With only Britain left to fight and not enough of a navy to fight a direct war, Napoleon conceives of an invasion of Egypt in 1798, which satisfies his personal desire for glory and the Directory's desire to have him far from Paris.

The military objective of the expedition is not entirely clear, but may have been to threaten the British dominance in India.Napoleon sails from Toulon to Alexandria, taking Malta on the way, and landing in June.

Marching to Cairo, he wins a great victory at the Battle of the Pyramids.

However, his fleet is destroyed by Nelson at the Battle of the Nile, stranding him in Egypt.

Napoleon spends the remainder of the year consolidating his position in Egypt.The French government also takes advantage of internal strife in Switzerland to invade, establishing the Helvetian Republic and annexing Geneva.

French troops also depose the Pope, establishing a republic in Rome.