The Most Sublime Porte - An Ottoman AAR

[Riotkiller]

getting spain in the soi sounds like a very good thing, especially if we can develop some industry.

the russo french alliance needs to be cut down, but the times are a little dire now. let's see what future brings

Aye, expanding the Ottoman sphere has proven rather difficult thus far, but getting Spain into it gives us unfettered access to a strong european market for the first time, which will hopefully be of much benefit!

RIP Sultan Abdulaziz; long live Sultan Murad!

I can't help but see in the rise of the Mahdi a certain reactionary pushback against both the Ottomans' increasingly liberal reforms and their claim of pan-Islamic preeminence.

That is certainly a risk - the danger of embracing some minorities is always that this could increase the consciousness of others on the periphery...

While you're doing much better than historical, you industry seems to be lagging quite a lot compared to other nations. Even the beaten Russians and Austrians have more factories than you... when do you think you'll get a major industrial expansion?

Well, the Empire lacks the literacy rate of the Austrians, and the raw materials of the Russians, so both have a significant advantage there. Ottoman industrial capacity has been expanding steadily, but our literacy rate is still holding us back at the moment by preventing the expansion of the Clerk population.

Well I only just found this. I do love a good Ottoman AAR given their challenges and stakes.

Welcome, I hope you enjoy it

 

[Riotkiller]

The signing of the Ottoman-Sicilian Alliance and the expansion of Ottoman diplomacy in Italy (January 12th 1886)​

The Mahdist Uprising in the Sudan did not transform into the widespread rebellion against Ottoman rule that the Sublime Porte had first feared; but nonetheless the anti-Ottoman agitation in the Sudan caused low level disruption to our administration of the Sudanese vilayets on a daily basis, similar to that which was often felt in the Egyptian colonies. These simmering conflicts constantly threatened to rise to the surface, and became increasingly common throughout both the Ottoman Empire and a number of other Great Powers in the late 1880s.

The Sardinian defeat to the French in 1884 had dealt a significant setback to the dreams of Italian Pan-Nationalists, but the Porte had maintained its alliance with the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, and Grand Vizier Avni Pasha had no interest in abandoning our key regional ally. At the beginning of 1886, the Sublime Porte therefore began to take matters into its own hands regarding the Italians, by signing an alliance with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in southern Italy. By allying with both of the main Italian powers, the Porte began to urge the two to reconcile their past differences and lay the foundations for a unified Italy between them – something which would give the Porte a very strong potential ally in future conflicts against the Habsburg Empire.

1886 saw no let-up in the rise of nationalist within the Ottoman Empire though, and the Porte could not afford to look far beyond its own borders for long. Soon after the signing of the Ottoman-Sicilian Alliance, Avni Pasha called a National Conference in Istanbul; inviting the greatest philosophers and scientists in the nation to come up with fresh ideas for how to keep the Empire pacified, and increase the efficiency of communications and travel within our lands. Even as this Conference was ongoing however, the governor of the vilayet of Northern Serbia sent a demand to the Porte for greater autonomy from central government.

The Serbian Governor demands greater autonomy from the Sublime Porte (July 11th 1886)​

Whilst some in the Porte suggested agreeing to the request in order to stave off more ethnic conflict, Avni Pasha was loathe to allow the Serbs autonomy again after how little respect for Ottoman suzerainty the quasi-independent Principality of Serbia had shown prior to its reannexation. Sultan Murad V was inclined to pacify the Serbs by suggesting it could happen at an indeterminate future date, but Avni Pasha instead had the Serbian governor arrested and declared that there would be no autonomy for the Serbs, and Serbia was an indivisible part of the Ottoman Empire. Agitation amongst nationalist Serbs correspondingly increased, but much like in Egypt and the Sudan, this did not as of yet break out into an open rebellion.

And so 1886 passed in relative peace, with the Porte continuing to invest in industrialisation, which was beginning to take off at long last across the Empire. Ottoman exports were still predominantly made up of raw materials like grain, cotton, and wool; but production of manufactured goods like canned food and lumber was beginning to soar. These goods were mostly sold on the internal Ottoman market, but the Porte was nonetheless pleased to see that the needs of our populace were being met with less reliance on foreign imports than in the past.

The Polish People declare independence from Russia (December 31st 1886)

Nikolai Obruchev leads a military coup to seize control of Russia amongst increasing chaos (February 1st 1887)​

At the end of 1886, the unstable Russian nation to our North was yet again plagued by rebellion, with Tsarist Reactionaries continuing to attempt a restoration there, and liberals and socialists clashing in the streets. This continued chaos had seen a rise in separatism across Russia once more, and a Polish rebellion inflicted a series of defeats upon the Russian Army in autumn and winter 1886. The final Russian forces in the Polish heartland surrendered in December, and on 31st December 1886 the Polish Nationalists declared independence from Russia, forming the state of Congress Poland with its capital in Warsaw. With the Kingdom of Galicia-Lodomeria neighbouring it, Congress Poland made it clear that it supported nothing less than the full reunion of Polish lands prior to the Partition, with Polish rebels continuing to rebel in Russia’s border regions of Lithuania and Byelorussia.

Russia was also struggling with Romanian, Baltic, and Ukrainian rebellions, and by February 1887 the situation had become untenable. The Russian military launched a coup d’état and deposed the socialist Russian government on February 1st 1887, with General Nikolai Obruchev abrogating the Russian constitution and proclaiming himself President of Russia until the end of the separatist crisis. Obruchev was a known Tsarist, and many in Russia feared that he would support the return of the exiled Tsar Alexander III to the throne; but whilst he suspended the elections, he made no attempt to restore the Tsar in 1887 - thus winning the support of many of the middle classes who were tired of the constant rebellions in Russia.

The End of the Ottoman Recession (February 16th 1887)

The Ottoman Education Act is passed by Murad V (July 6th 1887)​

The Ottoman Empire watched the events in its northern rival with interest – Obruchev had ended the alliance with the Kingdom of France when he seized power, as he did not want Russia dragged into any more European conflicts until the rebellions had been defeated. And with the Ottoman recession ending in 1887, the Porte sent feelers to see whether Obruchev could yet become an ally of the Porte. These feelers were unfortunately rebuffed, with suggestions of Pan-Slavic Nationalism from the new Russian government causing some discomfort to Avni Pasha. Russia’s economy also began to recover as Obruchev defeated the rebellions in Russia, and the previously growing Ottoman exports to Russia consequently began to fall once more.

Sultan Murad V, determined to ensure that Ottoman industry continued to kick on now that the recession was over, therefore passed a new education law with the support of liberals in the Sublime Porte in July 1887. Higher education had previously been limited to only the richest in society, and to a handful of clerics. Murad V expanded the Madrasahs significantly, whist overhauling the curriculum to include western sciences, mathematics, and languages, on top of the traditional Islamic theology and philosophical courses. Murad V also opened the Madrasahs to all who could pass entrance exams, thus expanding education amongst the bourgeoning middle classes who could hire tutors for their children.

These education reforms – the most significant in the Ottoman Empire for many centuries – proved highly successful. Initial hostility from the Ulema was quickly overcome as the teachings of the Prophet maintained their importance alongside the new curriculum, and the Koran was more widely studied than ever before as a result. Even the conservatives on the Porte soon reconciled themselves to the Education Act as a result, with Avni Pasha begrudgingly accepting that increasing the literacy rate of the Ottoman people was a worthy goal.

Tsar Alexander III returns to the Russian throne, and promptly signs an alliance with Austria-Hungary (March 8th 1888)​

As 1888 began, the Porte also began preparing for a new Ottoman census, with much expectation in the Porte that the Education Act, and the reforms prior to it, would see another increase in the literacy rate. Before the Census began however, news reached the Porte that President Obruchev of Russia had officially invited Tsar Alexander III back to Russia. Obruchev had succeeded in defeating the majority of the Russian rebels, and with peace restored he had done exactly what the liberals had feared. Alexander III returned to the Russian throne on March 8th 1888, with the brutal apparatus of the Tsardom also restored in full. As a final act as President before stepping down to the role of Chief of the General Staff of Russia, Obruchev had also drafted a new alliance, which Alexander III signed upon his return. To huge alarm in the Porte however, this alliance was not with the French… It was with Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary.

With this threat in the background, the 1888 Ottoman Census began at the end of April. The Porte was pleased to see that the literacy rate had again risen, from 30% in 1878 to 34.9% in 1888, though Murad V was disappointed this was not higher. The successful conquests of the past decade had, however, seen a very large increase in the Ottoman population, and the relatively low level of education of many of the new subjects in the Maghreb and the Caucasus was blamed for this lower than expected rise in the literacy rate. The population of the Ottoman Empire had risen by almost a quarter from 9.63M households in 1878 to 12.58M now. The vilayet of Albania also remained the most populous by far, vindicating the embracing of the Albanians by the liberals on the Sublime Porte under the late Sultan Abdulaziz.

Highlights of the 1888 Ottoman Census (Part I)​

The size of the Ottoman proletariat had also continued to increase at a vast rate, with a 33% increase from 6.6% to 8.8% of the population in the past decade illustrating this vast increase in Ottoman industrial capacity. The Tanzimat reforms of the Young Ottomans had also been further vindicated by the continued drop of the proportion of Turks in the Empire, which had now slipped to just 25.7%. The recently embraced Maghrebi and Mashriqi Arabs made up 8.9% each; and the Albanians another 4.3%, thus bringing the total embraced cultures of the Empire up to almost half of the Ottoman population – a far more stable figure.

Finally, alongside the 1878 Ottoman Census, the Porte had also granted a licence to a private company to conduct the first Ottoman National Opinion Poll. Whilst this had no political power behind it, both Murad V and Avni Pasha were greatly interested in seeing how people currently intended to vote in the new Ottoman elections. The results showed that Avni Pasha’s Hükumet-i Hümayan had a lead of just 3.5% over Midhat Pasha’s liberals, and also that neither of them had the support of even 30% of the population. This stark illustration of just how much the First Past the Post electoral system benefitted the major parties at the expense of the apparently significant socialists, nationalists, and radicals therefore gave Murad V great food for thought when it came to future political reforms. His idealistic aim of preventing rebellions by ensuring that the Ottoman Parliament represented all the peoples of the Empire might yet require significant further reforms…

Highlights of the 1888 Ottoman Census (Part II)​

 

[Specialist290]

The chaos in Russia may have granted the Ottomans a valuable reprieve, but the nation seems to have arisen like a phoenix from the ashes. Worse, the new alliance between Austria-Hungary and Russia would seem to be almost certainly concluded with containing the Ottomans as a chief aim.

And, of course, there's also the rising tide of Mahdists, Serbian nationalists, and socialists to contend with as well... The next few years look like they're going to be a fun ride.

 

[Riotkiller]

The chaos in Russia may have granted the Ottomans a valuable reprieve, but the nation seems to have arisen like a phoenix from the ashes. Worse, the new alliance between Austria-Hungary and Russia would seem to be almost certainly concluded with containing the Ottomans as a chief aim.

And, of course, there's also the rising tide of Mahdists, Serbian nationalists, and socialists to contend with as well... The next few years look like they're going to be a fun ride.

Quite so... The Empire now borders three hostile nations that are all directly allied with one another in Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Persia. And internally, there remains much tension, too.

There is no easy path forward, that is for sure!

 

[Premu]

Interesting development in Russia - I guess with the reactionaries in power this will cause a lot of unrest among the socialists, liberals and other nationalists. This might be a chance actually if you manage to strike at Russia and Austria together with your German and Italian allies once the next expected major uprising in Russia starts...

Also - is it possible to bring Poland into your sphere? They would prove to be an additionally worthy ally against both Russia and Austria.

 

[diskoerekto]

New episode yay!

Very good idea to play on all horses in the race to Italy and good news that industry is taking off. Also congrats with the literacy rate.

I’d say we should’ve tried to befriend the Polish and add them to our network of allies instead of wasting time sending feelers to the reactionaries of Russia.

Our laborers seem to be turning socialist, this might be both good and bad, but definitely exciting

 

[stnylan]

I too look at this new alliance with concern.

 

[Riotkiller]

Interesting development in Russia - I guess with the reactionaries in power this will cause a lot of unrest among the socialists, liberals and other nationalists. This might be a chance actually if you manage to strike at Russia and Austria together with your German and Italian allies once the next expected major uprising in Russia starts...

Also - is it possible to bring Poland into your sphere? They would prove to be an additionally worthy ally against both Russia and Austria.

Well, Russia has been changing hands constantly since the first socialist revolution there... But the Russians recover very quickly. We made one pre-emptive strike against them, but while the Porte is confident that our forces are a match for the Russians and the Persians in any short war, the Habsburgs have been making some very strong steps forward, and they could make any quick victory like the 1880 War a lot harder to repeat.

As for Poland - Possibly, but they're naturally being fought over by Germany, AH, and Russia. And the danger of sphereing Congress Poland would be that if they decided to fight Galicia-Lodomeria to try and unite the Poles by force, the Porte could find itself dragged into a war against our German allies (as they're the sphere-overlord of Galicia-Lodomeria). It's something to consider, but there are no risk free options on that front...

New episode yay!

Very good idea to play on all horses in the race to Italy and good news that industry is taking off. Also congrats with the literacy rate.

I’d say we should’ve tried to befriend the Polish and add them to our network of allies instead of wasting time sending feelers to the reactionaries of Russia.

Our laborers seem to be turning socialist, this might be both good and bad, but definitely exciting

Industry is looking a lot better now that a lot of the largest vilayets, aside from Tunisia, have been hitting the 40% literacy rate required for clerks, so hopefully industry will just go from strength to strength now.

Aye, Russia seems to be constantly changing governments, but they never get any friendlier toward us sadly. Apparently they haven't learnt from their previous defeat to us!

I too look at this new alliance with concern.

Indeed, there's simply no way to spin it as a positive...

 

[RossN]

Outside of a player's hands I can't recall seeing Russia go through a good 19th Century in this game.

Also that is a very impressive population for the Porte! How do the other Great Powers stack that way)?

 

[JerseyGiants88]

Thankfully, @Riotkiller figured it out without my help, but I nominated this AAR for this week's Weekly AAR Showcase. I forgot to post it here when I did so, but I will take this chance to post my congratulations again and I look forward to more great updates from this AAR. Congratulations to @Riotkiller and happy 2019 to everyone.

 

[Riotkiller]

Outside of a player's hands I can't recall seeing Russia go through a good 19th Century in this game.

Also that is a very impressive population for the Porte! How do the other Great Powers stack that way)?

Aye, a successful Russia is pretty rare, though I have seen it a few times (usually when AH utterly implodes and Russia is able to pick up the pieces). I'll do another "World in XXXX" update soon and cover populations in it - it'll also illustrate the very stark differences in fortune Russia has experienced in Asia as opposed to in Europe thus far...

Thankfully, @Riotkiller figured it out without my help, but I nominated this AAR for this week's Weekly AAR Showcase. I forgot to post it here when I did so, but I will take this chance to post my congratulations again and I look forward to more great updates from this AAR. Congratulations to @Riotkiller and happy 2019 to everyone.

My thanks once again, and a happy new year to all readers

With the holiday period out of the way, I hope to get back to more regular updates now, too!

 

[Riotkiller]

Tensions in the Baltic States spilled into the international arena after Germany backed Latvian Independence (May 29th 1888)​

The Tsarist Restoration in the Russian Empire did not just cause alarm in the Sublime Porte, but also amongst a great many minorities within Russia. The Austro-Russian Alliance also caused much panic in Berlin, where our German allies were highly perturbed by something which could just as easily be seen as designed to counter German interests as it could be to counter those of the Porte’s.

As a result, when the latest uprising against Russian authority began in May 1888, Chancellor Bismarck decided to back the Latvian people in their quest for independence. A Latvian buffer state could, along with the newly independent Congress Poland, give the Germans a significant defensive barrier against any Russian aggression, and Bismarck was keen to keep the Russians down and discredit the return of Alexander III. The Ottoman government, also keen to see the Russians fall back into chaos, moved to immediately back the Germans in the Baltic Crisis, with Grand Vizier Avni Pasha determined not to stand by and allow our German allies to be defeated again.

Unfortunately, a change in government in Britain had seen Lord Salisbury and the Conservative Party return to power, with Salisbury having taken a Germanophobic stance due to the growing size of the German High Seas Fleet. And so Britain - believing that Russia had been sufficiently weakened by the loss of Poland, and determined not to allow the Germans to become continental hegemons – shocked the world by backing the Russians. They were quickly joined by the ecstatic Austro-Hungarians, but worse was yet to follow. The Kingdom of France, sensing an opportunity to inflict a huge blow against their German rivals, now called for Germany to instead cede East Prussia to the Russians as recompense for their meddling in Russian internal affairs.

Germany makes a humiliating climbdown following diplomatic defeat in the Baltic Crisis (July 20th 1888)​

Therefore, less than two months after the Crisis began, Germany backed down. Facing a potential war on three fronts combined with a naval blockade by the British, the Germans saw no other choice but to surrender East Prussia, despite its historic significance to the German people as being the home of German Unification. The ramifications were huge: By backing the losing horse Avni Pasha had also cost the Ottoman government much prestige, thus weakening his own grip on power; whilst in Germany the public outcry was extreme. Reports of Russian brutality as they established control over the region only added to the vitriol, and with international opinion turning against the Russians, Chancellor Bismarck soon saw fit to strike back, lest the public anger in Germany turn revolutionary.

Germany began the Prussian War to liberate East Prussia after international attention moved on from the Baltic Crisis (September 8th 1888)

The Sublime Porte scores a major early success over Austria-Hungary at the Battle of Bihac (September 29th 1888)​

On September 8th 1888, Germany declared war on the Russian Empire to liberate East Prussia, correctly believing that the British would not intervene, and the French would probably not either. Avni Pasha accepted the German call to arms, and the Prussian War thus began with Germany & the Ottoman Empire fighting against an alliance of Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Russia’s Persian ally.

The Sublime Porte had not expected a war to begin so suddenly, and so it found itself alarmingly ill-prepared with just the Army of Bosnia and the Army of Rumelia in Europe to face off against both the Habsburg forces and also anything that Russia diverted our way instead of sending against the Germans. It was thus of vital importance that what forces we did have in the Balkans score an early success against the Habsburgs, and General Abdulhamid Bey managed just that the Battle of Bihac in the Bosnian Vilayet. Inflicting twice as many casualties as sustained, Abdulhamid’s Army of Bosnia drove the invading Habsburgs back across the border; subsequently inflicting minor follow-up victories at Sisak and Zagreb in October as well.

The Porte continues pushing the Habsburgs back at Zagreb, while the Army of Egypt lands at Senj (October 30th 1888)

The initial Persian invasion of Mesopotamia is checked at Lankaran (November 25th 1888)​

Meanwhile the Ottoman Navy had sprung into action immediately, and ferried the Army of Egypt to the Adriatic Coastline as soon as the war broke out, where it began besieging the Habsburg fortress of Senj. This meant that the Army of Rumelia was free to join the Romanians in attacking Russian Bessarabia, with Ottoman forces marching into the city of Chisinau in November 1888. The retreating Habsburg Army of Croatia also finally surrendered at Ljubljana on November 14th, thus stabilising the Balkan Front despite the appearance of a second Habsburg force at Belgrade. The Porte therefore turned its attention to the Asian fronts, with the Persian invasion of Mesopotamia facing off against the Armies of Syria & of Iraq, while the Army of Anatolia was committed to the Caucasus.

The initial Persian invasion was crushed at Lankaran by Mehmet Pasha’s Army of Syria on November 25th 1888, while Fevzi Pasha’s Army of Iraq also forced the Persians onto the retreat at Kermanshah on December 7th. The Caucasian cities of Poti and Kutaisi also fell soon afterward, but further Habsburg forces arriving to besiege to Bosnian city of Tuzla put more pressure on Avni Pasha. With the Porte concerned that any civil unrest during this critical period of the war could have a catastrophic effect on our performance, Sultan Murad V met with leaders of a number of Ottoman Trade Unions to concede to demands to make membership of Trade Unions mandatory for every single public sector employee within the Empire. Whilst a number of sectors such as the police force already had such legislation, this would be a significant step forward nonetheless, and the Conservatives begrudgingly agreed to it in order to dampen calls for further liberalisation of Trade Union laws.

The Caucasian Front after the Ottoman Victory at Kermanshah (December 7th 1888)

The Ottoman National Union succeeds in winning mandatory membership for all Ottoman state employees (December 18th 1888)​

The move proved timely, as Abdulhamid Bey’s Army of Bosnia suffered a shock defeat at the Battle of Tuzla a few days later; taking huge casualties against Eduard von Hohenzollern’s Hungarian forces. Von Hohenzollern, a minor Prince of the German royal family, was a career military officer who served in the Habsburg Army with the agreement that he not be committed directly against German armies, but was nonetheless seen as a traitor in Berlin. He had now taken over command of Habsburg forces on the Balkan Front, and continued to besiege both Tuzla and Belgrade rather than attempt to liberate the recently fallen fortress of Senj.

The Porte suffers a shock defeat at the Battle of Tuzla (December 23rd 1888)​

December 1888 did at least end on a high note for the Porte when Fevzi Pasha’s pursuit of the retreating Persians saw him encircle them at Hamadan and force their complete surrender; but it was clear that Habsburg forces at least were now of an even parity to our own, and we would have to be very careful going into 1889. The Russian Caucasian Army had also made its first appearance in December 1888 by invading Azerbaijan, so Mehmet Pasha’s Army of Syria had been sent to the far eastern edges of Ottoman territory to repel them. At the January 1889 Battle of Sheki, the outnumbered combined forces of Russia, Kokand, and Bukkhara from Central Asia were defeated and split up, with Mehmet Pasha consequently mopping them up separately at Derbent in Russia soon after.

An entire Persian Army surrenders at the Battle of Hamadan (December 27th 1888)

The Caucasian Front following Ottoman victory at the Battle of Sheki (January 12th 1889)

The Bosnian Front is stabilised following victory at the Second Battle of Bihac (January 28th 1889)​

Fevzi Pasha had been sent to take over command of the Army of Egypt following his victory at Hamadan, and his status as a rising star in the Ottoman military was confirmed following victory at the Second Battle of Bihac at the end of January. The Army of Bosnia had been withdrawn to recover following the previous shock defeat, so the Army of Egypt was the only force left in the Balkans, and its victory had been on the utmost importance. By defeating the largest Habsburg force, it had also freed the Army of Bosnia to take on the smaller Habsburg Army at Belgrade, where Abdulhamid Bey recovered some of his pride by lifting the siege on February 16th.

This proved to be the final battle of the war, with the Russians having once more been forced heavily onto the retreat by the Germans. An armistice was signed on March 1st 1889, with Germany regaining the state of East Prussia. The Prussian War had been a success in terms of blunting the Russian renaissance, and Ottoman military superiority over both the Russians and the Persians had been once more reconfirmed. The continued improvement of Habsburg armies caused much consternation however, and the Sublime Porte now had much food for thought going forward, as it was clear that luck had been on our side in preventing the Austro-Hungarians from sending more forces against us. The Ottoman military would thus require new reforms to re-establish our military superiority going forward…

The Bosnian Front after the Habsburg surrender at Belgrade (February 16th 1889)

The Prussian War ends in a German Victory (March 1st 1889)​

 

[diskoerekto]

Thankfully, @Riotkiller figured it out without my help, but I nominated this AAR for this week's Weekly AAR Showcase. I forgot to post it here when I did so, but I will take this chance to post my congratulations again and I look forward to more great updates from this AAR. Congratulations to @Riotkiller and happy 2019 to everyone.

definitely most deserving

Unfortunately, a change in government in Britain had seen Lord Salisbury and the Conservative Party return to power, with Salisbury having taken a Germanophobic stance due to the growing size of the German High Seas Fleet. And so Britain - believing that Russia had been sufficiently weakened by the loss of Poland, and determined not to allow the Germans to become continental hegemons – shocked the world by backing the Russians. They were quickly joined by the ecstatic Austro-Hungarians, but worse was yet to follow. The Kingdom of France, sensing an opportunity to inflict a huge blow against their German rivals, now called for Germany to instead cede East Prussia to the Russians as recompense for their meddling in Russian internal affairs.

CRAP! It's WW1 all over again! Or even worse with AH in the other side? But we're much stronger. Let's see what future brings.

Germany makes a humiliating climbdown following diplomatic defeat in the Baltic Crisis (July 20th 1888)​

Oh, wrong alert.

Germany began the Prussian War to liberate East Prussia after international attention moved on from the Baltic Crisis (September 8th 1888)

Nope, correct alert, worse version of WW1 all over again.

On September 8th 1888, Germany declared war on the Russian Empire to liberate East Prussia, correctly believing that the British would not intervene, and the French would probably not either.

Double nope, wrong alert indeed, no Britain&France

It's been a good and quick war, now on to military reforms. Also, maybe we can consider starting a question in Russia at one point and not bend over over it? Like that Tatarstan thing that happened in the past, or maybe Crimea/Ukraine? A chunk off Russia which we can later take in our sphere.

 

[Idhrendur]

That near WWI was concerning, so it's good the military will be revisited and updated.

 

[Specialist290]

On the one hand, that war made for an excellent showing for the Germano-Ottoman alliance, prevailing in the face of an apparently invigorated Russian regime to once more give them and their Austrian allies a sound thrashing. On the other hand, the whole affair has something of the air of a farce to it, with all that bloodshed and politicking -- including the preceding international crisis -- resulting in effectively no real material gains for any party whatsoever.

At the very least, the truce should give the Porte some much-needed time to turn their attention back to domestic affairs.

 

[Arnulf Floyd]

I not have commented so much on your AAR because I not like timeframe but I love so much how Ottoman Empire not suffers same fate as in OTL. Excellent chapters

 

[Riotkiller]

definitely most deserving


CRAP! It's WW1 all over again! Or even worse with AH in the other side? But we're much stronger. Let's see what future brings.


Oh, wrong alert.


Nope, correct alert, worse version of WW1 all over again.


Double nope, wrong alert indeed, no Britain&France

It's been a good and quick war, now on to military reforms. Also, maybe we can consider starting a question in Russia at one point and not bend over over it? Like that Tatarstan thing that happened in the past, or maybe Crimea/Ukraine? A chunk off Russia which we can later take in our sphere.

Germany certainly played the Crisis quite well by refusing war when Britain & France were against it, but striking the moment they looked away. The war was tough enough without two more GP's against us, that's for sure!

Currently I'm still burning infamy off, but an opportunity in Russia would be very tempting. We'll have to see what the future holds there... Crimea were our allies for many centuries, after all!

That near WWI was concerning, so it's good the military will be revisited and updated.

Quite so - It's hard to tell where the Habsburgs are on the military hierarchy (aside from being way above Persia) as Russia didn't send any real force our way, but if the Habsburgs have achieved parity then the Russians may soon do that too unless we look to advance once more!

On the one hand, that war made for an excellent showing for the Germano-Ottoman alliance, prevailing in the face of an apparently invigorated Russian regime to once more give them and their Austrian allies a sound thrashing. On the other hand, the whole affair has something of the air of a farce to it, with all that bloodshed and politicking -- including the preceding international crisis -- resulting in effectively no real material gains for any party whatsoever.

At the very least, the truce should give the Porte some much-needed time to turn their attention back to domestic affairs.

When taking it as a hole, that's a very accurate summary for sure. Crises aside, we should hopefully get at least five years of peace from AH & Russia now though, which does indeed let us regather our strength, and perhaps look back to Africa & Asia.

I not have commented so much on your AAR because I not like timeframe but I love so much how Ottoman Empire not suffers same fate as in OTL. Excellent chapters

Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying!

 

[stnylan]

Well now that was well played by Bismarck.

The performance of the Ottoman forces is quite encouraging. Yes improvements are needed, and hopefully that is a lesson the Porte will have time to learn. Myself though I am more interesting by this approach to unions. I do wonder where that might eventually lead. Will the Empire turn into an analogy of Scandinavia in this timeline I wonder.

 

[Premu]

That was a close call - let's hope that in future there won't be a massive alliance between Russia, Austria, the UK and France. That would be a real monster.

 

[Riotkiller]

Well now that was well played by Bismarck.

The performance of the Ottoman forces is quite encouraging. Yes improvements are needed, and hopefully that is a lesson the Porte will have time to learn. Myself though I am more interesting by this approach to unions. I do wonder where that might eventually lead. Will the Empire turn into an analogy of Scandinavia in this timeline I wonder.

Keeping the peace on the homefront is certainly important during difficult wars, but how that changes the Empire is yet to be seen...

That was a close call - let's hope that in future there won't be a massive alliance between Russia, Austria, the UK and France. That would be a real monster.

Indeed... Fighting Britain, with their ability to land troops almost anywhere, remains one of the biggest fears in the Sublime Porte.