Opening of the Suez Canal, and its importance in ottoman foreign policy

This dissertation is about the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the influences to the Ottoman Empire by European powers that struggled to control the Canal.Egypt, located on a junction on the trade route between East and West, and also on a critical crossing point on the India route, became an arena of ascendancy struggle. Napoleon?s Egypt Campaign (1798) played a trigger role in the start of those struggles and gripped the eyes of great powers on Egypt.Napoleon, through his Egypt Campaign, intended to bring Red Sea under French power via reviving the idea of a direct canal between Mediterranean and Red Sea, the idea which roots back to years 2000 B.C., but revitalized by Turks firstly in the terms of Turkish sailors Piri Reis and Murat Reis. However, Napoleon?s plan was ruined by the demolishing of French navy in 1798.After Napoleon, a French entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps requested permission from Abbas Pasha to construct the Canal. Abbas Pasha did not approve that request. Anyway, Ferdinand de Lesseps managed to receive concessions in 1854 from Said Pasha, the successor of Abbas Pasha, but he could not start the construction of the canal since they needed authentication of the project by Ottoman Empire. Ottoman Empire did not endorse the project for some reasons such as preventing the intervention of foreign powers in internal affairs, as well as eschewing from England?s menace with Crimean War. Afterwards, Ferdinand de Lesseps strived to obtain support of big powers for the project. French Government was in favor of the project, but England was opposing it in regard with her own railway project which was rival to the canal and with a concern that French would get control over Egypt through the canal and thus present a threat to India route. Ferdinand de Lesseps, formed the canal company after getting second concessions in 1856, and started the construction in 1859. After defeating the resistance of England since she understood that she could not prevent the canal plan anymore, Sultan Abdülaziz ratified the Canal Project by a firman on 19 March 1866.Suez Canal was opened in 1869. England, anxious about a French dominance in Canal Company and in Egypt, was planning to seize the Canal. Ismail Pasha offered Egypt?s shares of Canal Company for sale in 1875 in order to pay debts emanated from the canal costs which brought Egypt near bankruptcy. England, exploiting this opportunity, acquired the half of the Canal Company shares and thus had a voice in Canal management. And a short time later England, following her intention of seizing full control over Canal in order to safeguard India route and the presence of British Empire, occupied Egypt in 1882. It was the beginning of British domination in Egypt.Key Words1. Suez Canal2. Ottoman3. Egypt4. England, France, Russia5. India