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Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions

Social Studies

Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions

Overview

Overview

  • Know Isma’il’s plan to widen independence and the firmans of 1866, 1867, 1872 and 1873.
  • Understand Isma’il’s era as the end of a transitional period.
  • Set out Egypt’s civilising role in the Horn of Africa and the European powers’ attitude to his expansions.
Isma'il: the project of independence, the firmans and Egypt's African expansions
├── Isma'il's plan to widen independence (at the cost of the treasury)
├── The firmans he obtained
│   ├── May 1866 · June 1867 · September 1872 · the Comprehensive Firman of June 1873
│   └── Comparison table
├── Isma'il's era: the end of the transitional period after 1840–1841
├── Egypt's civilising role in the Horn of Africa
│   ├── Health · communications · building · economy · society
└── The attitude of the European powers to his expansions (1875 = the financial crisis)
Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions · 1 / 7
Isma’il’s plan for the independence of Egypt

Isma’il’s plan for the independence of Egypt

  • His plan aimed to widen the scope of his independence in ruling the country and to win as many rights and privileges as possible from the Ottoman government, heading towards complete independence — but all this was at the cost of the Egyptian treasury.
  • For example he sought to get rid of the restrictions of the London Settlement (1840) and the two firmans of 1841.
  • He wanted to change the order of succession to the throne from the oldest member of the Alawi family to the oldest of Isma’il’s own sons.
  • He hosted Sultan Abd al-Aziz’s visit to Egypt (April 1863), with the welcome, honours and gifts that accompanied it — enough to fill a whole ship — plus sixty thousand pounds paid to the Grand Vizier Fu’ad Pasha to exert his efforts to obtain the firmans.
  • The Grand Vizier’s efforts ended with raising the annual tribute Egypt paid from 400,000 to 750,000 Ottoman pounds; to meet this, Isma’il borrowed three million pounds.
Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions · 2 / 7
The firmans obtained by Isma’il

The firmans obtained by Isma’il

The firman of May 1866

  • It is counted as the beginning of Isma’il’s independence in ruling Egypt. It settled:
    • the succession to the throne for the oldest of Isma’il’s male sons by age;
    • increasing the Egyptian army to 30,000 soldiers instead of 18,000;
    • Egypt’s right to strike coin;
    • the granting of civil ranks up to the second rank.
  • Under it Isma’il received the title “Khedive” — a Turkish term meaning “the magnified one” — instead of “wali”.
  • He enjoyed a measure of independence in internal and financial administration, in making treaties on posts, customs, the transit of goods and passengers inside the country, and in police matters concerning the foreign communities.
  • It expressly granted Isma’il the right to borrow from abroad without referring to the Ottoman State.
  • It confirmed for Egypt its full rights in internal independence,
    • except: paying the annual tribute, not making political treaties, diplomatic representation, and the manufacture of armoured war machines.
Point of comparison Firman 1866 Firman 1867 Firman 1872 Comprehensive Firman 1873
Chief content
  • Succession to Isma’il’s eldest son
  • an army of 30
  • 000
  • striking coin
  • The title Khedive
  • administrative and financial independence
 The right to borrow from abroad Full internal independence, with exceptions
Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions · 3 / 7
Isma’il’s era: the end of a transitional period

Isma’il’s era: the end of a transitional period

  • His era counts as the end of a transitional period that had lasted since the shrinking of Muhammad Ali’s influence through the London Settlement (1840) and the firman of 1841.
  • The development projects carried out within the monopoly framework stopped, and the country’s markets were opened to foreign production, especially British, in application of the Balta Liman agreement.
  • European capital began to enter the various fields of investment — which explains the stopping or stagnation of the Egyptian society’s own development.
  • Isma’il entered a series of development and expansion projects that recalled to Europe’s minds the era of Muhammad Ali, in that Egypt’s power became visible again.
  • He worked to extend Egypt’s influence in the south and the south-east along the Red Sea coast.
  • This expansion put him in inevitable confrontation with Abyssinia, which he had encircled by his expansions by 1875; it ended in defeat, with a loss of three million pounds at a time when the treasury was suffering the pressures of debt.
Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions · 4 / 7
Egypt’s civilising role in the Horn of Africa

Egypt’s civilising role in the Horn of Africa

  • Since Egypt extended its administration over these lands they enjoyed great building activity, covering the following fields.
  • Diseases were spreading there — cholera, dysentery and smallpox — so the Egyptian administration founded health units at Suakin and Massawa.
  • It created a postal line linking these regions with Egypt.
  • It arranged sea navigation lines from Massawa to Suakin to Jeddah, and from Suakin to Suez.
  • The building of healthy housing for the people and the erection of hospitals, mosques and a church.
  • Attention to fresh water, with pipes run from springs and wells.
Comparison aspectMain ideaKeywords
Agriculture
  • the people were urged to cultivate uncultivated land
  • water was provided for them
  • and seeds of vegetables and fruits were brought from Egypt
peoplewereurgedcultivate
Trademoved in safety because routes and security were providedmovedsafetybecauseroutes
Industry
  • some Somali young men accompanied the artisan soldiers in the Egyptian army to learn filing and forging
  • and the people learned the cloth industry
someSomaliyoungaccompanied
  • The Egyptian administration tried to spread social peace among the people and the tribes, so reconciliation councils were formed to settle disputes.
  • Sometimes it paid the blood-money for those killed, when the tribes could not do so, to spare blood.
  • It sent some ulema of al-Azhar to educate the people in the Islamic religion and founded schools teaching arithmetic, handwriting and grammar.
Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions · 5 / 7
The attitude of the European powers to Isma’il’s expansions

The attitude of the European powers to Isma’il’s expansions

  • The European powers found these expansions a source of danger to themselves, because they too were expanding in east Africa; and the expansions recalled the danger of his grandfather Muhammad Ali.
  • It was no coincidence that the year which saw this great Egyptian expansion in east Africa was the year in which the financial crisis took shape.
  • The crisis followed a course that ended in foreign intervention, as an organised attempt to obstruct the growth of Egypt’s strength.
Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions · 6 / 7
Exam traps and key takeaways

Exam traps and key takeaways

  • The price of the plan every gain was at the expense of the Egyptian treasury — the causal link between independence-seeking and debt is a favoured question.
  • The tribute rose (400,000 → 750,000) rather than fell — do not read the firman as relief.
  • Match the firman to the gain 1866 succession + army 30,000 + coin · 1867 the title Khedive · 1872 the right to borrow · 1873 full internal independence.
  • The 1873 exceptions are four tribute, political treaties, diplomatic representation, armoured war machinery.
  • Succession change is from oldest of the Alawi family to oldest of Isma’il’s sons — the answer that keeps the old rule is wrong.
  • His era is the end of the transitional period that began with 1840–1841; own development had stagnated because of European capital and Balta Liman.
  • The Abyssinian war ended in defeat and a three-million-pound loss in 1875 — the same year as the crisis; the syllabus treats that as no coincidence.
  • Fields of the civilising role to list fully health (Suakin, Massawa) · post and sea lines · housing, hospitals, mosques and a church · farming, safe trade, crafts for Somali youth · reconciliation councils, blood-money, al-Azhar ulema and schools.
  • Paying blood-money on the tribes’ behalf is explained as sparing blood, not as buying loyalty.
Lesson 18: Ismail – the Project of Independence, the Firmans and Egypt’s African Expansions · 7 / 7