1798 was a relatively quiet period in theFrench Revolutionary Wars. The major continental powers in theFirst coalition had made peace with France, leaving France dominant in Europe with only a slow naval war with Great Britain to worry about. The leaders of theDirectory in Paris fearedNapoleon Bonaparte's popularity after his victories in Italy, so they were relieved when he proposed to depart France and mount an expedition to Egypt to gain further glory. However, Napoleon was subsequently defeated in Egypt by British forces.[1]
At this time, Egypt was a province of theOttoman Empire, but Napoleon viewed invading Egypt as a way to threaten British dominance in theMediterranean Sea and in India, as well as to gain prestige for revolutionary arms.
Napoleon raised a large army, including scientists and cultural experts, and sailed fromToulon on 19 May. Stopping to captureMalta on 12 June, he landed near Alexandria on 2 July and took the city. Napoleon's army proceeded to march against theMameluke armies in Cairo and met them at theBattle of the Pyramids on 21 July.[2] Facing a huge army, Napoleon organized his army into squares and used hisartillery to disperse the Mameluke attacks. The Mameluke army retreated intoSyria, leaving Napoleon dominant in Egypt.
However, the British responded by sending AdmiralHoratio Nelson to the coast of Egypt.[3] There, he came upon the French fleet at anchor and systematically destroyed it in theBattle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay).[3][4] Without a fleet, Napoleon's army was trapped in Egypt. Napoleon consolidated his base in Egypt for the remainder of the year. However, the local population in Cairo, encouraged by the French defeat at the Nile and annoyed by various taxes and impositions by the French, revolted in October, killing many of the French occupiers but eventually being suppressed. Damage to mosques sustained during this revolt embittered the Egyptian population against the French.
The French were also under pressure in Belgium andLuxembourg where the local people revolted against conscription and anti-religious violence (Peasants' War).French troops deposedPope Pius VI, establishing arepublic in Rome.
On 5 March 1798, French troops overran Switzerland at the invitation of French-speaking factions inVaud, and theOld Swiss Confederation collapsed. On 12 April 1798, 121 cantonal deputies proclaimed theHelvetic Republic, "One and Indivisible". The new régime abolishedcantonal sovereignty andfeudal rights. The occupying forces established a centralized state based on the ideas of theFrench Revolution.
On 18 May the British launched a combined Royal Navy and British Army raid onOstend to destroy the lock gates of the Bruge Canal and to burn the French gun-ships that were in the harbor. The objectives were achieved but the entire army contingent of 1,300 men was either killed or captured.
An expeditionary force was sent toCounty Mayo in Ireland to assist in therebellion againstBritish rule in the summer of 1798. On 22 August, nearly two months after the main uprisings had been defeated, about 1,000 French soldiers underGeneral Humbert landed in the north-west of the country, atKilcummin inCounty Mayo. Joined by up to 5,000United Irishmen rebels, they quickly routed defending British forces at theBattle of Castlebar and established up a short-lived "Republic of Connacht", before final defeat at theBattle of Ballinamuck, inCounty Longford, on 8 September 1798.[5]
By the end of the year, the European powers, having recovered from their previous defeats and emboldened by Napoleon's absence, organised a newSecond Coalition, beginning with an alliance Treaty between Austria and Naples.[6] The only military activity before the end of the year was in Italy, whereNaples captured Rome on 28 October but was driven out by the end of the year.
| Preceded by | French Revolutionary Wars 1798 | Succeeded by |
