The story of Napoleon Bonaparte who wanted to conquer India

It was the 3rd century BCE when India was first invaded by Alexander the Great, who confronted the army of Porus on the western front of India. This front remained fragile for centuries, facing repeated invasions by conquerors from the Middle East and Central Asia. The attacks came from the Kushans, Huns, Scythians, and later the Arabs and Turks.
French commander and later emperor Napoleon Bonaparte harboured ambitions for India, aiming to invade the land and remove the British from India with the assistance of Indian princes.
The Mughals were the ones who secured the land for centuries until it shifted to British control in later centuries. Each of these invaders sought a piece of Indian territory to maximise their wealth and establish their rule.
There is a name that did not become popular and has been lost in the pages of history: Napoleon Bonaparte. He wanted to end British rule in India with the help of an Indian prince.
The French general was enthusiastic about joining forces with Tipu Sultan. Having established themselves along India’s coastal regions, the French were eager to eliminate the British once and for all.
During the conquest of Egypt, Napoleon told his Directoire, “Once I become the master of this old land, I will conquer India and expel the British with the help of Indian princes.”
Before the clash between Russia and French forces in 1812, Tsar Paul of Russia from his capital in St Petersburg sent Napolean Bonaparte a secret proposition in 1801 where he intended to invade India along with the French and to drive out the English and the East India Company.
The tsar supported his ambition with a strong force of 35,000 that could become brutal once joined by the French army. Riaz Dean wrote in his book Mapping the Great Games about the secret proposition.
He further wrote about the Tsar’s plan to invade India through Persia and Afghanistan.
Napoleon at that time was not so confident in the Tsars and his lost army in Egypt at the hands of the British supported his thoughts.
Napoleon served as the commander of the French army from 1796 onwards. The land of the Dukes conflicted with the British for centuries, and he was seeking an opportunity to fuel his ambition of derailing British power.
France was facing internal conflict at that time and was in a state of collapse, which could lead to unrest in the country. In the year following his return from Egypt empty-handed, Napoleon was made consul in 1799 CE. Within three years, he was made consul for life in 1802 and Emperor in the next two years in 1804.

Bonaparte with his army (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

This rise to power followed the tax uprising in France in 1791 when the public revolted against Louis XVI. Napoleon emerged as a leader during this time and garnered the support of the people. He had to face the combined forces of Britain, Austria, and Russia, which joined hands to crush France’s ambitions.
Britain inflicted a naval defeat on the French at Trafalgar (1805) that forced Napoleon to abandon his plans of invading England and turned to joint forces of Austria and Hungary, whom he defeated at Austerlitz.
Napoleon was held responsible for accusing the friendship of the Shah of Persia, Faith Ali, and many of the French envoys at that time were courting the Shah.
This was soon developed by the British who thought about the threat from France and Persia. Soon the Britishers also sent their envoys to the Shah’s court.

Napoleon’s invasion of Great Britain (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

In the year 1807, Persia and France entered into a treaty that guaranteed the integrity of Persia and secured its borders against Russia. In return, France requested that Persia attack the British and cancel all trade agreements with them.
Within two months of the treaty, Alexander signed a pact with the Russians that separated the lands of the West and East between France and Russia.
Idraji Amini mentioned this incident and the treaties in his book. Amini further notes that Napoleon was eager to secure supremacy in Europe at that time.
Many historians believe that the idea of invading India came to Napoleon after being inspired by Alexander the Great.
He attempted to conquer much of Europe, achieving considerable success, and later tried to invade Russia, which turned into a blunder and led to his downfall, followed by his exile to the Mediterranean island of Elba.
In March 1815, he escaped and marched on the French capital. The Battle of Waterloo ended his brief second reign. The British then imprisoned him on the remote Atlantic island of St. Helena, where he died on May 5, 1821.