Challenge: New Byzantium, sorta

JJohnson

Banned
My question / challenge is, what would it take as a point of departure to have Greece take back Constantinople, and a portion (large or small) of Asia Minor as well? This would include modern Greece, Constantinople, and one or more of the themata from Asia Minor (bonus if it includes any of the cities Paul wrote to: Ephesus, Colossus, or Antioch). Something from 1774 onwards, preferably. I'm not too familiar with eastern history, and I'd like to use some info in a timeline I'm working on. Thanks!

James
 
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Catherine the Great had one of her grandsons named Constantine, and intended for him to be the ruler of a revitalized Byzantine Empire. If the Turks completely collapse during the 1787 Russo-Turkish War, then she'd put him on the throne in Constantinople.
 
Catherine the Great had one of her grandsons named Constantine, and intended for him to be the ruler of a revitalized Byzantine Empire. If the Turks completely collapse during the 1787 Russo-Turkish War, then she'd put him on the throne in Constantinople.

Right up until the British sent the navy and politely told Catherine that Constantine would stay a member of the Russian royal family.
 
There was a Greek movement (squashed at the end of the 18th century) for a French-style revolution in the Ottoman Empire, resulting in a multi-ethnic state run by the Phanariotes. It probably would have failed, but they did try to ask Napoleon for assistance. The state they wanted included the Balkans, Moldavia/Wallachia and some of Asia Minor (including Constantinople).
 

JJohnson

Banned
Interesting...so, what would a suitable point of departure be to result in a revitalized Greek state including Constantinople, and at least some, if not a large portion of, Asia Minor? Would these Panariotes plus Catherine the Great's grandson conspire together to bring this about?

James
 
The trouble is that the Greek War of Independence was pretty much one of those lucky coincidental type of things, and even then some of the Europeans (notably Lord Byron) were repulsed by how "barbaric" the Greeks behaved during wartime.

Probably channeling Abdul here, but maybe staying in the Ottoman Empire would've been the best thing for Greece in this case.
 
Interesting...so, what would a suitable point of departure be to result in a revitalized Greek state including Constantinople, and at least some, if not a large portion of, Asia Minor? Would these Panariotes plus Catherine the Great's grandson conspire together to bring this about?

James
The Phanariotes were a bit later- Catherine the Great was dead by the time Feraios (their leader) was murdered* by the Ottomans while going to ask Napoleon for help. I don't know what would have happened had he got there- Napoleon was already fighting the Ottomans...

*I'm not saying murdered just out of bias- Feraios was arrested by the Austrians, who would also have lost territory had he succeeded, and handed over to the Ottomans. He was being returned to Istanbul for trial but, due to fears of a rescue attempt by a rebellious Ottoman governor (Pazvantoglu), he was quietly strangled and dumped in the Danube.
 
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