Europe 1840: Second Egyptian-Ottoman War

View full map and options for mobile…
Political map of Europe & the Mediterranean on 15 Jul 1840 (Congress Europe: Second Egyptian-Ottoman War), showing the following events: Moment of Destiny; Treaty of Balta Liman; Treaty of London; Battle of Nezib; Surrender of Ottoman fleet; Death of Mahmud II; 1839 Khivan campaign; Egyptian evacuation of Arabia; Capture of Morella; Convention of London.
Mascara

17 Feb 1832
21 Dec 1832
6 May 1833
27 Jul 1833
17 Jun 1834
20 Jun 1837
15 Jul 1840
27 Nov 1840
10 Sep 1844
3 Nov 1847
24 Feb 1848
21 Mar 1848
11 Apr 1848
3 May 1848
23 Jun 1848
24 Jul 1848
26 Aug 1848
29 Oct 1848
19 Dec 1848
23 Mar 1849
14 Apr 1849
9 May 1849
26 May 1849
3 Jul 1849
28 Aug 1849
29 Apr 1850
29 Nov 1850
2 Dec 1852
28 Mar 1854
5 Nov 1854
30 Mar 1856
1 Apr 1857
24 Jan 1859
4 Jun 1859
25 Aug 1859
3 Dec 1859
29 May 1860
22 Oct 1860
17 Mar 1861
24 Dec 1863
30 Oct 1864
14 Jun 1866
24 Jun 1866
22 Jul 1866
21 Dec 1867
1 Sep 1870
20 Sep 1870
28 Jan 1871
10 May 1871
2 Jan 1878
17 Mar 1878
20 Oct 1878
15 Nov 1884
4 Jan 1894
19 Sep 1898
8 Apr 1904
31 Mar 1906
7 Oct 1908
1 Jul 1911
17 May 1912
23 Apr 1913
31 Jul 1913
25 Sep 1913
28 Jun 1914
4 Aug 1914
5 Sep 1914
26 Dec 1914
26 Apr 1915
4 Nov 1915
21 Feb 1916
20 Sep 1916
12 Jan 1917
6 Apr 1917
11 Jul 1917
7 Nov 1917
1 Dec 1917
20 Mar 1918
18 Jul 1918
20 Sep 1918
25 Oct 1918
8 Nov 1918
11 Nov 1918
4 Dec 1918
10 Jan 1919
9 Apr 1919
28 Jun 1919
10 Sep 1919
27 Nov 1919
6 Apr 1920
4 Jun 1920
10 Aug 1920
12 Nov 1920
20 Mar 1921
23 Aug 1921
28 Jun 1922
28 Oct 1922
8 Nov 1923
1 Dec 1925
30 Jan 1933
7 Mar 1936
20 Jul 1936
13 Mar 1938
2 Nov 1938
15 Mar 1939
23 Aug 1939
16 Sep 1939
11 Mar 1940
21 Apr 1940
25 May 1940
21 Jun 1940
7 Sep 1940
3 Nov 1940
26 Feb 1941
16 Apr 1941
21 Jun 1941
31 Aug 1941
4 Dec 1941
20 Jan 1942
27 Jun 1942
16 Sep 1942
8 Nov 1942
22 Nov 1942
29 Dec 1942
22 Feb 1943
19 Mar 1943
12 Jul 1943
30 Sep 1943
29 Jan 1944
20 Jun 1944
30 Aug 1944
17 Oct 1944
24 Dec 1944
24 Mar 1945
2 May 1945
14 May 1945
13 Jul 1945
19 Apr 1946
10 Feb 1947
1 Aug 1948
7 Oct 1949
21 Sep 1955
7 Nov 1956
22 Feb 1958
26 Jun 1963
26 May 1972
15 Jun 1977
25 Apr 1982
10 Nov 1989
3 Oct 1990
28 Feb 1991
27 Jun 1991
19 Aug 1991
6 Sep 1991
9 Dec 1991
25 Dec 1991
22 Jun 1992
1 Nov 1993
12 Jun 1999
13 Apr 2003
16 Aug 2008
19 Mar 2011
18 Mar 2014
23 May 2014
17 Jul 2014
7 Oct 2015
27 Oct 2017
31 Jan 2020

The Ottoman army attempted to reconquer Syria in 1839, but was routed by the Egyptians. To make matters even worse for the Ottomans, the Sultan died just days later - to be succeeded by his teenage son - and the entire Ottoman fleet defected to Egypt. With the Ottoman Empire apparently on the verge of collapse, the Great Powers stepped in. In 1840 they issued the Convention of London, demanding that Egypt abandon its conquests and accept Ottoman suzerainty.

About this map
Download map
(download without labels)

Main Events

24 Aug–19 Sep 1837 Moment of Destiny ▲

On 24 August, Carlist forces of the Royal Expedition ambushed and routed a Liberal force at Villar de los Navarros in Zaragoza, Spain, taking over 1,200 prisoners. The Carlist victory opened the way into Castile, and, on 11 September, 12,000 troops of the Royal Expedition under Don Carlos crossed the Tagus and arrived in Arganda on the outskirts of Madrid. After four days, Carlos decided against either assaulting the capital or attacking the Espartero’s nearby army and withdrew, with Espartero in pursuit. in wikipedia

15 Aug 1838 Treaty of Balta Liman ▲

The United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Balta Liman—a one-sided formal agreement opening Ottoman markets to British trade. The treaty abolished all Ottoman commercial monopolies and gave British subjects the right to trade freely within the empire. As a result of the treaty, Britain agreed to support the Ottoman Empire against Muhammad Ali’s Egypt. in wikipedia

18 Apr 1839 Treaty of London ▲

Austria, France, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium signed the Treaty of London, recognizing and guaranteeing the independence of Belgium. The treaty also required Belgium to remain neutral, committing the signatories to protect that neutrality, and recognized the full independence of the German-speaking part of Luxembourg (the modern nation of Luxembourg). This treaty would be disregarded as “a scrap of paper” by Germany when it invaded Belgium in 1914. in wikipedia

24 Jun 1839 Battle of Nezib ▲

In an attempt to reassert itself over Muhammad Ali’s Egypt, Ottoman troops under the leadership of Hafiz Osman Pasha invaded Egyptian-ruled Syria in April 1839. In June a superior Egyptian force under Ibrahim Pasha arrived in the area, prompting Helmuth von Moltke—Hafiz Pasha’s Prussian adviser and Bismarck’s future chief of staff—to recommend the Ottomans withdraw and await reinforcements. Rejecting this advise, Hafiz Pasha held his ground and was completely routed by the Egyptians. in wikipedia

1 Jul 1839 Surrender of Ottoman fleet ▲

After sailing to Alexandria on the pretext of attacking Muhammad Ali’s Egypt, but actually believing that incoming Sultan Abdulmejid would become a pawn of the Russians, Grand Admiral Ahmed Fevzi Pasha surrendered the entire Ottoman fleet to the Egyptians without a fight. in wikipedia

1 Jul 1839 Death of Mahmud II ▲

Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire died of tuberculosis and was succeeded by his son—sixteen-year-old Abdulmejid. Abdulmejid was immediately faced by the dual crises of the Egyptian defeat of the Ottoman army at Nezib and the defection of the Ottoman fleet to Egypt. in wikipedia

10 Oct 1839–? Jun 1840 1839 Khivan campaign ▲

A 5,000-strong Russian force under the command of Vasily Perovsky departed Orenburg across the steppes for Fort Emba and Ak Bulak, in several columns starting 26 November 1839, in a campaign to conquer the Khanate of Khiva. The late departure meant they only reached Emba at the end of December and were already facing deep snow and cold. By February—when they finally arrived in Ak Bulak—disease and Khivan raiders had killed hundreds and left over a thousand sick. Realizing the expedition had failed, Perovsky withdrew back to Orenburg with his remaining troops. in wikipedia

? Mar 1840 Egyptian evacuation of Arabia ▲

In response to the Egyptian invasion of Nejd and Yemen, the British seized control of Aden in 1839 and made defensive treaties with the Persian Gulf states. Under pressure by these moves and warned by the European powers, Muhammad Ali of Egypt agreed to the evacuation of Nejd and Yemen in March 1840. Egyptian troops began their withdrawal from Yemen in May and Nejd in September, with their last forces leaving Riyadh in early 1841. in wikipedia

19–30 May 1840 Capture of Morella ▲

Some 20,000 Spanish Liberal troops under the command of Baldomero Espartero besieged the fortress town of Morella in Valencia, defeating its few thousand defenders led by Ramón Cabrera. Although Cabrera managed to escape north to Berga in Catalonia, this battle effectively ended fighting in the First Carlist War. On 4 July, Berga fell without resistance and Cabrera and a number of Carlist refugees fled across the French border. in wikipedia

15 Jul 1840 Convention of London ▲

The Great Powers of the United Kingdom, Austria, Prussia, and Russia signed the Convention for the pacification of the Levant with the Ottoman Empire, agreeing to support the Ottomans against Muhammad Ali’s Egypt. By the terms of the convention, the Ottoman Empire was to declare the Turkish Straits closed to warships in peacetime, while the Egyptians were to withdraw from their conquests and accept Ottoman suzerainty. Muhammad Ali, supported by France, rejected the convention. in wikipedia

1840 1840s Austria Belgium Egypt European history France German Confederation July July 15 Luxembourg maps Netherlands Prussia Russia Syria Turkey United Kingdom

Follow us

Join Omniatlas