Battle of Nezib

Overview

The Battle of Nezib was fought on 24 June 1839 between Egypt and the Ottoman Empire. The Egyptians were led by Ibrahim Pasha, while the Ottomans were led by Hafiz Mehmed Pasha, with Helmuth von Moltke the Elder playing an advisory role, in command of the Ottoman artillery. The battle was won by the Egyptians and detail follows.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Egyptian victory at Nezib dealt a severe blow to the Ottoman Empire at a moment of acute dynastic vulnerability. The Ottoman force suffered some 12,000 casualties, stripping the empire of a substantial field army and leaving Anatolia exposed to Egyptian advance. The defeat compounded the crisis of the Second Egyptian-Ottoman War, accelerating the intervention of the European great powers who moved to prevent the collapse of the Ottoman state and the further expansion of Egyptian power under the Muhammad Ali dynasty. Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, then serving as an adviser to the Ottoman artillery, was present at the engagement — a formative experience in what would become one of the nineteenth century's most significant military careers.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)