AHC: Have Russia annex Bulgaria in the Victorian era

With POD as far as 1821, how could the Russian Empire hold an area roughly equivalent to today's Bulgaria, or better the greater Bulgaria included in the Central Power's war aims ?

Also, how would the Bulgarians fare under Russian rule ? More like the Finns, with more or less automny or more like the Ukrainian, with heavy russification programs ?
 
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The problem with this is that the Great Powers would be very much opposed to a Russian annexation of Bulgaria, although I don't know if the Bulgarians would be supportive of such an action.
 
It would be very difficult, considering how muche effort the Russians had to expend to get the sharply territorially limited at best semi-puppet Bulgaria following the Congress of Berlin.
 
It would be very difficult, considering how muche effort the Russians had to expend to get the sharply territorially limited at best semi-puppet Bulgaria following the Congress of Berlin.

The main problem with Bulgarian national movements is that unlike say, Serbian or Greek national movements, the Bulgarian national movement is hampered by the close proximity of Bulgaria to the Ottoman capital itself.
 
With POD as far as 1821, how could the Russian Empire hold an area roughly equivalent to today's Bulgaria, or better the greater Bulgaria included in the Central Power's war aims ?

Also, how would the Bulgarians fare under Russian rule ? More like the Finns, with more or less automny or more like the Ukrainian, with heavy russification programs ?

Well any scenario where this happens will definitely have to be an uber-Russian wank considering that having Russian territory stretch all the way past the Danube and approaching Constantinople/Mediterranean ports will be a massive destabilizer to the Concert of Europe and will be violently resisted by whatever Great Powers exist.

Britain, France and Austria are the main Great Power obstacles, with Austria probably the most implacable one considering their security is quite tied to having no strong power holding the Danube. Greater Bulgaria will be fiendishly difficult as nobody wanted Russian power to extend all the way into the Mediterranean, especially not Britain and France.

A possible PoD could be:

1) The Habsburg Empire collapses in the 1848 revolutions, with Hungary getting independence.

2) Napoleon III comes to power in France and pursues a strong pro-Ottoman policy. Suez gets built, enhancing the region's importance to UK.

3) Without Austria to counterbalance France, Napoleon III embarks on more 'adventures' in Italy, maybe forms an axis with Prussia/German Confederation. UK-France relations go into deep freeze.

4) Mindful of Napoleon's legacy, Britain starts looking for allies in a potential war against France. Russia is a natural fit for that purpose.

5) Bulgarian uprising in Ottoman Empire, with France supporting the Ottomans. Russia uses pretext to invade Turkey, sweeping away weak Hungarian protests.

6) Nobody wants to see Russia gain a Mediterranean port but the UK sees benefit in driving a geographical wedge (of sorts) between France, Italy and Turkey. So they broker a deal where Russia gets Greater Bulgaria, but without a Mediterranean port.
 
5) Bulgarian uprising in Ottoman Empire, with France supporting the Ottomans. Russia uses pretext to invade Turkey, sweeping away weak Hungarian protests.

6) Nobody wants to see Russia gain a Mediterranean port but the UK sees benefit in driving a geographical wedge (of sorts) between France, Italy and Turkey. So they broker a deal where Russia gets Greater Bulgaria, but without a Mediterranean port.
"This is not a peace, it is a ceasefire for twenty years."
 
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