Isma'il Pasha of Egypt

Isma'il Pasha
إسماعيل باشا
Khedive of Egypt and Sudan
Reign19 January 1863 – 26 June 1879
PredecessorSa'id (as Wāli (unrecognized Khedive) of Egypt)
SuccessorTewfik
Born(1830-01-12)12 January 1830
Cairo, Egypt Eyalet, Ottoman Empire
Died2 March 1895(1895-03-02) (aged 65)
Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Burial
Spouse
IssueTewfik, Khedive of Egypt
Hussein Kamel of Egypt
Fuad I of Egypt
Prince Ibrahim Ilhami Pasha
Prince Ali Jamal Pasha
Prince Hassan Ismail Pasha
Prince Mahmud Hamdi Pasha
Prince Reshid Ismail Bey
Princess Tawhida Hanim
Princess Fatima Hanim
Princess Zainab Hanim
Princess Jamila Fadila Hanim
Princess Amina Hanim
Princess Nimetullah Hanim
Princess Amina Aziza Hanim
HouseAlawiyya
FatherIbrahim Pasha of Egypt
MotherHoshiyar Qadin
ReligionSunni Islam

Isma'il Pasha (Arabic: إسماعيل باشا Ismā‘īl Bāshā; 12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), also known as 'Ismail the Magnificent, was the Khedive of Egypt and ruler of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain and France. Sharing the ambitious outlook of his grandfather, Muhammad Ali Pasha, he greatly modernized Egypt and Sudan during his reign, investing heavily in industrial and economic development, urbanization, and the expansion of the country's boundaries in Africa.

His philosophy can be glimpsed in a statement that he made in 1879: "My country is no longer only in Africa; we are now part of Europe, too. It is therefore natural for us to abandon our former ways and to adopt a new system adapted to our social conditions".[citation needed]

In 1867 he also secured Ottoman and international recognition for his title of Khedive (Viceroy) in preference to Wāli (Governor) which was previously used by his predecessors in the Eyalet of Egypt and Sudan (1517–1867). However, Isma'il's policies placed the Khedivate of Egypt and Sudan (1867–1914) in severe debt, leading to the sale of the country's shares in the Suez Canal Company to the British government, and his ultimate toppling from power in 1879 under British and French pressure.

The city of Ismailia is named in his honor.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Hassan, H.; Fernea, E.; Fernea, R. (2000). In the House of Muhammad Ali: A Family Album, 1805-1952. American University in Cairo Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-61797-241-6.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Doumani, B. (2003). Family History in the Middle East: Household, Property, and Gender. State University of New York Press. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-7914-5679-8.
  3. ^ a b c Öztürk, D. (2020). "Remembering" Egypt's Ottoman Past: Ottoman Consciousness in Egypt, 1841-1914. Ohio State University. p. 129.
  4. ^ Tugay, E.F. (1963). Three Centuries: Family Chronicles of Turkey and Egypt. Oxford University Press. p. 144.