Does anyone know anything about the 'Egyptian question'?

I was doing some reading for uni coursework about the causes of the 1848 revolutions in Germany and I came across this:
Liberal interest in the unification of Germany was quickened and deepened by the events of 1840. This was the year of the War Scare on the Rhine, a crisis which evoked an upsurge of national feeling comparable in intensity to that of 1813. France was out-manouvered by Britain over the Egyptian question in the summer of 1840. The French, irritated by their isolation in the Near East, sought to retrieve their prestige by pursuing an active foreign policy in Europe. Thiers, the new foreign minister, rattled the French sabre while the Paris press denounced the treaties of 1815 and called with enthusiasm for the immediate reconquest of the Rhineland which had been an integral part of France from 1792 to 1814. After the 1830 Revolution liberals in South and West Germany had been filled with admiration for France; overnight these friendly sentiments waned and were replaced by a mood of sharp hostility...

I thought that this might make a good PoD, as by butterflying away the war scare by preventing France from being 'out-manouvered' by Britain in Egypt in 1840 it would keep Francophile liberalism going in the South Germany, preventing liberalism and nationalism from merging and possibly leading to a separate South German state based on this Francophile liberalism. Unfortunately I can't seem to find much out about the 'Egyptian question' and thus how possible this would be. Can anybody help shed some light on this? Thanks.
 
I was doing some reading for uni coursework about the causes of the 1848 revolutions in Germany and I came across this:

I thought that this might make a good PoD, as by butterflying away the war scare by preventing France from being 'out-manouvered' by Britain in Egypt in 1840 it would keep Francophile liberalism going in the South Germany, preventing liberalism and nationalism from merging and possibly leading to a separate South German state based on this Francophile liberalism. Unfortunately I can't seem to find much out about the 'Egyptian question' and thus how possible this would be. Can anybody help shed some light on this? Thanks.
TBH, I can't tell if you know what the Egyptian question is so long story short: When Muhammad Ali almost ended up conquering the Ottomans, they were saved by Britain and France. That began the period of British and French intervention in Egypt. The Egyptian question was which country would end up influencing it most. Britain wanted it because they saw it as a lifeline that kept India theirs, France wanted it because it was their outlet to the Indian Ocean, which they did not have in Africa. It was also bound up in whether Egypt would become independent. I wonder if it's possible for Ibrahim to simply conquer Istanbul. He wanted it, but Ali was too concerned over the Europeans (and Ali was proved right).
 
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Thanks for the reply. Basically what I'm trying to do is find a way of preventing the war scare.

From Wikipedia:
When Mahmud II ordered his forces to advance on the Syrian frontier, Ibrahim attacked and destroyed them at the Battle of Nezib (24 June 1839) near Urfa. In an echo of the Battle of Konya, Istanbul was again left vulnerable to Ali's forces. A further blow to the Ottomans was the defection of their fleet to Muhammad Ali.[32] Mahmud II died almost immediately after the battle took place and was succeeded by sixteen-year-old Abdülmecid. At this point, Ali and Ibrahim began to argue about which course to follow; Ibrahim favored conquering the Ottoman capital and demanding the imperial seat while Muhammad Ali was inclined simply to demand numerous concessions of territory and political autonomy for himself and his family.

At this point the European powers again intervened (see Oriental Crisis of 1840). On 15 July 1840, the British Government, which had colluded with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Prussia, and Russia to sign the Convention of London, offered Muhammad Ali hereditary rule of Egypt as part of the Ottoman Empire if he withdrew from the Syrian hinterland and the coastal regions of Mount Lebanon. Muhammad Ali hesitated, believing he had support from France. His hesitation proved costly; when French support failed to materialize, British naval forces moved against Syria, and Alexandria.[34] In the face of European military might, Muhammad Ali acquiesced.
Why did Ali think the French would support him? and why didn't they?
 
Does anyone know anything about the Egyptian question

With a POD in 1744 what is the largest reasonable population for New France to have by the OTL start of the 7 Years War? I found the population was about 60 000 OTL, but its hard to get anything reliable. Any ideas?
 
Why did Ali think the French would support him? and why didn't they?

Because relations between the two countries had been quite cordial, and the July Monarchy seems to have favored Muhammad Ali over the Ottomans. Yet when Egypt began to act so aggressively and went to war with the Turks, invoking the concern of the Great Powers, France was forced to decrease her commitments to the Egyptian Governor. She simply didn't want to go to war with Britain over the issue of Egypt.
 
With a POD in 1744 what is the largest reasonable population for New France to have by the OTL start of the 7 Years War? I found the population was about 60 000 OTL, but its hard to get anything reliable. Any ideas?
I know you're new here , but stop highjacking threads with your own PODs. You can start your own thread. Just click the new thread button at the top of the page.
 
There would probably need to be a POD earlier than this for things to play out differently. If the British hadn't intervened, the Russians would have been called in (Russia had a treaty obligation to defend the empire at this time [!]), and that is something that the British would never stand by for.

The Wikipedia article on this subject is terrible. Try the 1911 Britannica:

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Mehemet_Ali

It's a little jumbled, but it's more accurate and informative.
 
Thanks for the link. In the article it mentions that the Sultan considered coming to terms with Ali in 1832 or '33 (it doesn't say exactly when) so that he could deal with unrest in Albania and Bosnia and the revolt in the Greek Islands. How would the European powers react if the Sultan did make peace with Ali? It would obviously be a massive blow to the Empire's prestige but it would mean the Ottomans would be able to focus more on the west, perhaps strengthening it (but maybe not if Greece was already lost?) If the Empire is weakened, it could give Russia more leverage over the Porte due to the Ottomans' indebtedness to the Russians which would obviously upset the balance of power and cause the Europeans to intervene. Am I on the right track? Any other thoughts?
 
Thanks for the link. In the article it mentions that the Sultan considered coming to terms with Ali in 1832 or '33 (it doesn't say exactly when) so that he could deal with unrest in Albania and Bosnia and the revolt in the Greek Islands. How would the European powers react if the Sultan did make peace with Ali? It would obviously be a massive blow to the Empire's prestige but it would mean the Ottomans would be able to focus more on the west, perhaps strengthening it (but maybe not if Greece was already lost?) If the Empire is weakened, it could give Russia more leverage over the Porte due to the Ottomans' indebtedness to the Russians which would obviously upset the balance of power and cause the Europeans to intervene. Am I on the right track? Any other thoughts?

The Sultan did make peace with Mehmed Ali - at the cost of forming an alliance with Russia. And the Ottomans did concentrate on reforming and centralizing, to great effect. Making peace with Mehmed Ali and relying on a Russian rescue was certainly a blow to the prestige of the empire, but it was more or less unavoidable - Mahmud had to reform the military, and that meant the Janissaries had to be destroyed, and that left the empire militarily vulnerable for a time. By the late 1840s Egypt was no longer a military threat as the army had been rebuilt.
 
OK, I'll admit this is a cop-out but can anyone come up with a PoD after 1815 that avoids the war scare in the OP?

Ali goes on a charm crusade, playing nice to the great powers of the time, and the Sultan gets worried that Ali will be supported in establishing hereditary rule for his line in both Egypt and Syria.

Ottomans start the war, and push through Syria. Britain signs off on limited French intervention to avoid outright Ottoman conquest. Stalemate line east of present-day Egyptian border, with Egyptian control of the isthmus.

Stalemate more the result of French restraint in exceeding their own objectives than a lack of ability to break the Ottoman defence.

As per the agreement preceeding intervention, Britain and France establish joint control over the isthmus, eventually leading to the construction of the suez canal.

End result - the French get distracted for a few years. There might be less tension in southern Germany in the early to middle 40's. Does this really affect the drive for German unification? I don't know.
 
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