General Hullin's audience, provided by the Dey of Algeria
19th century
National Library of France
Paris, France
Military delegations were among the more frequent and, at times, more threatening visits rulers received. On this occasion, in 1802, Napoleon I dispatched General Hulin, accompanied by Consul Dubois-Thainville, to issue a threat to the Dey of Algiers in response to Algerian “pirate” activity against French ships.
19th century
National Library of France
Paris, France
Empress Eugénie actively supported her husband’s ambition to advance French interests in the Middle East and North Africa. During her visit to Constantinople in 1868, however, she incurred the disapproval of the sultan’s mother, when – overconfidently – she broke Ottoman protocol.
Mahmud II, Sultan of Turkey (1784–1839)
1st half of the 19th century
Austrian National Library
Vienna, Austria
Portrait of Archduke Maximilian
1850
Austrian Military Museum / Institute of Military History
Vienna, Austria
Interview with Mehemet Ali in his Palace at Alexandria 1839
Published 1849
Sharjah Art Museum / Sharjah Museums Department
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (Sharjah)
The scene is a perfect representation of both the European delegations in the region at the time and the broad interests represented by them: in addition to the British Consul General in Alexandria, the group meeting Muhammad ‘Ali includes a businessman, scholars and an artist.
Painting of Mohamed Sadok Bey and Napoléon III
1862
Musée d’Histoire Moderne et Contemporaine de Kassar Saïd
Le Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia
Since the 1850s, France competed increasingly with Italy and Britain for economic and political power in Tunisia. This meeting, between Muhammad al-Sadiq Bey (r. 1859–81) and Napoleon III in Algiers in 1860, symbolises France’s determination to consolidate its presence in North Africa.
Napoléon II's journey to Algeria, 7 June 1865
1865
National Library of France
Paris, France
Napoleon III visited Algeria, already a French colony at the time, in 1860 and in 1865. On both occasions, a triumphant itinerary was staged, in order to clearly demonstrate France’s sovereignty and might, while also symbolising its control of locations and resources of key importance to French interests.
4 December 1864 at 10 a.m
Royal archives
Rabat, Morocco
Belgium was one of the many European powers to obtain political and economic privileges from Morocco. In 1864, the Belgian Consul General, Ernest Daluin, visited the Moroccan sultan in Rabat as part of his country’s efforts to launch trade relations and open up new markets for Belgium’s growing national industries.
1869
Austrian Military Museum / Institute of Military History
Vienna, Austria
Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria attended the Suez Canal celebrations, arriving onboard SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth in 1869, but used his stay in Egypt to hold diplomatic and trade talks in Cairo and Alexandria as well.
1869
Austrian State Archives
Vienna, Austria
This poem, by an Italian, honours Franz Joseph I’s visit to Egypt in 1869. European minorities living in the Arab and Ottoman world relied on the protection of their respective countries. Indeed, not only were extensive privileges negotiated for them, but often their presence served as a diplomatic pawn in order to gain influence in another nation’s affairs.
23 November 1868
Royal archives
Rabat, Morocco
Sir John Drummond-Hay is shown here as part of a British delegation from Tangier visiting the Moroccan Sultan Sidi Muhammad ‘Abd al-Rahman at his court in Fez in 1868. Drummond-Hay was instrumental in securing an exclusive trade agreement and special relations for Britain.
Ismail, Khedive of Egypt (1830–1895)
After 1869
Austrian National Library
Vienna, Austria
On occasion, diplomacy took place on the sidelines of a major international event, such as the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. On this occasion, the Egyptian Khedive Isma‘il invited – among others – the French and Austrian Emperors, but tellingly excluded all the region’s senior Muslim leaders.
The Welcome to the Italian Delegation in Morocco
c. 1879
National Gallery of Modern Art (GNAM)
Rome, Italy
In the wake of Italy’s unification, the new nation quickly cast its eye to catching up with the colonial ambitions of other European powers, particularly in North Africa. The visit of this Italian delegation to the Moroccan sovereign in Fez during the 1870s was recorded by the Italian author Edmondo de Amicis, who witnessed it.
Governor Ben Anda's Son with His Escort of Honour
c. 1879
National Gallery of Modern Art (GNAM)
Rome, Italy
The daughter of the English ambassador riding in a palanquin
Late 19th century
Pera Museum
Istanbul, Turkey
Photograph of the German Emperor while on a visit to Tangier
31 March 1905
General Library and Archives
Tetouan, Morocco
The German Emperor Wilhelm II visited Tangiers in the wake of the international Morocco crisis in 1905. While he supported Moroccan independence in defiance of French ambitions in North Africa, he was also keen to advance Germany’s economic and political influence in the region.