Beschreibung:

Attributed to Major General Sir Eyre Coote, K.C., Sultan's Medal for Egypt 1801 (Medal of the Order of the Crescent), first class, gold, 54mm, hairling but otherwise extremely fine; together with another Sultan's Medal for Egypt, third class, gold, 42mm, nearly extremely fine; and a small archive of fascinating documents in support of the attribution, comprising: a contemporary translation of a letter written to Coote by the Ottoman Grand Vizier thanking him for gifts and professing friendship, an envelope addressed to Coote in Malta (possibly the means by which his medal was conveyed to him, and two copies of an Ottoman Turkish passport issued to a later member of the Coote line, in respect of a trading vessel. Born in 1762, the nephew of Lt. General Sir Eyre Coote (celebrated for his role in operations in India), Eyre Coote was educated at Eton and Trinity College Dublin, before purchasing a commission in the 37th Foot (his uncle's regiment) in 1774. He fought as a Lieutenant and Captain in the American Revolutionary War, and subsequently advanced to Major in the 47th Foot (1783) and Lt. Col. of the 70th Foot (1788). Following the outbreak of war with France in 1793 he commanded light infantry in the West Indies with great distinction. He became a Colonel in 1794, and returned to the West Indies under General Sir Ralph Abercromby in 1795, where he once again distinguished himself, and was made Aide de Camp to King George III. Further active service followed, this time in two expeditions in Northern Europe, together with continuing advances in rank. Thus, by 1801, Coote was a highly accomplished office with considerable combat experience, and this was the year in which a British force, under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby, moved to defeat Napoleon's Army of the Orient in Egypt, where they had been stranded in 1798 by Nelson's victory at Aboukir Bay. French possession of Egypt represented a dire threat to British interests in India, and with a European peace in prospect it was vital that they be dislodged before their claim could be enshrined in a treaty. The campaign was also important because it witnessed a resurgence in British military prowess after a disheartening series of defeats. Coote played a prominent part, landing at the head of his Brigade as part of the meticulously planned and executed amphibious assault that initiated operations. In the coming months he discharged his duties with great skill and energy, and at the culmination of the campaign he led his troops in a dashing circuitous assault on Alexandria to help deliver the coup de gras to the French dream of an Egyptian colony. Like many of his peers, he received a gold medal from the Ottoman Sultan, representing what came to be seen as the equivalent of an order of chivalry. As well as two such medals, the lot will include a contemporary translation of a very friendly letter to Coote from the Ottoman Grand Vizier, and an Ottoman envelope addressed to him in Malta, where many officers received their medals. Provenance: by descent through a branch of the family Read more »