Cavalier N°8

At this time, Egypt was a province of the Ottoman Empire, but Napoleon viewed invading Egypt as a way to threaten British dominance in the Mediterranean Sea and threaten the British position in India, and to gain prestige for revolutionary arms.

Napoleon raised a large army including scientists and cultural experts, and sailed from Toulon on May 19.
Stopping to capture Malta on June 12, he landed near Alexandria on July 2 and took the city.
Napoleon's army proceeded to march against the Mameluke armies in Cairo, and met them at the Battle of the Pyramids on July 21.

Facing a huge army, Napoleon organized his army into squares and used his artillery to disperse the Mameluke attacks. The Mameluke army retreated into Syria, leaving Napoleon dominant in Egypt.