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Unhappy with the direct interference that the European played in the affairs of Egypt and the deposition of Khedive Ismail, a nationalist movement was formed. It consisted of Egyptian landowners and merchants, Egyptian army officers, former members of the assembly, ulama and Muslim reformers. There also existed an army society consisting of Colonel Admad Urabi, Colonel Ali Fahmi and Colonel Abd al Al Hilmi. There was a “merger” in 1881, between the army society and the National Society and it took the name Al Hizb al Watani al Ahli, the National Popular Party with Colonel Admad Urabi leading it. Army Mutiny A mutiny in the army in 1881 sparked a revolt and soon the rest of the country joined in. About four thousand men marched to the square outside Abdin Palace and demanded for the Khedive. However Tawfiq was not there and when he arrived at his palace, it was already surrounded by soldiers and cannons. He sneaked into the palace by the back way. Inside the palace, he was advised to appeal to the troops. Tawfiq went down the stairs and asked what the troops want. Urabi told him that they wanted liberty, an assembly of notables and all Egyptains to be equal under the law. Tawfiq asked for time to think about it and later he summoned Urabi and made him the undersecretary for war.
Attempts to break Urabi's power In another attempt to break Urabi's power, the British and French sent their fleets to Egypt . They issued a series of demands including temporary exile of Urabi, internal exile of Ali Fahmi and Abd al Al Hilmi and the resignation of the government. As a result, in June 1882, a riot broke out against the Europeans in Egypt . An international conference of European powers was held at Istanbul to discuss about the riot, but Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid boycotted it and refused to sendtroops to Egypt . France refused to send troops to Egypt due to domestic political problems back at home, and withdrew their fleet from Egypt . British Assault On 11th July 1882, the British fleet started bombing Alexandria and occupied it. They installed the Khedive Tawfiq in Ras al-Tin Palace. The Khedive declared Urabi a rebel and deprived him of his political rights. Urabi in turn obtained a religious ruling, deposing Tawfiq as a traitor who brought about the foreign occupation of Egypt and the betrayal of his religion. Urabi then declared war on Britain . At that point of time, Egypt had two leaders, the Khedive, whose authority was confined to Alexandria and Urabi who ruled Cairo and the provinces. Urabi lined up his troops along the Suez Canal in hopes of stopping the British. However the British under Sir Garnet Wolsley and an army of 20,000 went up the canal and landed at Ismailiya. Wolsley was authorized to crush the Urabi forces and rid the country of rebels. The decisive battle was fought at Tall al Kabir on September 13, 1882. On September 14, the British cavalry reached Abbasiya in Cairo . Urabi went out to Abbasiya and surrendered to the British. The British occupation hence begun. Urabi and his associates were put on trial and the Egyptian court sentenced Urabi to death. However through British intervention, the sentenced was commuted to banishment to Ceylon.
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Previous Page: Egypt under Ismail 
2. Egypt under Tawfiq 
Under Tawfiq, the dual control of Egypt 's finances was reinstitued. In July 1880, the Law of Liquidation was promulgated, 50% of Egypt 's total revenues went to service the debt. The Assembly of Delegates was dissolved. 
These developments alarmed the Europeans, particularly Britain and France . In Janaury 1882, the British and French sent a joint note declaring their support for the Khedive. However the note produced an upsurge in anti-European feeling, a shift in leadership of nationalist movement from the moderates in the assembly to the military, the formation of a new government with Urabi as Minister of War.