WI: instead of conquering Egypt, Napoleon went to conquer Sicily?

[Wr1t3r]

I think this would have been a much wiser move, as Sicily was much closer(meaning he could get back to france faster) & important to the British navy. But what do you guys think?

 

[cloistered scholar]

I think this would have been a much wiser move, as Sicily was much closer(meaning he could get back to france faster) & important to the British navy. But what do you guys think?

I've been thinking about this idea for awhile now, but I don't know enough to contribute.

 

[EasternRomanEmpire]

I think this would have been a much wiser move, as Sicily was much closer(meaning he could get back to France faster) & important to the British navy. But what do you guys think?

Because French government wanted to send him as far as possible (and die if possible) and Napoleon wanted to make an Eastern Empire as he wanted to imitate Alexander the Great; also to disrupt British trade
Edit: Also because Sicily wasn't considered important and conquering it wouldn't benefit the French in any way

 

[the man in the fly castle]

I mean this will be easy, but the gain is very less for Napoleon.

 

[TrickyApe]

France could barely govern Naples and Sicily promised to worse, even without the likely prospect of a British blockade. So the Republic would gain nothing from the expedition.
On the other hand, France didn't gain anything from Egypt either and in the Sicilian scenario Bonaparte is nearby to fight in the wars in Europe that OTL took a bad turn for the French at this point. We might get that match up of Bonaparte vs. Suvorov that's often discussed.

 

[EasternRomanEmpire]

On the other hand, France didn't gain anything from Egypt either and in the Sicilian scenario Bonaparte is nearby to fight in the wars in Europe that OTL took a bad turn for the French at this point. We might get that match up of Bonaparte vs. Suvorov that's often discussed.

The whole point of the Directory was to send Napoleon as far as possible, if this did happen Napoleon would conquer Sicily and go back home (if the British don't manage to destroy his fleet). The coup of 18 Brumaire might happen earlier but in the general picture things aren't changed too much.

 

[jacob ningen]

The whole point of the Directory was to send Napoleon as far as possible, if this did happen Napoleon would conquer Sicily and go back home (if the British don't manage to destroy his fleet). The coup of 18 Brumaire might happen earlier but in the general picture things aren't changed too much.

one big butterfly that will only occur 150 years later is ea nasir isnt remembered and the theory that dionysus is a foreign deity remains for longer and Manetho and Plutarch are trusted for longer. Unless something else serves the role of napoleon stealing ptolemy's thank you note.

 

[RedSword12]

I think Ireland would make a more compelling and more interesting alternative destination.

 

[Citycat]

I think Ireland would make a more compelling and more interesting alternative destination.

That would have been a suicide mission.

 

[Wr1t3r]

I mean this will be easy, but the gain is very less for Napoleon.

So, how would it impact history?

 

[EasternRomanEmpire]

So, how would it impact history?

He conquers Sicily and goes back to France, he makes a coup earlier than OTL but the general picture is the same; Sicily will be lost very soon and there are no archeologic discoveries in Egypt up until the British arrival, France doesn't have an obelisk

 

[RedSword12]

That would have been a suicide mission.

The French expedition in 1796 would have succeeded in landing in Ireland if it wasn't scattered by a storm, and in 1798 a smaller expedition managed to make landfall.