ABSTRACT
An important Levantine clan of Venetian heritage was the De Rossetti family whose fortunes were interwoven with two hundred years of Egyptian history. No longer content with relying on the generosity of the ruling family, the De Rossetti family decided to sue to maintain their privileged status in Egypt. The extraterritoriality of the foreign consuls, and the position of the family in society, made their lawsuits viable. Cases like theirs spurred a program of legal reform in Egypt.
