 At the time, Egypt had been an Ottoman province since 1517, but was now out of direct Ottoman control, and was in disorder, with dissension among the ruling Mamluk elite.In France, "Egyptian" fashion was in full swing – intellectuals believed that Egypt was the cradle of western civilisation and wished to conquer it.French traders already based on the Nile were complaining of harassment by the Mamluks, and Napoleon wished to walk in the footsteps of Alexander the Great.