Well,Napoleon wanted to gain control of Suez and cut the British off from India. Oil did not begin to come into the picture until after 1912, and that in a limited way. American was the world’s great oil producer until after WWII. In thr 19th Century the Euopean powers,, simply overwhelmed the old Turkish empire as they did the antique power of China.
“Well,Napoleon wanted to gain control of Suez and cut the British off from India. “
??But the Suez Canal wasn’t dug yet, and the Brits could still get to India by sailing around the Cape.??