Ottoman POD

Anyways after Sultan Mehmed keeled over in 1421, his brother Mustafa was released by Emperor Manuel II; his freedom guaranteed by promising to return a few cities to the Byzantines. He captured Gelibolu, the fort which controls the strait of Çanakkale (Dardanelles) and after capturing Edirne the European capital of the empire, he began ruling in Roumeli. He proved that he was Beyazid's son and gained the support of the governors there. Instead of sending the army across the strait of Bosphorus (and having his soldiers desert him), he decides to leave his nephew with the Ottoman holdings in Anatolia and concentrates on eliminating all possible threats to his rule on the European side, namely like partisans like Mihaloğlu, and untrustworthy allies.

How do things proceed on? I can see Mustafa going back on his promise to Manuel II and consider besieging Constantinople. The Byzantines were low on funds and soldiers and barely made it out victorious against the last siege which was in 1422. He might as well try seizing Constantinople then. Tell me of your opinions?
 
Anyways after Sultan Mehmed keeled over in 1421, his brother Mustafa was released by Emperor Manuel II; his freedom guaranteed by promising to return a few cities to the Byzantines. He captured Gelibolu, the fort which controls the strait of Çanakkale (Dardanelles) and after capturing Edirne the European capital of the empire, he began ruling in Roumeli. He proved that he was Beyazid's son and gained the support of the governors there. Instead of sending the army across the strait of Bosphorus (and having his soldiers desert him), he decides to leave his nephew with the Ottoman holdings in Anatolia and concentrates on eliminating all possible threats to his rule on the European side, namely like partisans like Mihaloğlu, and untrustworthy allies.

How do things proceed on? I can see Mustafa going back on his promise to Manuel II and consider besieging Constantinople. The Byzantines were low on funds and soldiers and barely made it out victorious against the last siege which was in 1422. He might as well try seizing Constantinople then. Tell me of your opinions?

This is perhaps the most fascinating Ottoman POD possible because here there is the possibility of separate Ottoman Empires, one each in Europe and Asia, sure to quarrel with each other and every neighbor. The question for me long term is what his does to Demographics. Persumably the ruler in Rumelia will also actively claim the title of Emperor of the Romans in due course.
 
This is perhaps the most fascinating Ottoman POD possible because here there is the possibility of separate Ottoman Empires, one each in Europe and Asia, sure to quarrel with each other and every neighbor. The question for me long term is what his does to Demographics. Persumably the ruler in Rumelia will also actively claim the title of Emperor of the Romans in due course.

Indeed it is. It would be pretty cool to see the differences that may emerge between the two Ottoman states (that is if they remain separate from one another) in the long term.

As for the demographics of the Balkans: by the early 1400s, there was already a small but growing Turkish population in the Balkans, mostly fueled by migration of Turkic soldiers, religious clergy, merchants, etc. from Anatolia into Rumelia which was mainly concentrated along the main transportation and communication routes in Thrace, Macedonia and Thessaly. The Rumelia-based Ottomans would also implement sürgün (mass deportations) as a means to control potentially rebellious dissidents in their territories. Instead of exterminating the native Slavic, Vlach or Greek nobility after subjugating their lands, they disperse them elsewhere and repopulate their lands with Turkic soldiers and nobles as well as local converts into Islam in order to maintain the land and make sure it doesn't fall into disuse. The Ottomans can also try to win the favor of the local peasantry by dividing up any remaining lands held by any rebellious nobility to them in exchange for conversion into Islam which might entice many who do not wish to pay the jizya tax.

Ottoman colonization will best be felt in the urban centers. The Ottomans in OTL often repopulated older towns or build new cities on top of older settlements to house incoming Turkic settlers, converts to Islam from the local Greek, Slavic or Vlach populations and refugees from elsewhere.

Yeah I can see the European-based Ottomans decided to give a little more prominence to the title of Caesar once they conquer Constantinople from the Byzantines and declare themselves to be heirs of Rome.
 
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