Italian Crete in 1878

Lets say that the Italians are compensated as well but with Crete.

This removes the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 as Greece can not support the Greeks on Crete.

How will this work out for Italy? More likely to fight Greece?
 
Frankly i don't find any reason for the italian goverment to accept this, getting Libya as initially proposed? Yes, very probable with an ambassadors just a little more assertive and in the 'better this than nothing' optic; but Crete is too problematic and everybody knows it...the only way it's an horse trading like Crete in exchange of the ionian islands or to sigil a formal italian-Greeks alliance.
 
Frankly i don't find any reason for the italian goverment to accept this, getting Libya as initially proposed? Yes, very probable with an ambassadors just a little more assertive and in the 'better this than nothing' optic; but Crete is too problematic and everybody knows it...the only way it's an horse trading like Crete in exchange of the ionian islands or to sigil a formal italian-Greeks alliance.

Even if the Turks may accept this, surely won't pretend to compensate Italy with Crete only to turn it to Greece. But I am not sure Italy won't be so totally hostile about Crete... neither won't see going messy giving the OTL Italian rule over Rhodes worked well with the locals after all. For the Greeks of the island there won't be enosis but they would go free from Turkish yoke and is still a progress for them.
 
Even if the Turks may accept this, surely won't pretend to compensate Italy with Crete only to turn it to Greece. But I am not sure Italy won't be so totally hostile about Crete... neither won't see going messy giving the OTL Italian rule over Rhodes worked well with the locals after all. For the Greeks of the island there won't be enosis but they would go free from Turkish yoke and is still a progress for them.

Crete is bigger and had more population than Rhodes and the rest of the dodecanese, plus is higher in the Greeks own irredente aquisition list and this will greatly complicate relations between Rome and Athens in the long term and the local administration, even if Crete get an autonomous status like the original treaty of 78 things will gone smooth (more or less) till the new century; but in the end eonosis will always remain an objective of too many people.

IMHO better use her as a trading horse with Greece for support against the Ottoman and gaining more influence in the Balkans or/and gain at least Corfù
 
OK so this is not 1911 but 1878. There's absolutely no reason for Italy to turn down something that used to be a Venetian possession, so their accepting Crete as their part of the overall treaty would be fine.

1878 Greece is a shadow of its later self, and the Greeks on Crete might well be happy to find they are associated with Italy.
 
Frankly i don't find any reason for the italian goverment to accept this, getting Libya as initially proposed? Yes, very probable with an ambassadors just a little more assertive and in the 'better this than nothing' optic; but Crete is too problematic and everybody knows it...the only way it's an horse trading like Crete in exchange of the ionian islands or to sigil a formal italian-Greeks alliance.

Greece won't exchange Crete for their most valuable region. They would want Crete but not to give up something else.

What are the reasons Italy would refuse Crete?
 
Even if the Turks may accept this, surely won't pretend to compensate Italy with Crete only to turn it to Greece. But I am not sure Italy won't be so totally hostile about Crete... neither won't see going messy giving the OTL Italian rule over Rhodes worked well with the locals after all. For the Greeks of the island there won't be enosis but they would go free from Turkish yoke and is still a progress for them.

Abdulhamid II accepted Cyprus being all but in name British possession. Of course for various reasons but still. Crete isn't so fare fetched. Maybe if they were compensated elsewhere... (East Rumelia?)
 
Pre-1912, Italy was very amicable to Greece (and Greece really didn't dislike Italy either). The sticking points started as Italy and Greece found themselves clashing through Albanian claims, and because of Mussolini's imperialism.

An Italy that comes to it more prepared/less isolated is likely to have already pushed for Tunis, so inheriting the Turkish formal suzerainty will be her main demand, followed by demands in the Balkans proper.
 
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