The fall of the Ottoman Empire was even more rapid than its meteoric rise.
The End of the Ottoman Empire
23 November 1630, Adrianople, Romania
Adrianople Peace Treaty
I. The State of War between the Ottoman Empire on one side and the Imperium of Romania and the Commonwealth of Sarmatia on the other side has ended.
II. The Ottoman Empire, having acknowledged that killing innocent civilians is a henious crime, apologizes to the Greek Nation and State for commiting it and solemnly pledges not to perpetrate such an inhuman and barbaric act ever again.
III. The Ottoman Empire apologizes to the Romanian Nation and State for the atrocities perpetrated during the Ottoman invasion of Romania.
IV. The Ottoman Empire apologizes to the Armenian Nation for the atrocities perpetrated against their people.
V. The Ottoman Empire cedes to Georgia the Port of Batum and the surrounding region, as detailed in the annexed map.
VI. The Ottoman Empire cedes to Greece:
- All the Islands in the Aegean Sea with the exception of those Islands assigned to Romania in Article VII of this Treaty;
- The Island of Cyprus;
- The Chalcidic Peninsula including the City of Salonika, as detailed in the annexed map.
VII. The Ottoman Empire cedes to Romania:
- All Ottoman Thrace with the exception of Constantinople, the Gallipoli Peninsula and a sliver of land on the Coast of the Sea of Marmara, as detailed in the annexed map;
- The Islands of Thasos and Samothrace, the smaller Islands in their immediate vicinity and those in the immediate vicinity of the Thracian Littoral;
- The Holy Land, Lebanon and Cyrenaica, as detailed in the annexed map.
VIII. The Sultans of the Ottoman Empire forever renounce the titles of Caliph and Emperor of the Romans (Kaisar-i-Rum).
IX. The Ottoman Empire recognizes the independence of the Kingdom of Egypt in its current borders according to the principle of uti possidetis.
X. The Ottoman Empire recognizes the independence of the Arabian State recently proclaimed in Mecca.
XI. Regarding the territories in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula previously owned or under the influence of the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire declares that the future fate of those territories and their people does not concern the Ottoman Empire any more.
XII. The Ottoman Empire recognizes the right of the Armenian Nation to have a State of their own.
The Ottoman Empire, Sarmatia, Romania, Persia and the representatives of the Armenian Nation will work together in order to set up an Armenian State in those territories of Eastern Anatolia which are inhabited mainly by Armenians.
The borders of the future Armenian State shall be determined by careful studies of relevant demographic, historical, geographic and economic data.
Population exchanges shall be performed in order to create a stable and homogenous Armenian State.
The final settlement regarding the Armenian State shall be reached in three to five years.
XIII. The Ottoman Empire will do its utmost to end the state of war with Greece and to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for the complex problem of the vast Greek population in Asia Minor.
Creation of Greek Autonomous Areas in Asia Minor, population exchanges with Greece, tranfer of further territories to Greece or any other humane means of ending the conflict and assuring a lasting peace between the Ottoman Empire and Greece shall be attempted.
Romania and Sarmatia will apply diplomatic pressure in order to make Greece accept a reasonable negotiated settlement with the Ottoman Empire.
XIV. All Christians in the Ottoman Empire, regardless of denomination, are under the protection of Romania and Sarmatia.
XV. All the subjects of the Ottoman Empire have equal rights and obligations regardless of their faith.
XVI. Slavery in the Ottoman Empire is abolished.
XVII. The Army of the Ottoman Empire is limited to 200,000 men. The Navy of the Ottoman Empire is limited to 10 warships which are to remain confined in the Sea of Marmara and the Straits.
XVIII. The remainder of Ottoman Thrace with the exception of the City of Constantinople and its immediate hinterland as well as the Islands of the Sea of Marmara and the Cyzicus Peninsula are part of the Marmara Demilitarized Area.
The Ottoman Empire is not allowed to maintain any armed forces in that Area with the exception of those forces deemed necessary for the preservation of law and order, which shall not be in excess of one thousand lightly armed policemen.
Romania will periodically send representatives to assure that this provision is abided to.
XIX. Transit through the Straits and the Sea of Marmara is free for all ships at all time. The Ottoman Empire is not allowed to restrict the naval trafic, to stop ships, to check cargo and passagers or to demand any fees whatsoever.
XX. All prisoners of war taken by the Ottoman Empire and Sarmatia will be realeased immediately.
The prisoners of war taken by Romania will help rebuild what they destroyed by performing a collective total of ten billion men hours of public work for the Romanian State and Nation.
During their time spent in Romania, the prisoners of war will be provided with adequate food, shelter, clothing and medical help and will be treated humanely.
The Ottoman Empire is allowed to send representatives to assure that this provision is abided to.
XXI. Taking into account that the Ottoman Empire has gone completely bankrupt and in order to prevent its descent into civil war and anarchy, Romania and Sarmatia waive their right to an indemnity.
XXII. Since the Ottoman Empire is no longer a Great Power, from now on it will be called the Ottoman Sultanate or any variation thereof. The title of Sultan is equivalent to that of King and not to that of Emperor.
Signed by:
Imperator Mihai of the Romanians for Romania, ....................
Emperor Sigismund for the Commonwealth of Sarmatia, ....................
Valide Sultan Ayșe, representing her underaged son Sultan Suleiman, for the Ottoman Empire, ....................
The signatories take note with grave concern of the refusal of Greece to sign this Treaty.
A.D. 1630, the 23rd of November
12 December 1630, Alexandria, Egypt
Egyptian King: "Let me see if I have understood it right... You are offering to give us the whole Province of Cyrenaica in exchange for our Province of Sinai?"
Romanian Ambassador: "That is correct, Sire. The Province of Sinai plus that 20 miles wide sliver of land adjacent to its Western border."
K: "I have a feeling that something here is not what it seems to be. Cyrenaica is at least twice as valuable as the Sinai. It does not make any sense."
A: "The Sinai Province is adjacent to the other Romanian colonies, the Holy Land and Lebanon. We want to consolidate our lands. And, besides, we are only in possession of Cyrenaica
de jure. The Ottomans ceded it to us, but the locals are in control
de facto. We will need to actually conquer it by force of arms in order to exercise any authority there. The Sinai Province on the other hand is firmly in your possession and we can expect it to be orderly transferred to us."
K: "I see. And then it is we who we will have to send an army into Cyrenaica to pacify it. But it still does not seem to add up... I'll tell you what. I will sign this. It is too good an opportunity to miss. But I will insert a clause that this Treaty becomes null and void if there is any
ulterior motive. I think that this is fair."
A: "Ahem, Sire, there is actually an ulterior motive..."
K: "I knew it! How did you think that you can fool me? Come on, say it. Everything is negotiable."
A: "Your Majesty is very wise. However strange this may seem to you, we intend to dig a canal linking the Mediterranian with the Red Sea."
K: "And do you think that you will make money with it?"
A: "We think so, Sire. We shall ask for a fee and all ships which do not want to go around Africa in order to reach the Indies will have to pay."
K: "Egypt should receive half of the earnings."
A: "For a canal we build on our own land, with our expertise? 10% seems more appropriate."
K: "30% would be better. And all our ships should be allowed to pass free of charge."
A: "15% and we will employ Egyptian workers to dig it."
K: "25% then."
A: "We can really offer no more than 20%."
K: "We have a deal."
Treaty of Alexandria
I. Romania and the Kingdom of Egypt exchange the Romanian Colony of Cyrenaica with the Egyptian Province of Sinai.
II. The Western border of the Province of Sinai (the border between Romania and Egypt) is moved Westwards 20 miles in order to allow Romania to dig a canal there, thus linking the Mediterranian and the Red Seas.
III. Romania has no obligation to dig the canal and, in case it starts to dig it, no deadline for its completion.
IV. All Egyptian ships will be allowed to pass through the canal free of charge.
V. If Romania decides to dig the canal, at least half of the employed workers will be Egyptian subjects.
VI. Egypt will receive 20% of all revenue of the canal, after the deduction of all incurred costs.
VII. Romania and Egypt are and will continue to be good friends and neighbours.
VIII. The Christians from Egypt will be encouraged to move to the Romanian Colonies and the Muslims from the Romanian colonies will be encouraged to move to Egypt.
King of Egypt, ....................
Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Romania, ....................
A.D. 1630, 14 December.
December 1630 - August 1631, Asia Minor
All attempts of the Greek Army to make any progress in Asia Minor failed.
The City of Smyrna changed hands between the Greeks and the Turks no less than three times.
The uprising of the Pontic Greeks started to lose momentum.
Greece was short of money, ammunition, soldiers, resolve and even hope.
The Greeks have lost 44,000 soldiers in war and more than 130,000 civilians in the Ottoman massacres (the Great Greek Ethnocide of 1629-1630).
The Ottoman offer was just too good to be refused. A peace treaty was finally signed.
27 August 1631, Smyrna, Ottoman State
Smyrna Peace Treaty
1. The state of war between the Greek State and the Ottoman State has ceased.
2. All the provisions of the Adrianople Peace Treaty remain in force.
3. A Greek Autonomous Area is created in Asia Minor as shown on the annexed map.
4. The Ottoman State will perform a thorough exchange of population between the Greek Autonomous Area and the rest of the Ottoman State.
5. The Greek Autonomous Area will be incorporated into Greece on the 1st of January 1635.
6. The Greek State has no further claims on any other Ottoman territory, including Constantinople.
7. All prisoners of war will be exchanged.
8. No indemnities or reparations will be paid by either side.
Greek Plenipotentiary, ....................
Ottoman Plenipotentiary, ....................
A.D. 1631, 27 August.
In the end, Mikrasia will prove more valuable to the Greeks that the oddly placed would be exclave of Constantinople. More valuable for everything except their National pride.
2 November 1631, Great Powers Council
The Great Powers Council received an unexpected official letter from the
Shah of Persia.
Several important ideas from this unprecedented document have to be higlighted:
- Persia wants peace with the Christian Powers.
- Persia does not want to conquer any Christian Lands.
- The only Christian Land under Persian control is Eastern Armenia and Persia is willing to set it free and allow it to unite with Western Armenia.
- Persia is not a Muslim Country. In Persia there are Muslims, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. All of them are free to practice their Religion and legislation is considered to make them equal in front of the law.
- A subject of the Ottoman Empire is first a Muslim and then a Turk or an Arab. A subject of Persia is first a Persian and then a Muslim or a Christian.
- Persia is a Nation State like the European States.
- The Persians are neither Turks nor Arabs. They are Europeans and the Persian language is a European language as any linguist can easily prove.
- Persia still cherishes the European legacy brought by Alexander the Great.
- Persia desires to expand in Central Asia.
The letter was answered warmly.
Armenia became a free and united country in 1634 and Persia became an ally of the European Powers and an observer to the Great Powers Council.
