Salonikan Capital

Hi, could it be possible for the city of Salonika/Thessaloniki etc to be capital of the Kingdom of Greece? What advantages and disadvantages are there? Would Greece be in a great position, exposed?
 
Well, being as Salonika didn't become a part of Greece until after the Balkan wars in the pre WW1 20th century, you either need to have a sufficiently early POD giving Greece greater success against the Ottomans or move this into the after 1900 board. But I think in any case, even though it was a larger city than Athens until the end of the 19th century, it would be too close to the contentious northern borders.
 
Salonika could work as a capital of late Byzantium - if Palegoloi took back the rest of Greece while losing Asia it'd be in a very good position, better than Constantinopole. IIRC there were some proposals OTL to make such a move, but after the Zealot Revolt city was too damaged to make it worth it.
 
there is the obvious strategic disadvantage: salonica is too close to the borders and exposed to anyone can control a passage through the central Macedonian plain.

But,
there's also a parameter concerning the power pattern of the Hellenic state: the post-revolution Hellenic state was built on the foundation of specific social groups, which had the political and economic power, and they shared it through a network based on various degrees of relations (from family ties to joint control of electoral districts). This network was founded on the regions of Peloponnesos, Sterea and the Cyclades, and had (actually still has) as centre the capital of the state. The political power power of the members of this network was preserved and expanded, through their involvement in the organization and manning of the various ministries, and as it evolved, their power would seize if they 'd lose contact with the public administration.
It is thus obvious that those people would never accept that the capital moves to another city, especially since many of them were shipowners based on their islands, as Hydra, Poros, Andros, etc.
 
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