Ruler
Muhammad Ali Pasha
Governor of Egypt and founder of its last ruling dynasty
1769 – 1849
Lifespan; he ruled 1805–1848.
Biography
An officer of Albanian origin born in Kavala, he became governor of Egypt in 1805. He broke the power of the Mamluks, built a modern army of conscripted peasants, founded schools and factories, and monopolised trade. He sent his armies to Arabia, Sudan and Syria. His family ruled Egypt until 1953.
Key facts
Certainty: Established
In the 1820s Muhammad Ali began conscripting Egyptian peasants into a modern regular army; conscription was harsh and many resisted it.
- Khaled Fahmy (1997) “All the Pasha’s Men: Mehmed Ali, His Army and the Making of Modern Egypt” Cambridge University Press