The Oriental Crisis

[TLS]

March, 1826

As the Levant descends into chaos, with dueling claimants striving for the Sublime Porte, the French government seeks to ensure stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. To that end, in mid-1826, Consul Talleyrand sends a series of invitations to the British, German and Russian crowns to deliberate about the future of the Ottoman Empire and to determine a unified response by the civilized powers of Europe that equitably reflects the interests of Christendom and humanity. The Elysee Palace is set aside to host the negotiations, and the invited countries are urged to send negotiating parties with due haste to avoid a complete collapse of the region into anarchy.

[Lefty]

The German Confederation grants its ambassador to France Christian Hubert Pfeffel von Krigenstein plenipotentiary status to negotiate on behalf of German interests. He informs his hosts that Germany seeks stability especially in the Balkans and Bosporus and is willing to support reformers in Constantinople with training and funds.

[Galveston Bay]

The Russian Government declines to attend however the French, British and German ambassadors are provided a note to report to their governments on April 1 (reaching their respective capitals in late April)

https://commonwealthe20.rpg-board.net/t271-ottoman-civil-war#3316

[Haneastic]

The British agree to send representatives to this meeting. While officially Great Britain is neutral, they are very keen to keep a balance of power in the Balkans and the Mediterranean.

[TLS]

May, 1826

With news of the Russian ultimatum to the Sublime Porte radically altering the calculus, the French delegation works diligently on a solution aimed at containing Russian expansion, salvaging the long-term stability of North Africa and the Levant and, hopefully, defusing the potentially explosive situation bound to emerge from Russian provocation in the Balkans.

Talleyrand thus puts forward the following protocol for input by the assembled, civilized and peaceful delegations which chose to engage in diplomacy rather than brute-force extortion.

I. Egypt

• Muhammad Ali, the Khedive of Egypt, shall be granted control of Egypt, Sudan and the Levant (the Eyalets of Damascus, Sidon, Tripoli, Aleppo, and Adana,) Crete and Cyprus, in perpetuity, to be inherited by his heirs in the manner of his choosing.
  
• Muhammad Ali shall also be recognized with the new title Sultan, as befitting his new stature and territories.
  
• The Hejaz shall remain a vassal state of the Sultan of Egypt, as shall Tripolitania.
  
• France shall guarantee the territorial integrity of the Sultan of Egypt's possessions, which all signatories will, in turn, recognize.
  
• All signatories shall receive free trade access into and through the Sultan's territories.
  

II. The Balkans

• The Rumelian Eyalets (RL Bulgaria, eastern Greek Macedonia including Kavala but not Salonika, Wallachia, Albania, and North Macedonia) will be granted independence as the Tsardom of Rumelia.
  
• Moldavia/Bessarabia  shall be ceded to the Russian Empire.
  
• The Bosnia Eyalet and Sanjak of Novi Pazar shall be ceded to Croatia.
  
• Germany shall guarantee the territorial integrity of Rumelia, which all signatories will, in turn, recognize.
  
• All signatories shall receive free trade access into and through Rumelia's territories.
  

III. The Empire

• The Sublime Porte shall retain control of Thrace, including Adrianople, which will set the frontier with the new Tsardom of Rumelia.
  
• The Sublime Porte shall retain control of the Mesopotamian Eyalets (including the Eyalet of Rakka).
  
• The Subime Porte shall retain control of the Ayasofya Mosque and retain complete control over the Bosphorus, including access to and through the straits.
  
• Sultan Mahmud and his descendants shall rule the Empire in perpetuity.
  
• Germany shall guarantee the territorial integrity of the Sublime Porte, which all signatories will, in turn, recognize.
  
• All signatories shall receive free trade access into and through Rumelia's territories.
  

[Lefty]

The Germans provide their full support behind the French proposal.

Additionally, the Germans announce their intention to provide arms and funding to the Sublime Porte, including the creation of a New Model Army in Istanbul.

[Galveston Bay]

Word reaches Paris of that the Sultan of Egypt has declared independence along the lines recommended by the conference.

He also asks for their good efforts to bring peace between the Ottoman Empire and the new Sultanate of Arabia

[Galveston Bay]

the Russian Ambassador to France, who is available, responds after some delay as he waits for communications from home. The Greeks and Russians agree to the terms. But only if the Ottoman Empire agrees.

The Sultan Mahmud is furious about his empire being stripped away but recognizes that at this moment of weakness he can do little about it. He agrees as rumors of possible Russian interference in Kurdistan and Armenia as well as solid reports of the presence of two large armies on Dneister River and the Greek mobilization are all confirmed. Seeing likely the loss of the capital itself as a real possibility, even with German support, the Sultan agrees.

Fighting has already come to an end as Egyptians and the Turks were still scrambling to assemble field armies for the next year.

By the end of the year peace has broken out in Southeast Europe and the Middle East.

(OOC: show me the map TLS)

[Haneastic]

The British government applauds the Russian and Ottoman governments for seeing reason and avoiding another devastating war. The French and German are applauded for enforcing the peace in a frequently troubled area. British representatives reach out to both Istanbul and Cairo to seek trade arrangements and support.

[Galveston Bay]

The Sultan in Constantinople offers to sell to Greece the islands of Rhodes, Cyprus and Crete. The offers is as follows:
1. Sale of those three islands
2. cost is 100 points (Russia will take this up once it is learned)
3. Greece agrees to surrender permanently claims to Smyrna and Istanbul as does Russia.
4. Greeks living in the Ottoman Empire will leave and be resettled by Greece
5. Turks and other Muslims who wish to leave will be allowed to leave Greek territory and will be resettled by the Ottoman Empire.
6. Russia will immediately stop supporting Armenian and Kurdish nationalists.

The Greeks and Russians agree to the deal in October 1826...... word reaches Paris around that time.

[Lefty]

The German Ambassador presents a map of the Balkans for verification. The Albo-Bosniak rebellion is not recognized by any of the powers.

[TLS]

Pleased with the acceptance of the protocols, the French delegation utters a slight protest when the islands of Crete and Cyprus are sold by the Sublime Porte despite being allocated to the Egyptians but chooses not to press the matter further -- Talleyrand being a firm believer in not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. The French delegation thus presents the map below, outlining the allocation of territory in the Asian and African continents (Dark red for Muhammad Ali, Green for the Ottomans, light red for Egyptian/Arab vassal states).



The French also note their intention to abide by all the protocols above, including recognizing the territorial integrity of the Tsardom of Rumelia. As such, France does not recognize the incipient rebel state, and gives its full moral support to the Germans in their quest to abide by international agreement. France, for its part, is busy ensuring the stability of the new Arabian state ruled by Muhammad Ali, and will leave the matter of resolving the current issue to the Germans. However, France pointedly notes -- for all countries, including those not signatory to the Paris Protocol -- that if another European power chooses to intervene in undermining either the Serbo-Croatian or Rumelian states, France will intervene more forcefully.

[Sponsored content]