or an enemy, and the Directors knew better than to acquire another one, even the relatively weak Ottoman empire. Bonaparte did not actually want to invade Egypt because it was well away from the Mediterranean expansion he wanted. The Directors wanted an invasion. A cross channel invasion was too hazardous, so expansion was couched in terms the Directors wanted but not with the hazards an invasion involved. Egypt was chosen both because of its proximity to India and because the Ottomans were having trouble with the Mamluk vassals there; France could be seen as helping the Ottomans. Meanwhile Napoleon was not really planning an invasion but hoped to divert British weaponry to that area so that his European battles could be more easily won. Napoleon and other Frenchmen also thought that the Ottomans would appreciate having a friendlier France rule Egypt than the rebellious Mamluks (Yapp 50).
France was wrong on both assumptions. India was important to Britain, but not as much as every Frenchman believed. Second, the Ottoman Empire was so incensed at the invasion as to declare war on France, despising the explanations they offered. Both the importance of Egypt to the Ottomans and the effect France's invasion had on the Ottoman Empire are indicated by one fact: the Ottoman Empire signed a military treaty with Russia to join forces to defeat them. Russia and the Ottoman Empire had always been enemies because of their proximity, and previous treaties were only drafted to halt the otherwise constant state of war that existed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Russia's only desire was for Black Sea access and the right to champion the cause of Christians in the Ottoman Empire (Yapp 47). The treaty with Russia was the first change in Ottoman operations deriving from that invasion. Even though that treaty soon fell apart, it had the effect of defeating France and sending Napoleon back to France without his army. Meanwhile, there were R...