Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882

In 1882 a nationalist military movement led by Ahmed Urabi challenged the authority of the Khedive and foreign influence over Egyptian government and finance. British concern for the Suez Canal and European interests led to naval bombardment and invasion.

British forces under Garnet Wolseley landed in the canal zone and defeated Urabi’s army at Tel el-Kebir. Although Egypt remained formally within the Ottoman Empire, Britain began an occupation that lasted for decades.

This context supports fiction about the Suez Canal, Egyptian nationalism, Victorian expeditionary warfare and the interaction of soldiers, spies and diplomats.