico and the French, with the aim of suppressing a popular revolution that had erupted against the French-backed King of Mexico at the time.
In 1874, there was a major "snag"; 5,000 Egyptian soldiers were sent on two campaigns to Ethiopia. Strangely, these campaigns were led by foreign officers (one Austrian and another American) leading the Egyptian army under the pretext of "disciplining" the King of Ethiopia. Only 300 individuals survived this war and were able to return to Egypt.
Who were we at that time? We were an army composed primarily of sons of peasant farmers who were conscripted "for free" (forced conscription), while the leadership was overwhelmingly Albanian, Turkish, and Circassian, and sometimes professional leaders were brought in from Europe.
As for the objectives, the army carried out whatever Muhammad Ali and his family wanted: