Of Rajahs and Hornbills: A timeline of Brooke Sarawak

[Ridwan Asher]

It's funny that we're assuming that Tunisian Beylik will go away no matter what while even IOTL France kept the monarchy.

Then again, Britain indeed preferred seeing the Ottomans to deal with Egypt rather then doing it her own. Should the Ottomans agree to reoccupy egypt, it sets a precedent. So in case Britain wants the same thing for Tunisia, it will happen, since that's the only alternative to war.

 

[lukedalton]

Yes, and both Italy and France will lose the war.

Frankly, as i stated before this is not the most probable outcome...and that just if the fight is about Italy, if France is involved it will be even worse for the Ottoman.

Or Britain will prevent the war from happening and back the Ottomans. That's the most probable outcome.

Why the British will back the Ottomans? What's their gain and what's their endgame?

 

[Ridwan Asher]

Why the British will back the Ottomans? What's their gain and what's their endgame?

At the very least it maintains status quo. It is already legally Ottoman anyway, so business will run as usual since change of government will absolutely have no effect on the European rights in the country, as well as balance of power between themselves locally.

 

[lukedalton]

It's funny that we're assuming that Tunisia will go away no matter what while even IOTL France kept the monarchy.

France wanted to annex the place outright, but it was nixed by the other powers (really UK) so to keep their agreement regarding Ottoman sovereignity.
So the French opted for the diplomatic fiction that they will just administer the place for the Ottomans but the Porte kept the formal posses of the place.

Then again, Britain indeed preferred seeing the Ottomans to deal with Egypt rather then doing it her own. Should the Ottomans agree to reoccupy egypt, it sets a precedent. So in case Tunisian government dissolves, British political victory is assured, since that's the only alternative to war.

As said it's not so clear cut; London need to take in consideration that backing the Ottoman in this manner (and backing them seriously as we are talking about two other great powers involved) mean alienate both Italy and France and bring them together...and this is not something the British will like it.

 

[Ridwan Asher]

As said it's not so clear cut; London need to take in consideration that backing the Ottoman in this manner (and backing them seriously as we are talking about two other great powers involved) mean alienate both Italy and France and bring them together...and this is not something the British will like it.

No. It will leave the status quo in place and giving no excuse for anyone to change it. If anything that will keep peace and balance of power. Really, Balance of Power was the religion of Victorian era international politics, and Britain was its prophet.

 

[lukedalton]

No. It will leave the status quo in place and giving no excuse for anyone to change it. If anything that will keep peace and balance of power. Really, Balance of Power was the religion of Victorian era international politics, and Britain was its prophet.

The Porte try (and sorry, but i must enphasize the word try as is not a given) to reassert her real authority over piece of her empire, already change the status quo and the balance of power.

 

[Ridwan Asher]

The Porte try (and sorry, but i must enphasize the word try as is not a given) to reassert her real authority over piece of her empire, already change the status quo and the balance of power.

It won't. At least, not at the moment. 19th century europeans didn't have the hindsight that we do.

 

[lukedalton]

It won't. At least, not at the moment. 19th century europeans didn't have the hindsight that we do.

Yes...but are neither brain damaged or affected by the draka stupid virus.

 

[Ridwan Asher]

Yes...but are neither brain damaged or affected by the draka stupid virus.

This stronger Ottoman Empire will remain a British proxy of sorts. And most importantly, they remain under capitulations, something any european christian nation doesn't have to bear with. Ottoman reassertion of authority over peripherial vassals will serve British interest first and foremost, and it'll be more of a British victory then Ottoman one. At least for a while.

Italian Tunisia will just never happen, with or without Ottoman take over, because Britain will not allow it. Sure, it will annoy Italy, and I don't think Britain will care.

 

[lukedalton]

Italian Tunisia will just never happen, with or without Ottoman take over, because Britain will not allow it. Sure, it will annoy Italy, and I don't think Britain will care.

They care because they need to consider the balance of power and upsetting in that manner Italy (that's a little stronger themselfs ITTL) mean basically throw her at the French and the Kingdom of Italy is the third naval power in the Mediterrean (the Ottoman are more or less the fourth but only for the sheer number of vessel, quality of material and general training of the crew is another matter...plus there is the trust issue from the sultan.)

And while Britain opinion hold a lot of importance, the real gamebreaker is France as said numeros time, any final result depend on how the two neighboughs consider themselfs.

 

[Ridwan Asher]

Britain will want to prevent war and ensure that nobody crosses the line. I'm not sure Italy will be stupid enough to say "fuck you, we'll war !" after Britain has gone so far as to show willingness to preserve everyone's interest, including theirs. Really, just let the Turks bear the load of local administration and Tunisian debt, you keep all your share of Tunisian economy. If Italy refuses that much then Britain has all the chips to corner them. I seriously doubt Italy is as neurotic as you seem to be implying. But if they are ITTL, they're screwed.

 

[lukedalton]

Britain will want to prevent war and ensure that nobody crosses the line. I'm not sure Italy will be stupid enough to say "fuck you, we'll war !" after Britain has gone so far as to show willingness to preserve everyone's interest, including theirs. Really, just let the Turks bear the load of local administration and Tunisian debt, you keep all your share of Tunisian economy. If Italy refuses that much then Britain has all the chips to corner them. I seriously doubt Italy is as neurotic as you seem to be implying. But if they are ITTL, they're screwed.

I'm not implying that Italy is neurotic or that she want war but:

- 1: you keep say that the British will stick their head out for the Turks and i have just answered that's neither it will be a given or free (or even cheap) and there are other factor that London need to take in consideration in her decision making.

- 2: you keep implying that the Ottoman can quikly and easily reclaim their control over the far flug part of their empire and without consequence or reaction by all other powers. Frankly i see that as very difficult as they need time to both rebuild and reassorb, first beginning with Egypt and more time pass, more that zone will be absorbed in other zone of influence for sheer economic power.

- 3: The Ottoman, if they want reassest their control of the place, cannot accept the previous agreement remain active...as basically make Tunisia an Italian province; and Italy will not very like that someone will meddle in her turf as she is one of the big boys.

-4:Italy is not the only one with interest on Tunisia, the French are the other...and i doubt the British will be able to strongarm anything from them or risk a war for the Porte.

Frankly i stop my reply here (regarding this argument) as are more than 3 pages of that and we have starting to repeat the same things with little add and seem clear that neither of us will change his opinion.

 

[Al-numbers]

Okay, as much as I like discussions in my timeline, I think this discourse has gone on far enough. Both your thoughts have been welcome - and I do have some alternate ideas on what to do with Tunisia now - but maybe we can come back to the topic once the Johor/Aceh and Borneo/Sulu updates are done with, gentlemen?

What can they do if the Ottomans said they won't help them?

Make foreign affairs more brain-breaking than it should have been, though one could say the OTL colonization of the East Indies is already brain-breaking enough.

The Johor/Aceh part is mostly written down, though the draft's still mostly unpolished. However, I also have a backlog of assignments keeping me busy for a while so the next update might be in a few days time.

 

[Al-numbers]

Charlie MacDonald, Strange States and Bizzare Borders, (weirdworld.postr.com, 2014)


...So you might be thinking, "OK, so the Ottomans win ONE war. How the heck does that change the history of Malaya and Southeast Asia and all?" Well... remember what I said about History being a tricksy mistress? She had a freaking dance party at the end of 1877, and not all of her moves were that kind to the dance floor...

Aceh and Johor​

First, a quick recap: Johor before the War was a sultanate under the Maharaja Abu Bakar of the Temenggung Dynasty, who transformed his sleepy little kingdom into a thriving spice exporter and immigrant mega-sponge. His rule saw tens of thousands of Acehnese, Javanese, Hadramis and especially Chinese immigrants flocking to the sultanate seeking a new life from the ones they left behind. Thanks to this, Johor had become the richest state in the Malay Peninsula and also the most multicultural by the beginning of 1877.

In spite of all this, there was one thing that really vexed the monarch: his kingdom wasn't formally recognized as an independent state. Oh make no mistake, Johor was able to freely trade and soak up families from all over without any kind of foreign repercussions (yet); but there wasn't any of the whole pomp and business of official recognition going on in the sultanate, you know? Like embassies and diplomats and written treaties signed in super-important ink and... well…

Ok, let us use a quick analogy: the Kingdom of Sarawak. Nice place, isn’t it? Great service, friendly head-hunters, and also... independent; but in Sarawak’s case, everyone knew it. Sarawak had treaties, emissaries, political connections, and all the like. The kingdom had it's own recognition agreements with Great Britain, the Netherlands, the Germans and even the United States, with France joining the group in 1881. Charles Brooke could conduct his own foreign policy – and did – and so long as regional circumstances favoured the British, he was free to do whatever he pleased for the state. When people look at Borneo, they see the big red splash at the top and think "Oh yeah! That's the White Rajah's land. You can't colonize that, bub."

See? yes. Touch? hell no.
And yes, I know the map is outdated for 1877 but I’m trying to make a point here!​

Of course, anyone with a knack for history would know that Sarawak had to claw and fight and negotiate with her neighbours to fully claim recognition, but still!!

That's what Johor wanted, or more precisely, that's what Abu Bakar wanted. He wanted foreigners to see his kingdom as a place no one could touch or ever conquer. Plus, the monarch knew that foreign intrusion could not be fended off forever and so wanted Johor’s freedom to be signed and made clear as soon as possible. He looked to Aceh and Sulu with their wars and problems and grew secretly afraid that the same thing could happen to his own sultanate in the near-future.

In fact, Abu Bakar was actually mulling to go on another trip to Europe to try and resolve this issue when the Russo-Turkish War broke out. From the capital of Johor Bahru, the royal court waited to see what the outcome was so they could use the situation to their advantage. When the Treaty of Berlin was finally signed, they knew which Empire to go to state their case first.

After a month of travelling, Abu Bakar and his entourage finally arrived at Kostantiniyye on December 17, 1877. After a few days of exchanging pleasantries, the Johorean delegation stated their terms to the Turks: the sultanate would be formally recognized as a true independent state; foreign relations capabilities between the two polities would be conducted to the full; and so would the trading of various goods and resources.

For Sultan Abdul Hamid, the Johoreans signified just how much the Ottoman Empire still mattered to the Muslim world. For Abu Bakar, it was part of a plan to safeguard his kingdom through a system of redundancy. The Ottomans definitely saw the economic opportunities of the deal, particularly for the rising middle class of their main cities. After a few weeks in which the minute details are talked over, the Ottoman Empire agreed to the terms and formally recognized the Johor Sultanate as an independent state by the beginning of 1878. Abu Bakar would later tour France, Italy, Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire (not even joking! He really went to Vienna!), and even little Lichtenstein to state his case, winning recognition agreements in almost every state at the end of it. Only Paris denied recognition.

However, there was one place that was really unhappy with the turn of events: the Netherlands, or more specifically, the Dutch East Indies. the Johorean tour was wildly talked about in the newspapers back home and Batavia got worried that Abu Bakar might send unwanted ideas to some of the more troublesome sultanates of the East Indies, almost all of which were at war with the Dutch. They were particularly worried about what the news could do to Aceh, which they had warred and blockaded for almost a decade now.

They tried to explain this to Singapore but the British colony was... kinda A-OK with it all? On one hand, the British were already expanding themselves over the numerous Princely States of the Malay Peninsula, and they were also wary of what Abu Bakar was doing. On the other hand, Johor was firmly allied to the British and the Singaporean governor was a close correspondent of the monarch. Said governor then tried to soothe their worries by providing an answer I shall now oversimplify: "Think of all the trade Abu Bakar would now bring!"

And think of all our children who will look back and cringe at what we did, and so made games of us to better tint their history!!​

Batavia was unconvinced. They quickly ramped up their battles against the sultanates and made sure the Johorean tour was not talked about in their papers. For Aceh, they intensified their blockade and asked the British for more ships, as well as sending more troops to combat the Acehnese and keeping an eye out for word on the street. While their tactics did slow down the news of Ottoman victory and the Johorean tour, word got out anyway. Just as they feared, the remnants of the Acehnese court quickly got inspired and devised a plan to do the same thing Abu Bakar did, with maybe perhaps 20% more pleading.

However, by that time the Aceh War had transformed into a brutal slugfest. Though the capital city of Kutaraja was taken by the Dutch, control over the hinterland and mountain ranges still laid with the locals. Guerrilla war was the order of the day and the Acehnese were brutal in their fight against the enemy, ambushing Dutch convoys and creating hell with their supply lines. Still, it took a year before a quorum of Acehnese delegates could even assemble at Johor (no one really trusted Singapore anymore), and about a month more to make contact with the Ottomans and travel to Kostantiniyye.

To cut the long story short, the Acehnese terms to the Porte were somewhat similar to the Johoreans, but with a big dose of "Can you PLEASE try and help us this time!?". From the old records, we know that Sultan Abdul Hamid was really tempted to use the Ottoman Navy, but many of the Turkish delegates decided otherwise. The year was now 1879 and the Ottomans were in a ginormous diplomatic scramble with Europe over North Africa, a situation that many thought could get worse if the Ottoman Navy were to get distracted by an expedition to Sumatra. There were many in the Porte that wanted foreign policy to be oriented to "neighbours first, distant relations second." Why help Sumatra when your own neighbourhood is in a tussle?

In the end, the Ottomans did declare Aceh as formally independent but denied them the intervention the delegates sorely wanted. Abdul Hamid did manage to get a final say though, providing a huge load of weapons and supplies to keep the fight going back home, shipped via Johor. The Acehnese also managed to get some supplies from Italy as well when they went during a side trip, though this was probably because Rome wanted to spite the Dutch over the increasing tensions down in New Guinea.

As for Abu Bakar, he was somewhat amused by his small kingdom now becoming an international smuggling hub.

"Reports of my involvement in the Sulu Affair are greatly exaggerated," He lied.​

As 1879 moved out, the situation at the Malacca Straits had changed considerably. Johor is now internationally recognized (no British nod, though) and is trying to get its handle on the whole "foreign diplomacy" thing. Aceh, on the other hand, is still fighting on against the Dutch, only now with foreign weapons and closer international attention. Both sultanates are now on the world radar, if not at least with greater prominence than before. Both sultanates are now trying to see if they could maintain or improve their position. Both sultanates have no idea what their actions will entail in the coming decade

Oh, and one last thing. In 1880, a population census was undertaken by the Johorean government just to see how many people the kingdom had. However, the act was soon stopped due to bad access to villages and enormous clerical error. Despite that, the last true numbers collected before the errors was... still worth noting.


Malays: 39,100~

Chinese: 150,700~


Bear in mind that this doesn't count in the Hadramis, Acehnese, or Javanese immigrants, or the Indian, European and multinational traders that now call the sultanate home. Abu Bakar had welcomed immigration into his kingdom, and this is the result: a minority-majority Johor.

Did he saw this coming? You tell me.

__________

Footnotes:

1) Abu Bakar’s ITTL tour to Europe was based on his actual European tour in 1878 which saw him in the capitals of Paris and Vienna. ITTL, with Ottoman victory and the worries of Aceh and Sulu hanging over the region, he has greater incentive to get on his tour.

2) The census used at the end of the update is based on the IOTL numbers taken by the British and the Johorean government, with a little tweaking.

 

[NickBana]

That last sentence was...

Whoops? I guess?

 

[Al-numbers]

That last sentence was...

Whoops? I guess?

Honestly, I don't think there's any other word that could describe it.

Whoops.

 

[Unknown]

Good update.

Waiting for more...

 

[Herr Frage]

Well, good for Johor but it seems like that kingdom will have to do some identity searching or face trouble against the Malay ruling class.

The Acehnese i think they are still going down. But the greater attention and possible inspiration to other states will lead to a smaller DEI.

And it sounds like the Tunisia Crisis is going down. While I agree Britain will block it, I think Italy will hold a 'much' bigger grudge and start to see Britain as blocking their place in the sun.

 

[Nassirisimo]

Well, I do wonder whether or not the concept of Malay lordship will be abandoned for a pan-Islamic identity to be inclusive to the other Muslims who've immigrated there. Or perhaps some analogue to Malaysian rather than Malay identity. It would be nice to see this end in something other than inter-ethnic strife.

 

[Herr Frage]

Well, I do wonder whether or not the concept of Malay lordship will be abandoned for a pan-Islamic identity to be inclusive to the other Muslims who've immigrated there. Or perhaps some analogue to Malaysian rather than Malay identity. It would be nice to see this end in something other than inter-ethnic strife.

Umm considering the very large Chinese p[population that is likely mostly nonIslamic a pan muslim identity might be a hard sell for stability.