page_title: French campaign in Egypt and Syria
section_title: Timeline and battles
hierarchical_section_title: French campaign in Egypt and Syria / Timeline and battles
context_page_description: The French campaign in Egypt and Syria was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, seek further direct alliances with Tipu Sultan, weaken Britain's access to India, and to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the primary purpose of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, a series of naval engagements that included the capture of Malta. The campaign ended in defeat for Napoleon, and the withdrawal of French troops from the region.
  On the scientific front, the expedition eventually led to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, creating the field of Egyptology. Despite early victories and an initially successful expedition into Syria, Napoleon and his Armée d'Orient were eventually defeated and forced to withdraw, especially after suffering the defeat of the supporting French fleet at the Battle of the Nile.
context_section_description: 1798
  19 May (30 Floréal year VI) – Departure from Toulon
  11 June (23 Prairial year VI) – Capture of Malta
  1 July (13 Messidor year VI) – Landing at Alexandria
  13 July – Battle of Shubra Khit, French victory
  21 July (3 Thermidor year VI) – Battle of the Pyramids, French land victory
  1 and 2 August (14–15 Thermidor year VI) – Battle of the Nile, British naval victory over French squadron anchored in Aboukir Bay
  10 August – Battle at Salheyeh, French victory
  7 October – Battle of Sédiman, French victory
  21 October (30 Vendémiaire) – Cairo Revolt
  1799
  11–19 February – Siege of El Arish, French victory
  7 March – Siege of Jaffa, French victory
  8 April – Battle at Nazareth, French victory, Junot with 500 defeats 3000 Ottoman soldiers
  11 April – Battle of Cana, French victory, Napoleon wins a great battle against Ottomans
  16 April (27 Germinal year VII) – Bonaparte relieves the troops under Kléber just as the latter are about to be overwhelmed at the foot of Mount Tabor
  20 May (1 Prairial an VII) – Siege of Acre, French troops retire after eight assaults
  1 August (14 Thermidor year VII) – Battle of Abukir, French victory
  23 August (6 Fructidor year VII) – Bonaparte embarks on the frigate Muiron and abandons command to Kléber
  1800
  24 January (4 Pluviôse year VIII) – Kléber concludes the Convention of El Arish with the British admiral Sidney Smith
  February (Pluviôse-Ventôse year VIII) – French troops begin their withdrawal, but the British admiral Keith refuses to recognize the convention's terms.
  20 March (29 Ventôse year VIII) – Battle of Heliopolis, Kléber wins one last victory, against a force of 30,000 Ottomans
  14 June (25 Prairial year VIII) – A Kurd named Suleiman al-Halabi assassinates Kléber in his garden in Cairo. General Menou, a convert to Islam, takes over command
  3 September (16 Fructidor year VIII) – The British recapture Malta from the French
  1801
  8 March (17 Ventôse year IX) – British landing near Aboukir
  21 March (30 Ventôse year IX) – Battle of Alexandria, French defeat, army under Menou digs in at Alexandria ready for the siege of Alexandria
  31 March (10 Germinal year IX) – Ottoman army arrives at El-Arich
  19 April (29 Germinal year IX)– British and Ottoman forces capture Fort Julien at Rosetta after a four-day bombardment, opening the Nile.
  27 June (8 Messidor year IX) – General Belliard surrenders in Cairo
  31 August (13 Fructidor year IX) – Siege of Alexandria ends in Menou's surrender
caption: General Murat at the battle of Abukir (July 1799), where thousands of Ottoman soldiers drowned in the Nile
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