The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in the late 18th century marked a transformative era in European history. Napoleon, a military and political genius, became Emperor of the French, leading campaigns that reshaped the political landscape across Europe. His conquests also extended to Egypt and the Middle East, influencing the dynamics of the region. Both the Second Crusades and Napoleon's campaigns left enduring imprints on the historical narrative of their respective times.

After the fall of Acre in 1291, the Crusader presence in the Holy Land came to an end, and the region remained under Muslim control for centuries.

Following Napoleon's retreat from Egypt in 1799, the region fell back under Ottoman control. However, European interest in the Holy Land and the dream of "liberating" it persisted. The romanticism and religious fervor associated with the idea of reclaiming the Holy Land began to shape the notion of a "Second Wave of the Crusades" in Western imagination. This was a cultural and ideological movement rather than a direct military campaign.