Khedive Ismail was a ruler of Egypt and Sudan from 1863 to
1879. He oversaw the building of the Suez Canal, working with the French and
the British. Ismail borrowed lots of money to finance the canal, along with his
wars. Of course, Ismail borrowed from the Brits and the French, and borrowed
more to liquidate his earlier loans. When Ismail cannot raise enough funds to
pay, he sold Suez Canal company shares to the Europeans, losing control over
the Suez Canal that brought Egypt under the powers of the British and the
French.
