Soliman Pasha al-Faransawi

Soliman Pasha al-Faransawi, was a French-born Egyptian military commander.

Biography

Joseph Anthelme Sève was born in Lyon to Anthelme Sève and Antoinette Juillet Sève. He became a sailor. Later he joined the army of Napoleon Bonaparte. He fought at the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo. After the war ended in 1815, he resigned from Napoleon's Army and worked as a merchant.
At this time, Muhammad Ali Pasha, also known as Muhammad Ali of Egypt, was recruiting European officers to train his newly formed military on modern warfare and soldierly discipline. Sève travelled to Egypt, changed his name and converted to Islam. He was placed in charge of the new soldiers' school at Aswan, now the Egyptian Military Academy.

Marriage and children

He married a Greek woman, Maria Myriam Hanem, with whom he had four children:⁣ Asmaa al-Faransawi, Nazli al-Faransawi, Mohamed Bey al-Mahdy al-Faransawi, and Zuhra al-Faransawi. One of his great-granddaughters was Queen Nazli, wife of Rulers and [heads of state of Egypt|King] Fuad, and mother of King Farouk.

Death

His tomb is in Old Cairo, and the body of his wife is buried nearby.

Legacy

There is a statue of him in the Egyptian National Military Museum inside the Cairo Citadel and a bust at the Préfecture in Lyon, France.