Isma'il Pasha, Egyptian ruler (d. 1895)
Isma'il Pasha (Arabic: إسماعيل باشا Ismā‘īl Bāshā; Turkish: İsmail Paşa), known as Ismail the Magnificent (12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), was the Khedive of Egypt and conqueror of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain. 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 not 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".
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.
1830Dec, 31
Isma'il Pasha
Choose Another Date
Events on 1830
- 6Apr
Latter Day Saint movement
Church of Christ, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement, is organized by Joseph Smith and others at either Fayette or Manchester, New York. - 13May
Gran Colombia
Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia. - 28May
Indian Removal Act
U.S. President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act which relocates Native Americans. - 14Jun
Invasion of Algiers in 1830
Beginning of the French colonization of Algeria: Thirty-four thousand French soldiers begin their invasion of Algiers, landing 27 kilometers west at Sidi Fredj. - 2Aug
Henri, Count of Chambord
Charles X of France abdicates the throne in favor of his grandson Henri.