Abbas I of Egypt

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Abbas Helmy I
عباس الأول
Alawiyya
FatherTusun Pasha
MotherBamba Qadin
ReligionSunni Islam

Abbas Helmy I of Egypt (also known as Abbas Pasha,

Egypt and Sudan. He was a son of Tusun Pasha, the younger son of Muhammad Ali Pasha whom he succeeded as ruler of Egypt and Sudan. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary says of him: "[b]igoted and sensual, he did much to undo the progress made under Muhammad Ali."[4]

Early years

Abbas was born on 1 July 1812 in Jeddah and was brought up in Cairo.[5] Being the grandson of Muhammad Ali, he succeeded his uncle Ibrahim Pasha in ruling Egypt and Sudan in 1848.[6][7][8]

As a young man, he fought in the

Syrian War.[9] Muhammad Ali Pasha was removed from office on 1 September 1848, on account of mental weakness. He was replaced by his son Ibrahim Pasha, who reigned briefly as Regent of Egypt and Sudan from 1 September 1848 until his death on 10 November 1848. The death of Ibrahim made Abbas I, in turn, Regent of Egypt and Sudan from 10 November 1848 until 2 August 1849 (the date of Muhammad Ali Pasha's death), at which time Abbas became the reigning Wāli of Egypt and Sudan until 13 July 1854.[6]

Ruler of Egypt

Abbas has been often described as a mere voluptuary, but

monopolies, closed factories and schools, and reduced the strength of the region's army to 9,000 men.[6] He also shut down construction of the Delta Dam and opposed the construction of the Suez Canal.[3][9]

A 1886 study wrote of Abbas that he "undertook no great works, built no new canals, and did not even carry out the schemes and plans of his predecessors. Abbas has been called a bigot and a miser. He certainly was neither liberal in mind nor lavish with money."[8]

Foreign relations

Abbas was inaccessible to adventurers bent on plundering Egypt and Sudan of riches, and kicked out all foreign business. British trade policy became openly antagonistic as a result, severely restricting corn exports out of Egyptian markets.[10] However, at the insistence of the British Government, he allowed the construction of a railway from Alexandria to Cairo. In return, the British assisted him in a dispute with the Ottoman Empire.[3][11]

Due to his negative policies towards Europeans and their influence, Abbas was not liked by them and in time his reputation was exaggerated and demonized to portray him as worse than he actually was.[12] After he died the number of Europeans in Egypt rose drastically from 3,000, in 1850, to 90,000, in 1882, and 200,000 by 1900.[12]

Crimean War

During the Crimean War Abbas gave the Ottoman sultan, Abdulmejid I, use of his naval fleet of 12 warships as well as 19,000 troops and 72 guns. Abbas also recruited much of this new army from the Sinai Peninsula, traveling to El Tor and Aqaba and meeting with local Bedouin chiefs to conscript men, especially cavalry, for the war.[10] The number of troops was later increased to between 40,000 and 55,000 by late October, 1853.[11][10]

Horse breeding

Among Abbas' personal interests was the breeding of

Anazeh people. He built extensive stables for these horses in three different locations, including a stud farm said to have cost £1,000,000 to build, and hired native Bedouins to oversee the care of the horses and to maintain information on their bloodlines. He spared no expense in the care of his horses. At one stud farm he kept 300 camels to provide extra milk for the young foals.[14]

Death

On 13 July 1854,

horse groom who had neglected the care of a horse's hooves.[14]

Abbas was succeeded by his uncle (who was actually younger than him), Said Pasha.[6][15]

Following Abbas' assassination, his Arabian horses were inherited by his eighteen-year-old son,

Damad Prince Ibrahim Ilhamy Pasha who showed little interest in them, giving away several and putting the rest up for auction. In 1861, a distant relative, Ali Pasha Sherif purchased approximately 40 horses of the original Abbas Pasha stock and rebuilt the horse breeding program.[13]

Honours

Honours[citation needed]
year name Nation Ribbon
1849 Order of the August Portrait Ottoman Empire
1849 Order of Glory Ottoman Empire
1853 Order of Nobility, 1st Class Ottoman Empire
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, Grand Cross Kingdom of Sardinia

Footnotes

  1. ^ Williams 1999, p. 248
  2. ^ Williams 1999, p. 253
  3. ^ a b c d e Hoiberg 2010, p. 8
  4. ^ Thorne 1984, p. 1
  5. ^ Goldschmidt 2000, p. 2
  6. ^ a b c d e Chisholm 1911, p. 9
  7. ^ Anon 2009
  8. ^
    JSTOR 2138972
    .
  9. ^ a b Magnusson & Goring 1990, p. 2
  10. ^
    ISSN 0140-0460
    .
  11. ^ a b c Vucinich 1997, p. 7
  12. ^ a b Stearns 2001, p. 543
  13. ^ a b c Culbertson, Cynthia. "A Guide To Historical Names and Terms Associated with Egyptian Arabian Horse Breeding" (PDF). Desert Heritage Magazine. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  14. ^ a b c d White, Linda (September 2007). "Horse in History – Abbas Pasha Revisited". Arabian Horse Times. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  15. ^ Stearns 2001, p. 542

References

External links

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Abbas I of Egypt
Muhammad Ali Dynasty
Born: 1 July 1812 Died: 13 July 1854
Preceded by
Egypt and Sudan

1849–1854 		Succeeded by
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