British Bombard Alexandria: Egypt's Defenses Crumble
Eight British ironclads fired 3,000 shells into Alexandria's harbor forts in ten hours. Admiral Beauchamp Seymour gave Colonel Ahmed Urabi 24 hours to dismantle Egypt's coastal defenses—Urabi refused. The bombardment killed 150 Egyptian soldiers and sparked riots that destroyed half the city's European quarter. Britain used the chaos to justify a full invasion, occupied Egypt for 72 years, and turned what they called "restoring order" into control of the Suez Canal. The shells were supposed to protect British interests, not create a colony.
July 11, 1882
144 years ago
Key Figures & Places
United Kingdom
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Egypt
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Bombardment of Alexandria (1882)
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1882 Anglo-Egyptian War
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Bombardment of Alexandria
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Mediterranean Fleet
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Anglo-Egyptian War
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Royal Navy
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Mediterranean Fleet
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Bombardment of Alexandria
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Anglo-Egyptian War
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