The Sudanese life of General Charles George Gordon

Abstract

In early February 1885, the reports of the tragic fate of the General Charles George “Chinese” Gordon came out of the blue. The whole British society was suddenly shaken and in a state of shock. For a year’s time, they had been informed with vigorous regularity about Gordon’s defence of the civilization in Khartoum all by his self against the barbarous and fanatical Mahdi – and all of a sudden, everything was over. In the eyes of the British, in a single day, his demise made of him one of the best known heroes of the Victorian era, disposing naturally of all of the imperial virtues. As time went by, however, his personal legacy faded from the British consciousness as fast as the faith in British Empire with its values, ideals and symbols. The present paper focuses on the now forgotten Sudanese life of General Gordon, for whom the Sudan became fatal. In its opening part, the article analyses his time in Egyptian service in the position of the Governor of Equatoria (1874–1877) and consequently, the Governor- General of the whole of the Sudan during the late rule of Khedive Ismail. The fact that the growing Mahdist Revolt, which had caused destabilization of the standing Egyptian administration in the Sudan, could, under certain circumstances, be a threat for Egypt, too,forced British officials in early 1884 to use General Gordon’s services as the Governor-General in Khartoum. However, Gordon’s erroneous assessment of the situation soon led to his isolation from the surrounding areas. The Relief Expeditions sent afterwards did not succeed in saving General Gordon, whose heroic dead passed into legend.