Even after the failed campaign in Egypt, Napoleon continued to entertain a grand scheme to establish a French presence in the Middle East.
An alliance with Middle-Eastern powers would have the strategic advantage of pressuring Russia on its southern border. From 1803, Napoleon went to considerable lengths to try to convince the Ottoman Empire to fight against Russia in the
Balkans and join his anti-Russian coalition.
Napoleon sent General
Horace Sebastiani as envoy extraordinary, promising to help the Ottoman Empire recover lost territories.
In February 1806, following Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz and the ensuing dismemberment of the
Habsburg Empire, the Ottoman Emperor
Selim III finally recognised Napoleon as Emperor, formally opting for an alliance with France
"our sincere and natural ally", and war with Russia and England.
A Franco-Persian alliance was also formed, from 1807 to 1809, between Napoleon and the
Persian Empire of
Fat′h-Ali Shah Qajar, against Russia and Great Britain. The alliance ended when France allied with Russia and turned its focus to European campaigns.
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