The Khedivate of Egypt was a period in Egyptian history from 1867 to 1914, when Egypt was nominally an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire but was actually controlled by the House of Muhammad Ali. Here are detailed aspects of this era:
The title of Khedive was granted to Ismail Pasha by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz in 1867. This title was a higher rank than the previous title of Wali of Egypt, which had been used by Muhammad Ali Pasha and his successors. The establishment of the Khedivate was an attempt to formalize the semi-independent status of Egypt within the Ottoman Empire.
The ambitious modernization projects led to significant financial strain:
Following the Urabi Revolt, the United Kingdom invaded Egypt in 1882, ostensibly to protect the Suez Canal and their investments. This led to:
In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers against the Entente Powers. Britain formally declared Egypt a British Protectorate on December 18, 1914, ending the Khedivate and replacing it with the Sultanate of Egypt, with Hussein Kamel becoming the first Sultan of Egypt.
The Khedivate period is remembered for its attempts at modernization, the introduction of European technologies and administrative practices, and the significant shift in Egypt's political and economic landscape. However, it also set the stage for foreign intervention and control, which shaped Egypt's trajectory for decades to come.