AHC: Pre-1900 "Greater Yugoslavia"

The challenge is to come up with a way for a greater Yugoslavia to exist before the end of the 19th century/within the first decade of the 20th century. This Yugoslavia must include Bulgaria as well as most of OTL Yugoslavia, bonus points if Albania is added in.

My idea is that Austria-Hungary collapses sometime in the 1880s, meaning Austrian influence in the Balkans also collapses, allowing the Russians to take a hold. This might allow the Karadordević family to take over in Serbia and when Bulgaria needs a new prince in 1887, the Russians might support a union between Serbia and Bulgaria. This is as far as I've got (a bit stuck on Croatia and maybe Albania joining), but I am by no means an expert in Balkan history so if there's no chance of my idea working then I'd love to hear other suggestions.

I'd argue that a Yugoslavia which includes Bulgaria would be more stable than OTL due to the fact that Serbs hold a lesser share of power within the country, which scared the Croatians. If power can be shared relatively equally among Serbs, Bulgarians, and Croatians, and a pan-Yugoslav identity can be created, then I think it might last.
 
Austria could also collapse in 1848, gives you more time to work with and takes place before the Crimean War altered the alignments of the Great Powers toward the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire.
 
Is there a limit on how early the POD can be?? Because I think it would be helpful to create a common Yugoslav identity as early as possible. I'm thinking the Ottomans are more successful in the 16th century and are able to capture ALL of Croatia (maybe Slovenia too???). Under Ottoman rule, comtact grows between the Croats, Serbs, and Bulgarians (who see themselves as oppressed both by the Muslism Ottoman elite and the Greek elite who run the Rum Millet-specific institutions. They rise up in revolt at some point in the 18th century and succeed at winning independence for a part of Croatia and a part of Serbia. These rump nations remain closely allied and dedicated to liberating their Bulgaria 'brothers'. When Bulgaria frees itself in the 19th century, it joins the Yugoslav alliance. When the Ottoman Empire finally collapses, the Yugoslav alliance seizes control of all of the Balkans North of Greece and develops into a federation.
 
Mahmud II dies together with Mustafa IV in 1808. No Ottoman male member and the Giray Dynasty member will have to deal with consolidating his power possibly by doing his best to keep the Russians out of Bulgaria. The rest is same as OTL until 1848 where Austria collapses under pressure and Hungary fails to keep the South Slav regions. From 1849 the remainder of time is spend in an alliance between Russia and nibble of Bulgaria and Macedonia.

This could work... flawless. Ideally is that Karadorde Petrovic not turning against Slavic Muslims in Belgrade Pashaluk, alienating the Muslims. If that happens and with cutting deals with Bosniak landlords there might even be a Serbia from Nis to Bihac by 1815.
 
Nice, I like these ideas. Preferably the POD would be in the latter half of the 19th century but I feel like these ideas would create more of a Yugoslav national identity and a real South Slavic nation, rather than an identity and country which is largely constructed and forced together.
How would religion play into these scenarios? That was one of the major differences in OTL Yugoslavia and I'd imagine it would also be a large factor in an earlier Yugoslavia - especially one with an earlier POD. Were Muslim Slavs more loyal to the Ottomans that Christian Slavs? Or did ethnic identity overrule religion in these parts?
 
I doubt Russia would allow it. They were fearful of a strong Bulgaria OTL, preferring smaller Balkan states that they could easily control. Of course with the right PoD, it might be possible, but you should think about something that doesn't involve Russia as a kingmaker in the Balkans.
 
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