Our study is intended to prove: 1. The historicity of the Ottomans' claim to the Caliphate since Selim I. 2. The belief of the majority of the Ottomans' subjects in that claim, which - whether it was authentic or fictitious - exerted a profound influence upon the Muslims at the time of the expedition. 3. This historical tradition undermined the authority of the French in Egypt and their political innovations, e. g. Arab and Egyptian Nationalism, self-governmental institutions etc.
