Wilfrid Scawen Blunt

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt (1840–1922) was an English poet, writer, and political activist who opposed British imperialism and supported Egyptian and Irish independence.

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Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory: An Irish dramatist, folklorist, and co-founder of the Abbey Theatre. Blunt’s Irish political commitments connected him to the nationalist circles in which Gregory worked.
British occupation of Egypt: The period of British military and political control in Egypt that began in 1882 and formally ended in 1956. Blunt made ending British control a central goal of his public campaigning.
British Empire: A worldwide empire of territories governed or controlled by Britain, especially from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries. Blunt’s anti-imperialism targeted the empire’s control over other peoples.
The Future of Islam: Wilfrid Scawen Blunt’s 1882 book on Islamic societies and the political future of Muslim peoples. Blunt used this work to argue that Muslim societies could resist European domination.
Charles Gordon: A British army officer and colonial administrator killed at Khartoum in 1885. Blunt challenged the British campaign to avenge Gordon, arguing against renewed intervention in Sudan.
Urabi revolt: An Egyptian nationalist and military uprising against the Khedive and European influence in 1881–82. Blunt supported the revolt’s cause and later advocated for its exiled leader.
Anti-imperialism: Opposition to the acquisition, maintenance, or exercise of imperial power. This is the political position that best summarizes Blunt’s criticism of British rule abroad.
Secret History of the English Occupation of Egypt: Wilfrid Scawen Blunt’s account of British policy and intervention in Egypt, published in 1907. The book set out Blunt’s case against the occupation and British rule.
Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer: The British official who exercised decisive influence over Egypt from 1883 to 1907. Cromer embodied the occupation Blunt criticized and sought to end.
Egyptian nationalism: A movement asserting Egypt’s political independence and national identity. Blunt’s Egyptian advocacy aligned with demands for Egyptian self-government.