History Memes

Explanation: Shortly after Napoleon withdrew from Egypt, a series of dustups ended with the region destabilized. Egypt was formally under the control of the Ottoman Empire in this period. The Ottoman Empire, being dominated by Turks, but with a strong cosmopolitan character of loyalty to the imperial throne, often employed ethnic minorities in high roles throughout the Empire. One such ethnic minority, an Albanian of humble birth, Muhammad Ali, worked his way up to the point of being given effective governorship over Egypt by the Ottoman Empire.

Yet being under the crumbling rule of the Ottomans, who were not exactly at their peak in the 19th century, and would continue to decline, did not suit Muhammad Ali. Instead, he embarked on a vast and ambitious campaign of military and economic modernization to make Egypt an independent power - and when the time was right, he rebelled against the Ottoman Empire itself. While the rebellion was only partly successful, ending in a compromise position where Egypt enjoyed significant autonomy but not formal independence, the reforms he instituted would live on.

For this reason, and his extensive construction of modern state institutions in Egypt, Muhammad Ali is often considered the founder of modern Egypt.