Muhammad Ali Seizes Egypt

1805

An Albanian officer of the Ottoman army named Muhammad Ali outmaneuvered pashas, Mamluks, and a mob of Cairo ulema to have himself proclaimed wali of Egypt. The Porte ratified what Cairo had already decided. He would rule for forty-three years and drag Egypt, violently, into the modern age. His dynasty lasted until 1952, when Nasser's Free Officers overthrew his great-great-grandson and declared a republic.