Key Facts
- Date of French surrender
- 27 June 1801
- French garrison strength
- 13,000 troops
- French commander
- General Augustin Daniel Belliard
- British commander
- General John Hely-Hutchinson
- Campaign role
- Penultimate action of the Egyptian Campaign
Strategic Narrative Overview
Hutchinson's forces arrived at Cairo in mid-June 1801 after a series of minor skirmishes along the route. A substantial Ottoman army joined the British besiegers, surrounding the city and leaving the French garrison with little prospect of relief or escape. Outnumbered and outgunned, General Belliard's 13,000-strong garrison found its position untenable as the allied investment tightened around the city throughout June.
01 / The Origins
The Siege of Cairo arose from the broader French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian Campaign, which sought to threaten British interests in the East. Following Napoleon's departure from Egypt, a British expeditionary force landed and, in cooperation with Ottoman allies, moved to expel the remaining French forces. By mid-June 1801, British commander John Hely-Hutchinson advanced on Cairo, the principal French stronghold in Egypt.
03 / The Outcome
On 27 June 1801, General Belliard capitulated, surrendering the 13,000-strong French garrison to the allied forces. This defeat deeply discouraged the remaining French forces in Egypt under Jacques-François Menou, who withdrew to Alexandria. The fall of Cairo effectively dismantled French control over the Egyptian interior, leaving Alexandria as the last significant French position and signalling the imminent end of France's Egyptian adventure.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Augustin Daniel Belliard, Jacques-François Menou.
Side B
2 belligerents
John Hely-Hutchinson.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.