In A. Boppe’s work “L’Albanie et Napoléon”, published in 1914, the complicated relations between Ali Pasha Tepelena , a dominant figure in Epirus at the time, and Napoleonic France are illuminated, in particular regarding the diplomatic, military efforts and strategic interests of both sides in the turbulent Balkans of the late 18th century.
The expansion of Ali Pasha’s rule
During this period, Ali was consolidating his rule in southern Albania, including Ioannina, Konica, Përmet, and other parts of Epirus. He used both military attacks and political marriages as tools:
“He had taken for his two sons Muhtar and Veli, the two daughters of the Pasha of Berat. In this way he secured hostages that guaranteed him against all the means that the Porte could take against him.”
Contacts with the French after 1797
After the French invasion of the Ionian Islands in 1797, Napoleon’s officers attempted to establish relations with the Albanian rulers. Aliu requested military assistance and arms from the French generals in Corfu:
“He asked for gunpowder and the right to sail to the Gulf of Arta… he went further, asking for Butrint to settle there.”
But French generals, such as Gentili and Chabot, were wary of cooperating with a pasha who was known for political duplicity:
“Ali was not only seeking an alliance, but he also wanted to sell his friendship at a very high price.”
Friendship with Napoleon and diplomatic deceptions
Napoleon, for his part, sends Ali personal letters calling him a “respected friend” and offers him cooperation:
“Tell him that now, the duke, I have conquered Malta… I will maintain relations with him… and I want to know if I can count on his help.”
But in the meantime, Ali was also making deals with the Porte and its neighbors, using diplomacy to increase his power.
The Battle of Nicopolis and the betrayal of the French
At the height of these movements, when the French were preparing for the Egyptian campaign, Ali Pasha betrayed his alliance with them. After an agreement with the Porte, he organized an attack on the French troops stationed in Old Nicopolis , who fought heroically:
“The French fought heroically in this unknown corner, without any witnesses to their courage… only to fulfill a duty.”
Of the four hundred soldiers, many were killed, and the survivors were sent to terrible prisons:
“When a Frenchman was no longer able to walk, an Albanian would cut off his head… which his comrades were forced to carry with them all the way to Constantinople.”
The reward from Porta and the dream of more
After the surrender of Corfu by the French, Ali Pasha hoped to receive territory as a reward for his assistance to the Russo-Turkish fleet:
“He hoped that he would be given Parga, Butrint, Voniza… but instead he was only given the title Beylerbey.”
He felt disappointed and began to prepare for future projects of territorial expansion.
This first part of the analysis shows a capable but unscrupulous Ali Pasha , who navigated shrewdly between the great powers to consolidate his rule. The relationship with Napoleon was neither a sincere alliance nor an open hostility – it was a power play at one of the most delicate moments in Mediterranean history.
Continued in the second part…
