In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte undertook a military campaign in Egypt hoping to build on his astonishing successes in southern Europe. His aim was to press on through Egypt towards India, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of Eastern empire; and having slipped past the Royal Navy, all that remained was to sweep aside the Mamluk army serving the Ottoman Empire in Cairo.

After his men had gunned down a gallant Mamluk knight who challenged him to single combat, Napoleon went on to victory at the Battle of the Pyramids. But his triumph came to nothing days later, when under Horatio Nelson the Royal Navy overwhelmed the French fleet in Aboukir Bay, and sent Napoleon scurrying home to Paris alone.

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