THE PLAN OF A DIPLOMAT OF HUNGARIAN ORIGIN TO CONQUER EGYPT FROM THE END OF THE 1770S

The life of François baron de Tott (1733–1793) or Baron Ferenc Tóth is still a mysterious and obscure chapter in modern diplomatic history, even despite the one-time success of his memoirs. As the son of a kuruc officer, he was born in France and chose a military and lat- er diplomatic career there. In the Turkish war of 1768-1774 he played an important role in modernizing the Turkish Army. After the end of the war, he returned to France. Represented primarily by the Secretary of State for the Navy, count Sartine and his leading officer, Saint Didier, voices in the Versailles cabinet seeking the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire became more pronounced in the 1770s. Baron Tott prepared a plan to conquer and colonize the rich province of Egypt. Even though the plan was not supported by foreign minister Count Vergennes, it provided a fantastic opportunity for the interventionist circles in the Versailles government to organize an expedition, which eventually took place in 1777–1778. As the chief supervisor of the trade offices and diplomatic representations belonging to the French sphere of influence, Baron Tott traveled through the Eastern basin of the Mediterranean and was collecting secret information for a potential Egyptian campaign. After his travels, he worked out a complete military plan to conquer Egypt, which was not realized for almost twenty years till the Egyptian expedition of Napoleon, due to the unfavorable political environment.

Summary

On the basis of newly published sources, the Author reexamines the mission of the Hungarian baron de Tott, who went to the Orient on behalf of the French government in order to find out the possibility of occupying Egypt, the richest province of the Ottoman Empire, the interest of which was economic and commercial, but mainly strategic in view of its position in the Mediterranean basin.