Islamic Napoleon?

I had a strange idea of Napoleon somehow ending up in North Africa (as a young man, its too late by the time of his campaign in Egypt), converting to Islam, speaking Arabic and forging a great Islamic Empire there. Any ideas on how that could happen? All I got is what his dynasty's name could be, based on Bonaparte, probably something like Bunaparzid or Bulnaparzid.
 
Somehow I get the impression that Islam will become Napoleonicism long before the reverse happens ;)
 
Actually, Bonaparte had a rather good opinion of Islam. However, he did not think that it was a religion at all.

He saw the Quran as a very effective code of laws, and when he was in the region, he saw it as a means to keep the peace.
 
Actually, Bonaparte had a rather good opinion of Islam. However, he did not think that it was a religion at all.

He saw the Quran as a very effective code of laws, and when he was in the region, he saw it as a means to keep the peace.


Yeah, but, I think you nailed it on the head when you say it was seen as a very effective code of laws. I have my doubts that Bonney would "convert" - especially given the period in France at the time.
 
My first thought when reading the title was: "Hm, during the first century after Mohammed, Islam already had its Napoleonic time. Just much longer, and, you know, without the defeat at the end."
 
In north Africa there is: Morocco and the Barbary states. Neither of which is up to building a massive empire.

Would a white, formerly Catholic European be accepted in Egypt? And would he be given a position of power with which to lead?

I just can't see this happening.
 
If you sent him to the Ottoman Empire as an adviser (which at one point he requested), then you could see Nappy train Ottoman troops. I'm not thinking big, Napoleon led campaigns which massively enlarge the Ottoman Empire, but rather French-trained, Napoleon led Ottoman troops who the Sultan can use to crush the Janissaries. If you can do that, while the European powers are fixated on the French Revolutionary Wars, then the Ottomans will be in much better shape coming into the 19th century.

This would end up creating some small, but very interesting ripples that could lead to a much better run Ottoman Empire that is much more capable of both modernizing and fending off European imperialists. The first thought I had is that with this new French-trained army the Ottomans could re-establish control over Egypt.

So the Ottomans get a new generation of officers, who are trained by Napoleon and cut their teeth on military campaigns with him, first in Constantinople as they toppled the corrupt Janissaries, then in Egypt, where they re-established the power of the Sultan. This would be a forward looking, modern corps of officers (the Young Ottomans come early as it were). Maybe Muhammad Ali (of Egypt) ends up as one of these officers, and pursues an Empire-wide modernization program.

The link with France that Napoleon establishes ends up sending many more Ottoman officers west for their education, pushing the progressive attitudes of these officers.
 
In north Africa there is: Morocco and the Barbary states. Neither of which is up to building a massive empire.

Would a white, formerly Catholic European be accepted in Egypt? And would he be given a position of power with which to lead?

I just can't see this happening.

Getting a European convert to Islam to be accepted in Egypt would propably not be a problem - plenty of former slaves and other converts rose to fairly high positions in many Muslim states.

A good example of this is the impressive number of European converts that rose to prominence in the Barbary states.

And the situation in Egypt may be a be different from the situation in the Barbary states, but keep in mind that there still was an influential elite of Mamluks in Egypt at this point, and they were all converted slaves from the Caucasus.
 
And the situation in Egypt may be a be different from the situation in the Barbary states, but keep in mind that there still was an influential elite of Mamluks in Egypt at this point, and they were all converted slaves from the Caucasus.


But weren't most of those descendants from converts who had been brought centuries ago? At this point Russia controlled the Caucasus (I think), so the trade had been somewhat reduced. I know there was a Mamluk ruling class, but how many of those aristocrats were first-generation imports?
 

Thande

Donor
He nearly did in OTL. But it didn't work very well; the Egyptians didn't take him seriously and his French troops started getting a bit worried.
 
But weren't most of those descendants from converts who had been brought centuries ago? At this point Russia controlled the Caucasus (I think), so the trade had been somewhat reduced. I know there was a Mamluk ruling class, but how many of those aristocrats were first-generation imports?

Unless I'm very mistaken, there still was a considerable number of first generation slave soldiers - one of Napoleon's Mamluk bodyguards, IIRC his name was Roustam or Roustan, was born in an Armenian family in Tbilisi.
 
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