Well, here's the first draft of my TL. Please, keep your mocking to a minimum.
POD: Future Sultan Abdul Hamid II develops a hatred of the French, after he is mugged and left for dead in a Parisian street while on a visit to France in 1867.
1881: France accuses Tunisia of crossing the border to Algeria, and invades the country. Italy protests, but does not intervene.
May: French troops have conquered most of Tunisia. However, Ottoman mercenaries (funded personally by the Sultan) continue to cause chaos. The chief General of the invasion force chooses to take a time-honoured military path for dealing with insurgents, and wipes out entire villages for the crimes of insurgents who have already escaped. Tunisian sentiments are decidedly anti-French at this time, and the area remains under indefinite military occupation.
1882: Triple Alliance of Germany, Italy and Austria signed.
1884: The Berlin Conference officially divides up Africa between the various powers. France has slightly less territory ITTL, as the Powers view France's ruthless treatment of the Tunisians with distaste. Specifically, the area around Gabon and Congo is granted to Germany as an extension of Prussia.
1885: French Indochina is formed in the aftermath of the Sino-French War.
1888: Brazil finally bans slavery.
1891: Abdul Hamid is deposed by his courtiers, and Mehmed V is installed as Sultan.
1894: Franco-Russian Alliance signed.
1895: After the First Sino-Japanese war, China is forced to cede Taiwan to Japan and relinquishes control of Korean affairs.
1897: Emperor Gwangmu proclaims the Korean Empire.
1898: The US gains the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Cuba from Spain after the Spanish-American War. The Boxer Rebellion begins.
1901: Queen Victoria dies. Edward VII takes the throne.
1904: Birth of the "Entente Cordiale" between France and Britain.
1905: While on a state visit to Tunis on 31st March, Kaiser Wilhelm II makes a speech in favour of Tunisian independence. The French military immediately attempt to arrest him. His bodyguards protect him, and the streets soon become a battleground between the Kaiser's entourage and the French police.
The Kaiser returns to Germany safely, and the Triple Alliance is outraged at this "blatant attempt at asserting a Pax Gallica over all Europe". Britain and Russia, on the other hand, question a Head of State urging a colony to declare independence. Britain is especially concerned about the situation in Ireland, while Russia is worried about Polish nationalist sentiment.
President Roosevelt attempts to mediate, but is rebuffed. On 10th April of that year, France and Germany sign a declaration of war. Their respective allies follow suit within days. The Great War has begun.
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Comments?
POD: Future Sultan Abdul Hamid II develops a hatred of the French, after he is mugged and left for dead in a Parisian street while on a visit to France in 1867.
1881: France accuses Tunisia of crossing the border to Algeria, and invades the country. Italy protests, but does not intervene.
May: French troops have conquered most of Tunisia. However, Ottoman mercenaries (funded personally by the Sultan) continue to cause chaos. The chief General of the invasion force chooses to take a time-honoured military path for dealing with insurgents, and wipes out entire villages for the crimes of insurgents who have already escaped. Tunisian sentiments are decidedly anti-French at this time, and the area remains under indefinite military occupation.
1882: Triple Alliance of Germany, Italy and Austria signed.
1884: The Berlin Conference officially divides up Africa between the various powers. France has slightly less territory ITTL, as the Powers view France's ruthless treatment of the Tunisians with distaste. Specifically, the area around Gabon and Congo is granted to Germany as an extension of Prussia.
1885: French Indochina is formed in the aftermath of the Sino-French War.
1888: Brazil finally bans slavery.
1891: Abdul Hamid is deposed by his courtiers, and Mehmed V is installed as Sultan.
1894: Franco-Russian Alliance signed.
1895: After the First Sino-Japanese war, China is forced to cede Taiwan to Japan and relinquishes control of Korean affairs.
1897: Emperor Gwangmu proclaims the Korean Empire.
1898: The US gains the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Cuba from Spain after the Spanish-American War. The Boxer Rebellion begins.
1901: Queen Victoria dies. Edward VII takes the throne.
1904: Birth of the "Entente Cordiale" between France and Britain.
1905: While on a state visit to Tunis on 31st March, Kaiser Wilhelm II makes a speech in favour of Tunisian independence. The French military immediately attempt to arrest him. His bodyguards protect him, and the streets soon become a battleground between the Kaiser's entourage and the French police.
The Kaiser returns to Germany safely, and the Triple Alliance is outraged at this "blatant attempt at asserting a Pax Gallica over all Europe". Britain and Russia, on the other hand, question a Head of State urging a colony to declare independence. Britain is especially concerned about the situation in Ireland, while Russia is worried about Polish nationalist sentiment.
President Roosevelt attempts to mediate, but is rebuffed. On 10th April of that year, France and Germany sign a declaration of war. Their respective allies follow suit within days. The Great War has begun.
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Comments?