Alexandria expedition of 1807

The Alexandria expedition of 1807, also known as the Fraser expedition, as an unsuccessful attempt by British forces to capture the Egyptian city of Alexandria during the Anglo-Turkish War. The aim was to secure a base of operations against the Ottoman Empire and the French Empire in the Mediterranean Sea. It was part of a larger British strategy against the Franco-Ottoman alliance negotiated by Sultan Selim III.

Although Alexandria was quickly captured and occupied, British attempts to proceed inland were rebuffed, resulting in the invaders being defeated twice in battles at Rosetta (Rashid; the port that guarded the entrance to the Nile), sustaining hundreds of casualties. Many were captured during the second siege of Rosetta. British prisoners of war were marched to Cairo, where many hundreds of severed heads from their slain comrades were displayed between rows of stakes. The prisoners were either condemned to hard labour or sold into slavery.

The remaining British forces in Egypt were forced to retreat to Alexandria, where they remained besieged and unable to gather supplies. Using this trapped army and his British prisoners as a bargaining tool, Viceroy Muhammad Ali compelled the British commanders to cease further operations in Egypt. The British then agreed to embark on their transports and leave Alexandria, having not gained any significant position of influence in Egypt or reached any specific goals towards influencing the Ottoman Empire's improving relations with France. In Egypt, the expedition united the populace behind Muhammad Ali, who proceeded to seize power.