Imperium Osmani

Alright, so given that I'm not sure how really to write this I've decided to start off using a condensed history format.

If anyone would like me to go into more detail on specific things I'll write up a post dealing with that event/period specifically.

As a side, the TL title is an In Story reference. I mention it now since it won't be mentioned for awhile.
 
The first half of the 19th century, also known as the 'Phoenix Era', was a pivotal time in the history of the Ottoman Empire, as it would see
both a decline and resurgance of the empire.

The empire, previously one of the Great Powers of Europe, had over the years become weakened and suffered both from internal problems,
most notably the Egyptian Rebellion in the 1830's, and external issues.

The empire, realizing its position sought favour with other European powers, most notably France and Britain, in the late 1830's and early 1840's.

In 1843 Mehmed Ali Pasha attempted to unilaterally declare Egyptian independence from the empire, starting the 'Egyptian Rebellion'.
The powers of Europe, who had brokered the previous peace a decade earlier were very much opposed to this, leading to the direct
intervention of Britain and France on the Ottoman side.
In 1845 Mehmed was captured and executed. By late 1846 the rebellion had been completely quashed.
The losses suffered by the Ottoman military to the rebel forces and the gains made by France and Britain would drive home the fact that the
military was in need of a great degree of reformation.
In January of 1847 Sultan Mahmud II began the Tanzimat reforms, his last imperial act before his death a few weeks later.

The 1850's would start out negative but would end positively for the empire.
In 1854 the Crimean War begin, pitting the Russian Empire against the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France and Sardinia.
The war would last for three years, during which time the 'Imperial Guard', a special legion that had been recieving modern military training,
would prove the success of the early military reforms.
In 1857 the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Turin, resulting in the empire gaining Russian Dobruja and throwing off Russian influence.

In late 1859 the Ottoman government occupied Tunisia, removing the Bey from power and formally incorporated it as the Vilâyet of Tunisia.

Starting in 1860 the empire entered the 'Consolidation period', a period of thirty years in which it focused primarily on its internal issues and
its African territories and borders.
This period saw the growth of the empires territory, primarily in the Horn of Africa, as well as the formal establishment of Ottoman rule
throughout Central and Southern Arabia.
 
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In March of 1860 the Millet Meclisi (Ottoman Parliament), upon persuasion by Sultan Abdülmecid II, passed legislation on the construction
of a Canal to link the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

In 1861 the Ottoman government began enlarging and connecting a series of small towns and supply posts that had developed along the
African coast across from Arabia in what would become the Vilâyet of Eritaya as a means to further control the Mandeb straight, which the
Ottomans knew would become a very strategic location when the Suez canal was finished.
In 1864 a surveying team discovered precious metal deposits, including gold, further in-land, this would lead to a 'Goldrush' as many people,
mainly from Ottoman Europe and Anatolia, immigrated to the area over the coming years and the formal inclusion of the territory into the empire.

In 1865 a warlord group from Ethiopia attacked and raided one of the newer and less defended settlements, killing 64 people and abducting
97 others, when word of the attack reached the Wāli of Eritaya he immediately dispatched a small battalion to rescue the abducted and
punish the attackers. Two months later the battalion found those responsible and were able to rescue most of those who'd been abducted.
In the period between 1866-1872 the warring states that made up what had once been the Ethiopian Empire were formally annexed,
becoming the core lands of what would later become the Vilâyet of Gondar.

In 1866 the the region around the Canal project was split from Egypt and Palestine, becoming the Vilâyet of Suez.

In 1867 the Ottoman Empire and French Empire came to an agreement on the border between the Ottoman Libya region and French Algeria.

In 1868, the Ottoman government began connecting the small settlements, supply stations, forts and few towns that had sprung up along
the coast of the Horn of Africa.

In late 1869 a rebellion against the increasing Ottoman authority in Arabia lead by the Wahhabist Al-Saud dynasty began.
By the end of 1870 the rebellion had been quashed, taking Al-Saud dynasty with it.
Following the end of the rebellion the Ottoman government began a program of eliminating Wahabbism, leading to the ultimate death of the sect.

In 1870 the Suez Canal was finished, providing the empire with a faster route to its African territory, expanding the economy and providing it
with a significant amount of prestige and clout on the international stage.

In 1872 the Ottoman Empire formally claimed the territory between the settlements and Gondar, taking control of most of what would later
become the Vilâyet of Haud.

In 1877 the Ottoman Empire and British Empire came to an agreement on the border between British East Africa and the Ottoman
Gondar-Haud region.

In 1881 the Vilâyet of Eritaya was officially established as the areas population, economy and importance had grown significantly over the
previous two decades.

In 1890 the coastal area and parts of the interior of the Horn of Africa were established as the Vilâyet of Haud, however the exact border
between it and the Gondar region was ill-defined.

In 1897, on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Tanzimat reforms, Sultan Osman IV called for the creation of a Constitution to
formalize the many reforms that had taken place over the last half-century and normalize the legal and political system, while met by
skepticism from some it was welcomed by most.
 
The 20th century was a time of great change for the Ottoman Empire in terms of politics, territory and its position of power on the world stage.

In 1900 the 'Alliance of Equality' was founded in the Vilâyet of Bosnia seeking autonomy for the Province.

In 1904, realizing the popular support of the movement and the benefits that would come with it (a buffer and an ally) the Ottoman Empire
held a referendum in Bosnia on its status. The referendum resulted in a vote for independence with 76% voting yes with an estimated 67%
turn out.

In 1905, following the example of Bosnia similar groups in Serb and Greek majority areas came into existence, however they would not share
the same level of popularity as the AoE.

In 1906 the 'Constitution of the Ottoman Empire' was established, cementing the reforms of the previous century, establishing a Parliamentary
Constitutional Monarchy, ensuring equality of all peoples and creating a basic bill of rights.

In 1908, following a large rally in support of autonomy in Novi Pazar the Ottoman government held a referendum in the Serb majority areas of
'South Serbia' and Montenegro on their status. The result was a 64% majority in South Serbia to join the Kingdom of Serbia while in Montenegro
the result to 'remain in Union as an equal and independent territory', essentially voting for independence, though with the Sultan as Monarch,
received 66% of the vote.

In 1910 the Vilâyet of Gondar was established and the border between it and the Vilâyet of Haud defined.

While the OE inspired movement in Greek majority lands was more or less unsuccessful the Ottoman government saw holding a referendum as
a good way to better its relations with Greece and placate the 'Hellenia movement'.
In 1914 referendums were held in the Vilâyet's of Epirus, Thessalia & Crete and the Sanjak of Thessaloníki. The results saw Epirus and Thessalia
vote to join Greece while Thessaloníki and Crete voted to remain as part of the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire by 1915 had become a resource abundant, stable and powerful nation, spanning a territory from Tirana to Tripoli to Baghdad
to Alexandria to Mogadishu to Dubai.
These factors, among others, would lead to the emergence of the Ottoman Empire as one of the four Superpowers later in the century.

In 1916 while visiting Bosnia Máté Kovács, the Prime Minister of Hungary was assassinated and Prince Lukas, third in line to the Austro-Hungarian
throne, wounded.
When word reached Austria-Hungary the Hungarian Parliament demanded that the Empire declare was on Bosnia for allowing it to happen.
The Austrians were not convinced at first, however after a connection between the assassin and certain members of the Bosnian government
(who were themselves arrested by Bosnian authorities) they reluctantly agreed, starting the Great War as Germany grudgingly sided with Austria
and the Ottomans, Greece, Romania and Serbia with Bosnia.
 
A map of Europe on the eve of the Great War.

Only countries that would eventually participate are shown in color.

Great War Europe.png
 
A map of Europe on the eve of the Great War.

Only countries that would eventually participate are shown in color.
1. Italy in Muslim green. I thought it was a vassal state of the Ottomans for a moment! :D

2. After Muhammed Ali was defeated, how did the Ottomans keep the British and French from simply taking over Egypt like they did IOTL? That event did a lot to cut off the Ottomans from the rest of their African possessions IIRC.

ED: Oh. France ate all of Morocco. :(
 
1. Italy in Muslim green. I thought it was a vassal state of the Ottomans for a moment! :D

2. After Muhammed Ali was defeated, how did the Ottomans keep the British and French from simply taking over Egypt like they did IOTL? That event did a lot to cut off the Ottomans from the rest of their African possessions IIRC.

ED: Oh. France ate all of Morocco. :(

Honestly the UCS Italy color always makes me think it's Austrian, so I just use the green from the Italian flag.
That said ATL Itlay does have closeish relations with the Ottomans.
ITTL it was both Sardinia and Sicily that united Italy, and Sicily had recieved backing from the Ottomans, so relations have remained good over the years.

Very good diplomacy while they reformed and built up the military power to basically prevent it.

Well Melila and Ceuta are still Spanish, they're just to small to see, but yes, the French annexed all of Morocco.
 
I'm sorry, but I find all the referendums very hard to accept :confused:
That's simply impossible.
No empire would accept that.
Indeed, the only country in modern era who accept such "Velvet Divorce" is Czechoslovakia... :rolleyes:
 
I'm sorry, but I find all the referendums very hard to accept :confused:
That's simply impossible.
No empire would accept that.
Indeed, the only country in modern era who accept such "Velvet Divorce" is Czechoslovakia... :rolleyes:

When youre ina situation where you can placate people now, and retain some territory and gain an ally or try and reatin all of the territroy, eventually losing most of it and gaining an enemy I think the choice is clear.
 
The Great War, also known as the Great Global War, was perhaps one of the most important turning points in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

The events leading up to the war are numerous, and many argue such a war, regardless of who was allied to who, was itself unlikely to not
have occurred do to the internal problems of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and relations between some of the European empires.

 
In 1916 the Hungarian Prime Minister Máté Kovács was assassinated and Austrian Prince Lukas wounded by a member of the 'People's Fist',
a Revolutionary Socialist movement advocating the independence of the Galicia region.
When the news reached Hungary the Hungarian parliament was outraged and sought to declare war on Bosnia, however the Austrians were
not at first convinced, however after evidence came to light that showed that certain members of the Bosnian government, who had themselves
been arrested, had been aiding the group the Austrians agreed and on May 9th of 1916 the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on the
Bosnian Republic, believing that it would be a relatively quick war.

Following the news of the declaration Bosnia's allies Serbia, Romania, Greece and the Ottoman Empire all officially sided with Bosnia,
declaring war on Austria-Hungary.
This would in turn lead Austria-Hungary to seek German aide, and after consideration Germany reluctantly sided with Austria-Hungary and
entered a formal military alliance with them, however at the same time German officials had been secretly meeting with representatives from
the Ottoman Empire and came to an agreement wherein while the two sides would technically be at war, they would confine their fighting
to the Austro-Hungarian lands and would only engage at sea if fired upon first.

The next month Italy, having had good relations with the Ottomans and their allies since the mid 19th century and seeking to annex
'Italian lands' formally allied itself with Bosnia, declaring war on Austria-Hungary and Germany.

The first few months of the war were somewhat one sided as the Alliance pushed through and captured the borderlands before facing
any real resistance.

On August 5th the French and Russian governments came to an agreement and on the 10th of the month the French Republic and
Russian Empire simultaneously declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.

The war raged on for the rest of the year with the Alliance captured more territory while France occupied most of Alsace-Loraine and
dug-in and Russia sent its army into Eastern Germany and Galicia.

The beginning of 1917 was a major turning point in the war for the Alliance as the Ottomans new tank brigades were deployed to the
front lines in Carinthia.

While Russia had seen gains early on with Germany's military now fully mobilized and not having to do much fighting in Austria-Hungary
it focused on Russia and by June had managed to not only retake the Russian occupied territories but also occupy part of Russian Poland
and a significant portion of the Russian Baltic coast.

The Summer of 1917 would become the beginning point for many changes as rebellions favouring sprung-up in Bohemia and Galicia and
revolutionary groups began to rise in Russia.
Though small at first these, and others would grow over time.

By September of 1917 the Alliance had managed to occupy roughly half of Austria-Hungary while the rebellions in Bohemia had grown
and spread, resulting in the Austro-Hungarian forces, already battered, to be weakened further.

In Russia Germany continued to push forward, capturing more of the Baltic coast and pushing the battlefield further back in Poland
and establishing a beachhead in Finland, however the fighting remained fierce as both sides were determined not to lose.

As the war raged on and the Russian army was gradually pushed back more and more uprisings took place, leading to the capture of
St. Petersburg by Socialist Revolutionaries shortly after the Imperial government had vacated to Moscow, away from the fighting and revolts,
meanwhile other uprisings and rebellions had gained steam in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

While Russia had the numerical advantage it soon became clear that Germany's superior military technology and training meant that Russia
would not be able to 'hold the borderlands', and in December of 1917 the military used the winter to retreat further East to try and dig-in
and establish a defence line.

The beginning of 1918 was a time of revelation for some as many began to realize that they were on the losing side.

On January 21st, with Bohemia, Moravia and the Slovak lands mostly in the control of the rebel groups the Republic of Czechoslovakia
was proclaimed and immediately recognized and aided by the Alliance.

By February less than a quarter of the Austro-Hungarian empire was still under its control, with most of that being in Austria itself.

With most of the Hungarian lands occupied the Alliance approached several prominent Hungarian nationalist groups, and on February 19th
the Republic of Hungary was proclaimed, though the fledgling nation was for the most part under Alliance control.

In Russia many in the government and military began to realize that it was growing more and more likely that they would lose as Germany
had now occupied nearly all of the Baltic, Russian Poland and a significant chunk of Southern Finland while the nationalist revolts in Finland,
Estonia and the Caucasus and the Socialist Revolutionaries in the capital region and Ukraine were growing in popularity and strength.

On March 10th the Republic of Estonia was declared, siding with Germany.
On April 15th the Republics of Lithuania and Latvia were declared, and, like Estonia sided with Germany against Russia.
Near the end of the month the Transcaucasian Federal Republic was declared, however Persia would be the only country to initially
recognize it, in return for a referendum in lower Azerbaijan on joining Persia itself.

On May 17th the Republic of Poland was declared, however, unlike the Baltic republics, where their were significant organized independence
movements the movements in Poland were unorganized, leading to the newly founded nation to be even more dependent and connected
to Germany.

In June, with Vienna occupied the Austro-Hungarian Empire ceased to be upon the signing of the Treaty of Prague which resulted in the
formal dissolution of the empire and the formal independence and recognition of Czechoslovakia & Hungary and the ceding of territory
to Italy, Romania, Serbia and Bosnia.

By September Germany had pushed well into Russia, controlling a broad area of territory in between the areas controlled by Socialist
Revolutionaries in the North and the South, who they'd come to an uneasy agreement with.

On December 5th Finland declared independence from Russia.
The declaration itself was'nt reputed by the Russian government, as the others had been for the simple fact that many realized the end
was soon approaching as large chunks of the country were either controlled by Germany or revolutionaries who themselves were growing
in number every day.
In a last resort the remainder of the loyal military was ordered to retreat to further East in a last stand.

By the beginning of 1919 most of the Ukraine, North-West Russia and Central Asia were in the hands of revolutionaries and the German,
while having stopped, had reached far into Russia

In April the 'Astara Referendum' was held in the TFR, resulting in the 'Astara Region' voting to join Persia.
On April 3rd the 'Battle of Moscow began, ultimately leading to the defeat of the Imperial government.

On May 1st, with the St. Petersburg, Moscow and most of the country controlled by revolutionaries the Confederal Union of Socialist Republics
was proclaimed.
On the 10th the 'Treaty of Berlin' was signed, officially ending the war and resulting in the CUSR recognizing the independence of Lithuania,
Latvia, Estonia,, Poland, Finland and the TFR.



Each slide represents a month;

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I'm not really sure how to move on at this point, so I'm open to suggestions as what to do for the immediate next few posts.
 
First of all, why is the Great War known as the global war? How was the war in Africa and Asia? What consequences do the still strong Germany, the badly beaten Austria and the still existing Ottoman Empire (who are "the good guys") have? What about Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk)? How did the U.S. react? Will the Ottoman Empire be the most richest nation on earth because of all their oil?

I hope these questions help.
 
First of all, why is the Great War known as the global war?

Because the war was fought on three continents (though mostly in Europe) and Japan was involved, though near the end.
It's like how at the time OTL WW1 was simply called 'The Great War' or 'The War to End All Wars' rather than World War 1.


How was the war in Africa and Asia?

I think I may make a post describing Asia, though it'll be shorter than Europe.

In Asia an Alt. Russo-Japanese War, leading to Japan controlling all of Sakhalin and the Kuril's took place while the Chinese,
with Japanese assistance pretty retook all of the 'treaty cities' apart from Hong Kong and Macau.

Nothing really happened in Africa, their was some back and forth occupying of the area along the Togoland-French West Africa
border, but otherwise things were quiet since the French were the only colonial power actually fighting Germany.


What consequences do the still strong Germany, the badly beaten Austria and the still existing Ottoman Empire (who are "the good guys") have?

The immediate consequences are actually within the victors, Germany ends up becoming a Republic in the late 30's after two decades
of the populace being disillusioned with the Monarchy, the Ottomans essentially take the place America did IOTL and a 3-5 way Cold War
of sorts starts in the 40's.

I actually have the further future planned out, but I don't want to skip past entire eras.


What about Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk)?

I'm actually considering doing a Wikipedia style article on him.
He was born, but is a different person, he was a Republican, but only nominally. He joined the military and actually was involved
in the Great War. along the Romanian Front.


How did the U.S. react?

The U.S. basically did'nt care as they were'nt affected and were busy occupying Northern Mexico at the time.


Will the Ottoman Empire be the most richest nation on earth because of all their oil?

Nope, the Ottomans, while being one of the major oil exporters are actually second, behind Persia, since they did'nt invest early
on in major oil refineries and by the time that they could have become an oil superpower they basically did'nt see the need.



I hope these questions help.

Yep, they do, I have a few ideas of what to do next.
Thanks.
 
A map of colonial Africa at the beginning of the 19th century;


EDIT:
New version with British Zanzibar.

IO Colonial Africa.png
 
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A map of colonial Africa at the beginning of the 19th century;

- Why Zanzibar didn't make it ? No reason for the British to concede dividing it with other powers if they're not tied to Egypt....
- It seems that Ottomans aren't deep enough into Chad and Ubangi(C.Africa) territories here, which would be counterproductive to their position vis a vis European colonial expansions, most notably France. Sensibly, if they wouldn't go as far as Bornu, I can see Ottoman Africa directly bordering it still.....
 
- Why Zanzibar didn't make it ? No reason for the British to concede dividing it with other powers if they're not tied to Egypt....

The British never had control or overt influence over it ITTL, as their attention was primarily in South Africa and the Subcontinent.


- It seems that Ottomans aren't deep enough into Chad and Ubangi(C.Africa) territories here, which would be counterproductive to their position vis a vis European colonial expansions, most notably France. Sensibly, if they wouldn't go as far as Bornu, I can see Ottoman Africa directly bordering it still.....

The inner borders were'nt actually formalized until the end of the 19th century, by which point France had already been making in roads, and since the Ottomans and the French had generally good relations they basically came to an agreement that both sides found acceptable.
 
What territorial changes did the Great War caused in Africa, concerning the German colonies?
Nice touch with Cabinda!:)
 
What territorial changes did the Great War caused in Africa, concerning the German colonies?
Nice touch with Cabinda!:)

None of the colonies changed territorally since Frances sole reason for going to war was to regain Alsaice-Lorraine and beyond that it's not
like they really could have gotten anything since they never managed to actually take over any German colonies.
 
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