God Save These American States

[Virginia Liberal]

Next up will be the United Kingdom of Hungry-Croatia
The Byzantine Empire.
The Italian Empire
The Kingdom of Sardinia
Russian Empire
And Britain to wrap up Europe.

 

[Virginia Liberal]

Oh the Catholic Church and the Papal Kingdom of Jurselem and Rome will get a update too

 

[Virginia Liberal]

The United Kingdoms of Hungary-Croatia

Throughout the 1820’s under the Imperial Monarchist Party and its Imperialist Coalition the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia had continued its military improvements and expansion. The 1830’s saw most of these programs begin to end as Hungary-Croatia had with the exception of maybe the Russian Empire the largest military in Central Europe; not only was it large but the Royal Hungarian and Croatian Armies were very well trained, and thanks to its mandatory 4 year conscription policy the United Kingdoms had a large well trained reserve as well. Navy Wise the United Royal Navy (1) possessed 26 ships of the line(generally between 60 and 80 guns however the Flagships the BnV Duke of Branimir in the Croatian Fleet and the FH Szent István király both of which were 100 guns), 44 Frigates, and 48 sloop and brig sized vessels. To ensure funding for the creation of a Navy that was sponsored by more than just the Kingdom of Croatia (who controls the Coastline and thusly all the ports and dockyards) The Imperial Coalition passed the United Royal Navy act. The URN Act split the Navy into two fleets one Croatian and one Hungarian with a joint Admiralty Board controlling both fleets. Further under the bill the two fleets had to receive equal funding and equal development. The Croatian Fleet would be based at Rijeka while the Hungarian Fleet was based at Split. It should be noted that none of these ships were steam powered; Hungary-Croatia would not commission its first steam powered ship until 1843.

The Royal Guards Armory in Buda one of the many Armories

By the mid 1830’s however it was becoming clear that Hungary-Croatia was falling behind when it came to the ever increasing industrial development in Europe.by 1937 Hungary-Croatia had just 207 miles of rail lines in both kingdoms. Naturally when the leaders of both major coalitions realized the growing inequality between Hungary-Croatia and other European powers like France, Prussia, Bavaria, Italy, Byzantium and Britain. Hungary-Croatia also lagged behind in the textile industry that was fueling most of the industrial expansions and ever growing middle class in other countries. The only thing Hungary-Croatia had to offer was its expanded weapons making abilities; only Britain and France could come close to Hungary-Croatia in the numbers of Muskets, Cannons and other weapons of war produced per year. Both major political coalitions wanted to fix this issue, but the Kingdoms’ treasuries had been depleted by the massive military complex build up so in order to get the funds needed to start even a modest infrastructure improvement they started looking for foreign funding. This was not easy to find their neighbors didn’t exactly think loaning thousands of dollars to a nation whose primary goal over the last fifteen years was to become the Military powerhouse of Central Europe. Finally they did find some funding in the form of a series of loans at 25% interest from the State Bank of Virginia and the State Bank of North Carolina as well as a series of 28% interest loans from the Federal Bank of America the national bank of the Federal Republic of America. This influx of cash would allow Hungary-Croatia to begin a major railway building program beginning in 1838, as well as two major locomotive works on in Buda the other in Zagreb. However The United Kingdoms of Hungary-Croatia would continue to lag behind the other major powers when it came to the Industrial Revolution outside of the defense industries.


The financial connection with the two American Republics would play a part in Hungary-Croatia’s second method of finance. In 1838 working though the American East Africa Trading Company based in New York City Hungary-Croatia would begin to sell their military hardware to the newly Created Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguards created by the young Emperor Tewodros II in his attempt to take the power of the emperor back from the various Princely Warlords that had been ruling much of the Empire since the 1780’s.

King Joseph I of Hungary-Croatia Queen Consort Alexandra

House Habsburg of Hungary
Joseph (I) Anton Johann von Habsburg-m(Oct 30,1799)-Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia
-Archduchess Alexandrine of Hungry (Born March 9, 1801
-Crown Prince Stephen Francis Victor of Hungary-Croatia (Born September 7, 1803
-Archduchess Hermine of Croatia (Born January 8, 1806
-Archduke Karl Peter of Croatia (Born May 8, 1810)
-Archduke Maximillian Joseph of Hungary (Born June 21, 1812)
-Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska Maria of Croatia (Born August 19,1814)

1. Because of the Split nature of the United Royal Navy its ships have separate prefixes depending upon which fleet they are in. Ships in the Hungarian Fleet carry the prefix FH for Felségének hajója/ (Your Majesty’s Ship). While ships in the Croatian Fleet carry the prefix BnV for Brod njegovog Veličanstva FH/BnV (His/Her Majesty’s Ship)

 

[Virginia Liberal]

The Byzantine Empire

For the Byzantine Empire the Turkish war of 1816 was a turning point for them; before the war they were considered a puppet state of the Russian Empire with a child Emperor on the throne in Athens (even if Constantine XII came into his own back in 1797). However, after the treaty of Windsor left Byzantium once more controlling a fully restored Constantinople along with much of Western Anatolia, resulting in a war that Regent Bobrinsky and Czar Micheal II had advised his Constantine XII against taking part in it was clear that Byzantium was at least a respected regional power in the Eastern Mediterranean. To the British and their Italian Allies it was noted that Constantine XII’s wife was a member of the French Royal Family.


Following the war the biggest Issue that The Byzantine government would have to deal with was the payment of the treaty mandated 1.5 million pounds this amount translated into 10.2‬ million Byzantine silver stavratas going to the Ottoman Empire to facilitate the resettlement of the Turks from Western Anatolia and any Christians who wished to move from Eastern Anatolia to the west. This drain of money which one Byzantine Senator likened to “A Giant sucking sound going from the treasury across the Aegean Sea.” meant that the Byzantium had to be resourceful with the funds that it did have left available to it.


This funding drain meant that there was no way possible for the Byzantines to match the military build up that Hungary-Croatia was doing on in the 1820’s and 1830’s or to do much to help out its developing industry and middle class. So they got creative with what they did have. The the 1823 Army Reform Act restructured the Imperial Army into a force of 125,000 infantry 25,000 Cavalry and 300 field and Horse artillery batteries. These were split into three Theaters the Black Sea Coast which consisted of Western Anatolia and Thrace, The Hellenistic Theater consisting of Greece, The Aegean Islands Cyprus and Crete, and the Balkans Theater consisting of the Balkans Provinces. This was 1824 Conscription Act which reduced the number of years of conscription from four to two, allowing the army to train two conscription classes in the time it would normally train one. In 1830 Byzantium would strike a deal with the Federal Republic of America to manufacture the M1828 Halls Rifle (the cap lock version of the 1812 Halls breech loading rifle) for internal use. Those along with the reforms of the 1820’s meant that while the Imperial Army of Byzantium was one of the smaller armies in it was a well equipped and well trained force with a large well trained militia force backing it up in the event of a war.


With the Government unable to provide aid and incentives for people to expand the industries of the Empire those men who wanted to build factories, Railroads, Drydocks and Steam ships. Were forced to look abroad for the investment, many would succeed in finding investors mostly from France, Bavaria, Federal Republic of America and Commonwealth of American States. This allowed the Byzantine Empire to experience a moderate rate of Industrial development.The lack of British investors was proof for many in the Byzantine Empire that the British had added the reparations provision in the Treaty of Windsor were a British ploy to keep the Byzantine Empire from returning to its former glory. Heading into the 1840’s the leaders of Byzantium were looking up 1844 would be the last year of reparations to the Turks and then they could plug the Turkish straw from their treasury.


The Byzantine Royal Family (House Romanov)
Konstantin Pavlovich Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (Constantine XII)-m(9/261796)- Princess Marie Thérèse of France

-Crown Prince Paul Louis Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (Born 8/4/1797)
-Justinian Eugene Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (Born 10/1/1798)
-Natasha Maria Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (Born 7/17/1801)
-Constantine Emanuel Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (Born 1/7/1803)
-Tabatha Sophia Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (Born 6/24/1806)
-Kristen Layna Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov (Born 5/1/1810)​

 

[Raiyleigh]

OttomanEmpire is probably not doing so well right now (hatred towards the Greeks/Italians must be extreme, pogroms potentially going on), the next to loses are probably Mesopima/Syria/Armenia or Sinope/Pontic in the next war.

 

[Virginia Liberal]

I'm actually working on an ottoman post now not where I had intended to go but I'm stuck in a writer block where Italy is concerned.

And yes the Ottoman empire is a mess and it's only gonna get worse

 

[Virginia Liberal]

Ottomans Post Italian-Turksh War

Since the end of the Italian-Turkish War the Ottoman Empire had been on a slide into civil war. The continued stability of the Ottoman Economy thanks to the reparations paid by the Byzantine Empire and the Swedish Investment in developing the Ottoman Cotton Industry in the 1820’s. However under the rule of Sultan Mustafa IV and his conservative backers Ottoman society and culture had regressed, and a culture of hatred toward the Europeans had evolved in the decade since the end of the war. However Sultan Mustafa IV wasn’t without detractors and while he had broad support in what was left of Turkish controlled Anitolita, elsewhere the reformist had once resurfaced. The center of the Reformist power base was Syria and its capital Damascus, and Mesopotamia. In Mesopotamia there was a growing feeling that the Government in Ankara was too focused on Europe and not paying enough attention to the east.

Sultan Mustafa IV

The Janissaries the old guard elite military units supporters of Mustafa IV's government

It was in Damascus that the New Model Turkish Army found refuge following the Defeat in the Italian-Turkish war. Where Mustafa IV sought to disband the New Model Turkish Army, the Reformers continued to build it up so that by mid 1830’s it was more than capable of defending all of the Emirate of Syria with allowing the Reformers to purge the Janissaries form their territory in June of 1836 After this point there were effectively two governments the conservative government in Ankara and the Reformist government in Damascus. This solidifying of the Divisions in the Empire came at the worst possible time; as on September 21, 1836 the Persians Invaded Mesopotamia.

Flag of the Damascus Reformers

As Mesopotamia more or less stayed loyal to Ankara Mustafa IV would be the one to send the first reinforcements however word of the Invasion would reach him until October 1, 1836 once he had this knowledge he would dispatch a force of 58,000 men many of them Janissaries to reinforce the Mesopotamian troops already fighting the Persians.

The Turkish New Model Army key supporters of the Damascus Reformers

Persians, Meet the Persians, there the modern middle eastern nation state (1)

In the East Persia under Shah Jafar Khan The Great Reformer and his son Shah Lotf Ali Khan The Revolutionary had brought modern weaponry and industry, and European governmental structure to Persia. Key elements in this revolution are the Russo-Persian Treaty of 1810 which settled the Caucasus Border, and the North Eastern Borders between the Russian Empire and the Persian Empire, it also granted the Russians Right of Passage through the Persian Caucasus provinces and access and basing right to Persian Ports, in exchange for Russian investment in Persian road projects in the Caucasus provinces and Russian help in modernizing the Persian Ports that they based their ships at. The next major treaty was the 1815 Investment with the Commonwealth of American States based Palmetto Trading Company. The Persian Contract as the Americans referred to it as granted the Palmetto Trading Company the rights to operate trading post in side the Persian Empire and free use of the Persian Ports as long as the Palmetto Trading Company would invest in the maintenance and upgrading of any ports, roads, or other infrastructure that they used or may be needed. From this treaty Persia;s first railroad would be born in 1833 when the Persian Palmetto Railway was created to connect the Persian capital City of Shiraz to the ports on the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Shah Jafar Khan Zand the Great Reformer

Shah Lotf Ali Khan The Revolutionary

In 1825 when Shah Lotf Ali Khan died his eldest son Mohammad Karim Ali Khan Zand rose to the peacock throne as Shah Karim II. Mohammad Karim Ali Khan Zand had traveled to the Ottoman Empire and Egypt as a boy and he realized that the Ottoman’s had been reduced to a paper tiger whose government was outmoded and their military was outdated and poorly equipped for a modern war. Karim II had not moved against the Ottomans right away he had instead the Persians first drove north and east securing their eastern borders this took 5 years to achieve between 1825 and 1830’s; however by the start of the 1830’s the Persians were plotting for an expansion into Mesopotamia.

Mohammad Karim Ali Khan Zand/Shah Karim II the Glorious

(1) say it to the theme song of the Flintstones.

 

[Virginia Liberal]

The Persians Turkish War

The Persian Turkish war would be a fairly short affair lasting just 8 months from September 21,1836 to February 28, 1837. The Persians would cross the border on September 21,1836 they would take the under manned and out gunned Turkish Garrison. By October 1st the Port city of Basra fell to the Persian Army then turned north on October 10th they would engage the Ottoman Army of Mesopotamia at the battle of Kut. The Persian Army had 45,000 men compared the Ottomans’s 60,000 men, it was much to the shock and surprise of the Ottomans when the Persian Army smash through their defensive lines and scattering the Ottoman Army after just four hour of battle. The Persians would detach their cavalry to chase down as many of the fleeing Ottoman conscripts as possible. The 25,000 men that remained of the Ottoman Army of Mesopotamia retreated north to Baghdad to await the coming reinforcements from Ankara. This would result in the siege of Baghdad that began on November 1, 1836 as the Persians halted to bring up more supplies and reinforcements, after the battle of Kut. Inside the City of Baghdad was a Turkish force just under 85,000 men outside was a Persian army of 95,000 men, the Persians lacked the manpower to take the city by force and the Ottomans lacked the men to break out and still hold the city.



Now the Ottoman Empire had more resources that it could call upon such as the 125,000 New Model Army in Syria or the 120,000 man Western army along the border with the Byzantine Empire the 80,000 men of the Northeastern Army along the border with the Russian Client state the Kingdom of Georgia. But as October gave way to December the Ottomans found themselves unable or unwilling to use these forces. This is because Persia was playing dirty by funding the Kurds and Armenian separatist groups and promising to recognize their right to self rule following the end of the Turkish-Persian War as long as they understood that they would get no land from inside the prewar borders of Persia. The Persian backing of the Christian Armenians also bought the silent support of the Russian Empire as Czar Micheal II and the Patriarch of Moscow both supported the resurrection of the Christian Kingdom of Armenia. All of this lead to uprising day November 7, 1836 the day when the Kruds and Armenians rose in rebellion against the Ottomans. Meanwhile the 120,000 Turkish New Model Army in Damascus was ordered to secure Syria and do nothing else. This outraged the Reformers who realized that Mustafa IV would rather see the Empire burn than allow them to help.


From the start of the siege of Baghdad till January 21, 1837 the Reformers in Damascus would debate what they should do disobey Imperial orders and march their army to break the siege of Baghdad or move on Ankara and depose Mustafa IV. Then on January 21, 1837 word from Baghdad reach Damascus that the defenders of the city were running short on ammunition, and food supplies (Baghdad hadn’t been exactly stocked for a siege when it began). That settled the issue the Reformers orders to Mirliva (1) Gokmen Adanir take 54,000 Infantry, 6,000 Cavalry, and 36 field guns and march to relieve Baghdad. When word of this reached Ankara Mustafa IV was beside himself, there was no way that he wanted to Reformers to win a victory, it could mean the downfall of his government. In an act of sere desperation he arranged for the Perisans to find out not only that the Turkish New Model Army was on the march but by what route they were marching to Baghdad. This would lead to the battle of Ramadi on February 18, 18387, The battle of Ramadi would see Mirliva Gokmen Adanir’s army ambushed as it crossed the Euphrates River. The Persian was just larger than the Turkish Force under Mirliva Gokmen Adanir however they had had time to place their forces to ensure maximum envelopment and destructive power The results of the battle was that the Turkish New Model Army was defeated losing just over 6,000 men men and 12 field guns Killed captured or wounded- and being forced to withdraw to the Western bank of the River. With the relief column halted Persian Sarlashgar(2) Amir Mohammad Shahi would send the captured Ottoman soldiers and banners back to Baghdad where they would be paraded in front of the defenses of Baghdad. Three days later on February 21, 1837 Mirliva Gokmen Adanir and the Turkish New Model Army would try once more to cross the River so the Second Battle of Ramadi would begin. The Second Battle of Ramadi would see the Trukish New Model Army give it better account of its fighting abilities (easily done as it was no longer walking into an ambush). However the Perisan forces were just as well trained and equipped as the Turkish New Modeled Army (Sarlashgar Amir Mohammad Shahi had even been an observer during the Italian-Turkish War and the Bohemian War) and the attempt to cross a wide river with limited bridges proved to be a challenge that was just too much for the Turkish New Model Army to pull off by the end of February 23, 1837 after three days of Combat Mirliva Gokmen Adanir called off any future attempts to break out of the small bridge head that had been established on the eastern bank of the River, and asked for a cease fire to see to the wounded. He then sent word back to Damascus that he would not be able to reach Baghdad, Two days later Baghdad would surrender to the Persian Army after receiving generous terms by Sepahbod(3) Mostafa Hajar. When word reached Mirliva Gokmen Adanir that Baghdad had fallen, he ordered his army to break camp and begin marching north. He knew that now Mustafa IV would use this as a way to get out of the war. And he knew that if the peace was too embarrassing for the Empire Mustafa’s government would have to go having lost two wars no matter what Mustafa believed another humiliating treaty would be all his fellow reformers needed to march on Ankara and topple the sorry sultan Mustafa IV and his men would be there.

Persian Troops in Baghdad

After learning of the fall of Baghdad Mustafa IV would request the aid of the French in mediation at Peace treaty. The two sides would meet in Marseilles France on March 3, 1837 for peace talks. The Ottoman Delegation had orders from Mustafa IV to end the conflict as soon as possible so that he could use is loyal troops to crush the Damascus reformers before they could strike at him. However the Turks were shocked to find representatives of the Armenian and Kurdish Rebels there as well. The Persians (as well as the French, Byzantines, and Russians ) insisted that The Ottomans recognize the independence of these states before any peace talks could begin. With their orders clear the Turks conceded to this and the talks began in earnest. The Treaty of Marseilles would be signed on March 10, 1837; it granted Baghdad and all and south of it to the Persian Empire, recognized the Independence of the Republic of Kurdistan, and the Kingdom of Armenia (the land these states occupied all coming at Ottoman Expense).

Middle East post Treaty of Marseilles (Ottoman Empire Brown, Persian Empire Dark Tan, Kurdistan Gold, Kingdom of Armenia Slate Blue, Kingdom of Georgia Teal, Italian Empire Green Gold, Egypt Pink, Sultanate of Nejd tan, Kingdom of Afghanistan Dark Gray, Bronze is the Principally of Kuwait)

(1) Mirliva: Ottoman rank equal to Major General
(2) Sarlashgar: Persian rank equal to Major General
(2) Sepahbod: Persian rank equal to full general

 

[Virginia Liberal]

The Ottoman Civil War


When the Treaty was announced on March 20, 1837 it hit the Ottoman public like a bomb shell. The Ottoman people had understood losing to the Europeans but to suffer a major defeat at the hands of the Persians and to seek two minorities take almost all of Western Anatolia and Upper Mesopotamia it was just too much. All the major cities outside of Syria erupted into riots; in response Mustafa IV sent the Janissaries in to quell the riots however there were not enough Janissaries to deal with all of the riots and Mustafa was forced to use Regular army units in some of the cities. This was a disaster as the conscripts turned their guns on the officers and joining the rioters. It was now that the Reformers made their move and ordered the Turkish New Model Army to march North as they Issued their March Proclamation, in which they declared Mustafa IV unfit to occupy the throne and his government unfit to rule the empire. They declared themselves the true successor to Selim III and the reforms that he was trying to instil in the empire.


Mustafa IV couldn’t allow this to stand so the took risk and ordered the Janissaries out of Ankara to meet the Turkish New Model Army in battle The two armies would meet at Adana on April 2, 1837 The Janissaries under the Red Banner with a white crescent and star flag of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish New Model under White Banner with a Red Crescent and Star with a red tip. The battle would be a fierce one both sides fought with hatred for each other that had been held back for decades. However in the end it came down to numbers. The Turkish New Model Army had 85,000 Infantry, 14,500 Cavalry and 52 field guns. The Ottoman Janissaries had 56,000 Infantry, 8,000 Cavalry, and 36 field guns. As the day wore on the better weapons tactics and number overtook the Janissaries, who to their credit fought bravely till their last drop of blood had been drained from their veins but by the time dusk fell the Janissaries made their last stand in the ancient keep inside the city. However by dawn on April 3rd the Turkish New Model Army was the only military force left in or around Adana. They would take two days to reorganize and care for the wounded before marching north. In desperation Mustaffa IV would order the regular ottoman army to intercept the the Turkiish New Model Army which it did on April 7, 1837 however instead of stopping the New Model Army they joined them. When word of this reached Mustafa IV the members of the court said the had all the blood drain from his face. On the Night of April 8th with the Reformers less than a day’s march from the capital Mustafa IV fled taking with him his closest lovers and chosen sons and a daughter or two and fled the capital. He and his family would turn up in Rabat and appeal to Sulan Abd al-Rahman of Morocco for sanctuary which he was granted on two conditions. First they were not to use the Moroccan court to try and gain favor for a return to power in Ankara. And Second they were not to express any political views as to internal Moroccan policies; these basically amounted to them being told yes you can stay here don’t be seen and, don’t be heard. Abd al-Rahman was in the process of modernizing his country in order to be able to compete with the European and American Nations who were starting to eye Africa as the next area of colonial expansion, and had no time for Mustafa’s issues, and problems. .

Rabat Capital of the Sultanate of Morocco

On April 9, 1837 The Trukish New Model Army along with the Ottoman 8th Army marched into Ankara and secured the city and the Government buildings which were all basically abandoned. The Damascus Reformers would enter the Government buildings and set a Provisional Government until representatives from across what remained of the Empire could arrive for a Grand Imperial Congress to set up a new modern government for the Empire. Meanwhile the man who would that the throne Mahmud bin Abdul Hamid one of the founders of the Damascus Reformers and the son of Sultan Abdul Hamid I was crowned Sultan Mahmud II. Mahmud II would prove crucial in organizing and hosting the Grand Imperial Congress which was held from August 18th though September 21, 1837 and would see the creation and ratification of the Imperial Constitution of 1837(1).

Sultan Mahmud II

The Imperial Constitution turned the Empire into a Constitutional Monarchy. The Imperial Constitution completely overhauled the Empire; first the Empire was reorganized in two Eyalets the Eyalet of Anatolia and the Eyalet of Syari-Mesopotamia. These two Eyalets were then both divided up into 18 provinces 9 in Each Eyalet. (There had been an argument maintain Mesopotamia as a separate Eyalet but what territory the Ottomans had left lacked the Population for this). Next came the Government of the Empire, under the Imperial Constitution the Sultan gave up most of his power known as the General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire. The General Assembly would consist of two houses the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The Chamber of Deputies made up of 600 seats elected from across the empire by every male over the age of 21 who was a follower of Islam. Each Assemblyman is elected to a five year term. The Senate which consisted of 200 seats,it was divided into two classes Imperial Senators and Provincial Senators of which there were 100 of each, all senators serve an eight year term regardless of them being Imperial or Provincial. Each Province in the Empire elected 3 Provincial Senators for a total of 54 directly elected Senators the Remaining 46 Provincial Senators were split evenly between the Pasha of Anatolia and the Pasha of Syria-Mesopotamia each Pasha would select 23 senators to fill the remaining Provincial seats in the Senate. The other 100 would be appointed by the sultan from across the Empire as Imperial senators. Imperial Senators differed from all other members of the General Assembly in that they didn’t have to be practicing Muslims but instead had to have proven value to the Empire. In this form the Imperial Senators came to act as a safety valve for the minorities of the Empire. Legislation worked in one of three ways. The Chamber of Deputies could create a piece of legislation if it was passed by the Chamber then it would go to the Senate for review, if the Senate passed it then it would go the the Grand Vizier's office for approval in most cases once it was approved by the Grand Vizier the legislation becomes law. However if it is a matter of military spending, act of war, or inquiry then it would go to the Sultan for review. The Second way that legislation could begin was when the Grand Vizier introduced it into the Senate if the Senate passed it then it would go to the Chamber passed it ten it would go to the Sultan for Review as the Grand Vizier was bias to the bill. The third and final way was Imperial Edict. The Sultan could issued Imperial Edicts at will however after 90 days they had to come before the Senate for review, if the Senate signed off on it then it became law for up to two years before the Chamber of Deputies could review it, at which point it would either end or become law of the land.


Executive power was split between the Sultan and the Grand Vizier. The Grand Vizier was the Chief Executive of the General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire and the Sultan as Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Imperial Armed Forces. The Grand Vizier is appointed by the Senate for an eight year term and can be elected as many times as he wishes to stand for appointment. The Grand Vizier serves a the Chief executive of the Imperial General Assembly, in addition to his role in the Imperial Grand Assembly he also had a seat on the Imperial Privy Council, which gives him influence on military and foreign policy. The other Half of the Executive power of the Ottoman Empire rest with the Sultan as Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The Sultan submits the annual budget for the Armed forces to the Senate, from there it proceeds like any other piece of legislation that the Sultan submits to the senate. The Sultan must submit this by March 1st every year to ensure the Senate and house ample time to debate vote and amend as needed before the end of the financial year on June 21st each year. Else Wise the Sultan retains sole power to Declare War, however the Senate must a firm any declaration of war with in 10 days for it to stand. The Sultan appoints the 100 Imperial Senators. As head of state the Sultan also named the Foreign Minister and the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs who handled the Empires dealings with other nations. Combined the Foreign Minister, Grand Vizier, Minister of the Treasury, Müşir of the Army (2) and the Müşir Admiral of the Imperial Navy (3) made up the Privy Council of the Sultan.


Mahmud II also changed the Imperial flag from a white crescent and star on a red field to a red crescent and star on a white field with red top and bottom borders.

The New Ottoman Flag or the Mahmud II Flag

The first elections for the General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire would be held on November 15, 1837. Not surprisingly the Party of Union and Progress created by the Damascus Reformers won a clear majority of 361 out of 600 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 30 of the 54 Directly elected Provincial Senators; and 28 out of 46 appointed Provincial senators. The next largest Party in the Chamber of Deputies was the Party of Ottoman Traditional Values formed by the old guard who had survived the purges following the end of the Civil War. They would take 186 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, 16 of the 54 directly elected Provincial senators, and the remaining 18 appointed Provincial Senators. Muhmud II would wait till after the General Election results were published before he announced his appointments as Imperial Senators. He had spent countless hours interviewing men starting back in September. Of the 100 Imperial senators he appointed 60 who were politically neutral belonging to neither of the two major parties most were military officers who sought to put the good of the Empire above all else. Of the Remaining 40 seats he split the difference appointing 20 members of the Party of Union and Progress and 20 members of the Party of Ottoman Traditional Values. The 60 independents that Muhmad II appointed would create a new organization after their selection. They began calling themselves the Imperial Guards Party. This party would never run any candidate for office in the General Election and every member would swear and oath to the Sultan that they would take no side except the Empire side when casting votes in the Senate.


General Election Results

Party of Union and Progress : 361 seats in Chamber of Deputies; 58 Senate Seats
Party of Ottoman Traditional Values : 186 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, 34 Senate Seats
Independents/Tribalist 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 8 Senate Seats.


Sultan appointed Senators.

Imperial Guard Party 60 seats
Party of Union and Progress 20 seats
Party of Ottoman Traditional Values 20 seats.

1. Imperial Constitution of the Ottaman Empire
2. Roughly Field Marshal of the Army
3. Roughly Grand Admiral of the Navy

 

[Virginia Liberal]

Last update on the middle East will be tonight or tomorrow. And will have a hint about the political situation in Italy and Sardinia

 

[Virginia Liberal]

The Treaty of Marseilles saw the creation of two states one that had never before existed the Republic of Kurdistan and the restoration of the Kingdom of Armenia after centuries of occupation.

These two new countries would join the Kingdom of Georgia in being stuck between the Russian Empire (a great power) and the Ottoman Empire (a declining regional power) and the Persian Empire (A rising regional power) as they established their new nations.

The Republic of Kurdistan

The Kurdish people had finally achieved their centuries long dream of an independent Kurdish State. With the founding of the Republic of Kurdistan, centered around their capital city of Kirkuk. Although it is call the Republic of Kurdistan it is more a confederacy of the many Kurdish tribes than a true centralized republic. The Kurdish Government consists of the Kurdish Assembly a unicameral national assembly consisting of 300 seats that are elected by all men who have reached the age of manhood. Each Assemblyman serves and eight year term. The Kurdish Assembly elects nation’s chief executive the Premier of Kurdistan. The Premier serves a single 10 year term and cannot hold another political office once his term is complete. Because of its tribal nature no true political parties exist in Kurdistan instead once elected the members of the Assembly for broad Coalitions with those who have similar views. The Largest of these Coalitions is the Kurdish Nationalist Coalition (KNC) and the Kurdish Tribal Alliance (KTA). Being a landlocked nation the Kurds were restricted as to who they could seek out for help to develop their lands. Luckily for them the CAS based Palmetto Trading Company already had a working relationship with the Persian Empire and were able to set up several contracts with the Republic of Kurdistan to help them create three modern arsenals to equip their national army and the tribal militias. As well as a series of Fortresses along their border with the Ottoman Empire and a simple narrow gauge railroad system to connect the cities that existed within the Republic and the Western and Southern Frontiers that bordered the Ottoman Empire.


Military wise the Republic of Kurdistan relies upon tribal militia for the bulk of its military. However, they do maintain a small professional military the Republican Guard. The Republican Guard under Kurdish Constitution of 1837 the Republican Guard can maintain no more than 50,000 men plus no more than 60 artillery pieces. To aid in their defense should the Ottomans ever try and reconquer them the Republic of Kurdistan signed an Alliance with the Empire of Persia on March 17, 1838, the alliance also gave the Persians favorite nation status when it came to trade and right of passage for Persian Military units across Kurdistan. In return the Persians waved transportation fees and port fees and goods heading to Kurdistan from Persian ports. Kurdistan like the rest of the middle east would continue to build and improve its infrastructure and industry however, it would however remain a relatively poor country until the discovery of Oil in the Twentieth Century. However it would remain at peace for the next twenty years and some as they and their ally Persia would set out the madness of the Second War of Spanish Succession that would strike Europe and the America’s in the mid 1840’s.

The Kingdom of Armenia

To the North of the Kurds were the Armenians who after centuries of Ottoman occupation had finally managed to resurrect the Kingdom of Armenia with a lot of Help from the Russians and the Persians. Per the Russo-Persian Treaty of 1810 the Persians left Georgia and Armenia to the Russian sphere of Influence. Once they had secured their Independence the Armenian’s set about establishing the laws for their restored Kingdom in Armenian Constitution of 1837; This Constitution created a Constitutional Monarchy with a unicameral parliament consisting of the Armenian Senate,(their had been some debate over whether or not to copy the British model with a house of commons and a house of Lords but as many of the nobles had not taken an active part in the revolution it was scrapped) in stead any male age 21 or older could run for his districts senate seats regardless if he was born a noble or commoner. The Kingdom was divided into 25 provinces and each province then got four seats in the Senate. The Senate would elect the Prime Minister who would oversee domestic law and have a seat on the Kings Advisory council. Because many European Constitutions allow the Monarch a role in government the Armenian Constitution left the realms of Defense and foreign policy under the kings direct control however the Senate had to ratify any declaration of War or Treaty concluded by the King or his appointed Foreign minister.


This would lead to the next question of who should be the king. Czar Micheal II of Russia Armenia’s benefactor was leaning on the Armenian leaders to name either his youngest son or his one of his brother Constantine XII’s sons as their new king. However by blood the House of Savoy held the most direct claim. So the Armenians sent a delegation to Cagliari the Capital of Sardinia to meet with the Savoy family. There the Armenians, the Russian Ambassador Nikolai Borisovich Galitzine, king Charles Felix of Sardinia, and his brother Charles Albert Duke of Savoy would meet in what would become known as the Cagliari Conference. Ambassador Galitzine expressed the Czar’s insistence that a member of House Romanov occupy the Armenian throne and reminded the Armenians that it was Russian muskets and artillery as well as ammunition that they used to finally run the Turks out of their kingdom.


The Armenians said that they understood this but sill by right of blood House Savoy had claim to the throne if they wanted it. And even if Charles Albert wasn’t sure about moving to Armenia a country that was (by western European standards barely christian) his older brother was in favor of it. As they could turn it into another allied nation for when they finally were ready to evict the Corsican upstart's decedents from Naples and unite Italy under Italian Nobility” With this in mind the next day when talks resumed Charles Albert proposed a compromise He would take the throne of Armenia however since he had no sons he would agree for his eldest daughter Victoria who was seventeen years old to marry the Czar’s second son Paul who was fifteen, in this way the throne would pass from house Savoy to House Romanov after his death. This compromise worked for the Armenians who had already made their monarchy’s succession based upon male-preference primogeniture; and even Ambassador Galitzine was satisfied with this (Micheal had told him this was an acceptable compromise if no other could be had.); so on March 17, 1838 Charles Albert of Savory left Sardinia heading for Armenia on the RSS (Royal Sardinian Ship) Euridice bound for the Armenian port city of Trabzon. It would take them six days by coach to arrive in the Armenian Capital of Yerevan. The Armenian Government had set up shop in the ancient Erivan Fortress the Royal Court would be located in Sardar's Palace while the Senate had converted the Abbas Mirza Mosque. Charles Albert would be Crowned King Charles I of Armenia on March 28, 1838 in the St. Paul and Peter Church by the Catholicoi of Armenia John VIII (the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church); and his wife Maria Theresa of Austria was crowned Queen Consort of Armenia. Seven days later on April 4, 1838 newly minted Crown Princess Victoria Francesca of Armenia married Grand Duke Paul Mikhailovich of Russia.

King Charles I of Armenia House of Savoy

Grand Duke Paul Mikhailovich of Russia and Crown Princess Victoria of Armenia

Time had not held still back home while the Armenian delegation in Sardinia was sorting out who would be their new monarch. The senate had held elections December 12, 1837 the election saw over 50 regional parties field candidates when the race started in August however through the course of the campaign season the election would see three big winners emerge. The Heritage Party backed by the Armenian Apostolic Church and the some of the traditional leaning Nobility, championed Armenian traditional values and wanted to keep outside influences to a minimal. The Armenian Nationalist Party drew its major support from revolutionaries and nationalist nobility that had fought the Turkish to restore the Armenia to independence. They supported all measures to ensure that Armenia remained Independent. The Armenian Peoples Party the Party of the common man working in the fields, mines and mills. They sought to make the lives better for every Armenian regardless of social status. Of the 100 seats in the senate the Armenian Nationalist party would win the most seats of a single party with 31 seats, the Armenian Peoples Party would come in second with 24 seats and the Heritage Party would take 20 seats. The remaining 25 seats were split among the smaller parties such as the Armenian Independence Party (a smaller more extreme Nationalist party) 10 seats, the Plebeian Party (similar to the Armenian People’s party but more revolutionary in nature) took 8 seats and the Armenian Republican Party took 7 seats. The Leader of the Armenian Nationalist Party Antrias Bedrosian would be elected the first Prime Minister with 65 votes and form a Coalition majority with the Armenian Peoples Party and the Armernian Independence Party. He would make Meghrig Sarian the leader of the Armenian Peoples Party the first Minister of State, and Loris Baghdadlian the leader of Armenian Independence Party the smaller member of the Coalition would become the first Minister of Treasury. The first acts the Senate had to do was ratify two treaties. The first was the Treaty of Marseilles that ended the Armenian War of Independence/Turkish-Persian War; this was done on February 12, 1838. The Second was the Cagliari Accords which established the Charles Albert of Savoy as the King of Sardinia and established the succession as going to Crown Princess Victoria and her husband to be Grand Duke Paul Romanov of Russia; the Cagliari Accords also established a defensive alliance between the Kingdom of Armenia, and the Russian Empire, and gave the Russians the right to move and base troops inside of Armenia in exchange for the Russian government paying for a series of forts along the Turkish border.


Senate Election of 1837
Armenian Nationalist party: 31 seats
Armenian Peoples Party: 24 seats
Heritage Party: 20
Armenian Independence Party: 10
Plebeian Party of Armenia: 8
Armenian Republican Party:7
Nationalist-People Coalition Government


The Armenian Military and the Armenian Treasury would receive an unexpected gift from King Louis XVII of France. In acknowledgment of King Charles I’s coronation he and the Kingdom of France gifted the Royal Armenian Navy with three Sail powered frigates and six sail powered sloops of war as well as 40,000 muskets (all of which were old smooth bore guns that the french were replacing with rifled muskets.). Then for Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding to Grand Duke Paul Louis XVII of France (her godfather) and King Charles Felix of Sardinia (her uncle) each gifted Armenia 20,000 gold livres, and 25,000 scudi. The Senate would use these funds as well as funds raised locally to establish a Naval shipyard with dry docks and shipbuilding facilities at Trabzon. Military Arsenals were also established at Trabzon (The Naval Arsenal) Yerevan, Erzurum, and Berd, as well as a national Military academy in Yerevan.


As the 1830’s drew to a close Armenia and its people basked in the fact that they were once more independent (even though they are basically a Russian satellite nation they retain the right to have their own diplomacy as long as it doesn’t violate Russian interest). Under King Charles I and the Nationalist controlled senate Armenia would work to build its economy and infrastructure and would see the completion of the First railway in the Caucasus when the Black Sea and Mount Ararat Railroad connected the cities of Trabzon on the Black Sea and the capital city of Yerevan

 

[Virginia Liberal]

The Italian Empire

The Italian Empire would welcome the 1830’s as one of Europe’s growing powers. From Naples Napoleon II ruled over 90% of the Italian peninsula, the Island of Sicily, the island of Malta, Tunisia, Libya, and Palestine and the Trans Jordan. The Imperial Italian Army was the equal of any in Europe or America. While with 30 ships of line, 48 Frigates and 50 plus sloops, brigs and smaller the Italian Imperial Navy was ruler of the Mediterranean Sea and outnumbered the navy of any other single nation in the Mediterranean Sea. Then there was the fact that Italy enjoyed a close alliance with the British Empire.


Italy would spend the 1830’s like it did the 1820’s watching its economy bloom as its industries and railroad grew rapidly. The big event of the 1830’s was the Italian Army’s adoption of the cap lock muzzle loading Cannizzo rifle which fired a .56 caliber conical bullet or “wolfshot”. This made the Italians one of three nations in Europe to use this type of rifle as the 1840’s began the other two being the Bavarians and the Hungary-Croatians (The French are also adopting a standard issue Rifled musket but it doesn’t use Wolf Shot bullets). Overall the 1830’s were a slow time for the Italians. It would not be for the other nations. The biggest event was the marriage of Emperor Napoleon II to Gabriella Valadier the distant cousin of the Architect Giuseppe Valadier. The marriage was told like a Cinderella story even though Gabriella’s was far from an impoverished girl, but they had met at a Ball in Naples. His younger brother Marius would marry Eliana Benanti Sacco the daughter of his father’s life long friend and Marshall of the Empire Lazzaro Ennio Sacco Barron of Taranto. The Last wedding for the Imperial Family in the 1830’s was the wedding of the oldest child of Napoleon I and his second wife Amelia Hanover of Great Britain Princess Carlotta Maria Bonaparte to Duke Theodor August von Wittelsbach the morganatic son of King Karl I of Bavaria.


The Kingdom of Sardinia

On the Island to their west however things were not as slow. Ever since the French had had to save their bacon during the Troubles the Kingdom of Sardinia and the long time prince of Turin Charles Felix had watched the growing success of the Bonaparte lead Italian Empire with envy bordering on hatred. However as long as the humbled Victor Emmanuel I sat on the throne there was little that Charles Felix or anyone else could do about it. Having nearly lost his throne and life to revolutionaries in the Troubles Victor Emmanuel I was content to sit on the Island of Sardinia where he was safe and not rock the boat.


This ended on July 17, 1830 when Victor Emmanuel I King of Sardinia suffered a stroke and died at the age of 71 years old and his younger brother Charles Felix became the King of Sardinia. Charles Felix would be officially coronationed on September 19,1831, after which he would start preparing the Kingdom to “Fight for the Soul of Italy against the Corsicans and sell out Pope and the Papal Kingdom of Jerusalem and Rome.” Between 1831 and 1840 King Charles Felix would grow the Sardinian Army form 85,000 men and 90 field guns to 150,000 men and 180 field guns. He would also grow the Royal Sardinian Navy the Regia Marina by commissioning 6 new 90 gun Ships of the line and 12 new 38-40 gun Frigates doubling the size of the fleet that existed when he took the throne. This military expansion done by passing new more inclusive conscription laws requiring all men age 16 years old to serve three years in the military. To fund the expansion Charles Felix levied new taxes on the people of Sardinia as well as imposing new Tariffs on goods coming into the Kingdom. This caused mild unrest to brew in the Kingdom but as the people could sense that this was building towards something major they the threat of revolution remains low dude to the people of Sardinia waiting for the Italians to react to the military build up. As the 1830’s fade into the 1840 the Italian Peninsula is once more a war waiting to happen.

King Charles Felix of Sardinia

House of Savory (Royal line)

Carlo Felice Giuseppe Maria di Savoia-m(1807)-Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily(Bourbon of Two Sicilies)
-Ferdinand Emanuele Felice di Savoia (Born 3/17/1810)
-Esmeralda Maria of Savoy (Born 3/17/1826)

House of Savory Armenian Line

Carlo (Charles I ) Alberto Emanuele Vittorio Maria Clemente Saverio di Savoia-m(1817)-Maria Theresa of Austria
-Princess Victoria Francesca of Savoy (Born 7/12/1820)
-Princess Isabella Rachele of Savoy (Born 1/29/1822
-Princess Maria Cristina of Savoy (Born 10/10/1826)

 

[TheBalkanizer]

I for one wonder what's going to happen to all the new territory that Britan has in the midwest. Is it going to join an uber Canada or will there be more balkanization?

 

[Raiyleigh]

I for one wonder what's going to happen to all the new territory that Britan has in the midwest. Is it going to join an uber Canada or will there be more balkanization?

It makes you wonder how colonization/immigration is going on since America is divided and more war-prone, are Italians, French, Greeks colonizing/immigrating towards their holdings in Africa/Middle East (Not likely heading towards the New World)? Germans/British/Irish/Spanish/Portuguese are probably the most likely Europeans to immigrate to the divided New World. The most interesting demographic changes are the Americas and the Middle East since they will be the most drastically altered beyond recognition.

 

[Virginia Liberal]

Since the End of the Italo-Turkish War the Ottoman Empire has been hemorrhaging people fleeing Most are heading to the America's either the Federal Republic of America settling in the states of Ohio and Mississippi (Indiana and Illinois OTL) or certain states of the CSA namely Virginia, Georgia and Florida (as each state handle its own immigration policy.) As well as The Republic of Louisiana and the Empire of Mexico less so British North America but some mainly settling in British Missouri Territory notably the Crown Republic of New England has bared immigration except from the British Isles and Empire.

 

[Dante]

I'm interested to see how these fleeing Ottomans do in FRA and the CSA, I assume it's mostly Muslim Turks? I wonder how Americans deal with a large influx of "Mohammedans" in their countries, something that didn't really happen in our timeline until much later.

 

[Virginia Liberal]

@Dante It really is interesting when you start looking a migration patterns and relies that if War X happened in location B in stead of Location A how much they change. TTL Europe has been stable yes the Troubles happened but long run the Franciscanist Revolution served to unify many of Europe's small states into bigger ones, France never had the revolution as we know it and is still the Number 1 power in Europe, and as my next chapter on Great Britain will show they have been closing the Naval gap as The Royal Navy has been forced to spread out to cover more area form more potential enemies. There was also an Irish wave to hit the Americas back during the troubles but since the creation of New South Ireland and the Irish Removal Act Irish migration has shifted away from the Americas and is concentrating on New South Ireland (OTL New Zealand).

Glad yall are enjoying the Story feel free to comment and I will answer as best I can. and as this cookie has already popped up once The Up coming British Chapter will see. "King George IV is dead, The King is Dead God Save The King, Long Live the King, Long live King Richard IV." To any Brits out there if I butchered that let me know and how I should fix it. I am Truly winging it.

 

[Raiyleigh]

Sardinia is not likely to have a good future. (Probably end up in a similar outcome like Bohemia Empire) A Sardinia colony (Syria for example if they could get it) would have been a better sensible idea for a backup plan when Italy heats up or just come with an arrangement with the Empire over the matter.

 

[Virginia Liberal]

Piedmont is part of Sardinia. Back when the Troubles wrecked the old order in Italy Napoleon was close to getting all of the Italian Pensular under his new Empire. But the French beat him to Turin and saved the Sardinia's bacon. Since then Sardinia has been a buffer state for France and VE1 was cool with that but he is now dead and the hot heads now control the government.

 

[Virginia Liberal]

The Savoy back up plan is Armenia. Which will have a Savoy monarch for a while remember it's Victoria Maria that will inherit the throne not Grand Duke Paul he will be King consort.