Chapter 175: Crisis in the Ottoman Empire
It was the third day since news of the outbreak of the Near East War had reached London. Even though they were mentally prepared, the British government was still worried after receiving this news.
Even Queen Victoria, who rarely intervenes in politics, could not sit still, and convened a high-level meeting at Buckingham Palace.
Queen Victoria asked: “With the outbreak of the Near East War, the Russians and Austrians are both getting involved, which makes things very difficult for the Ottomans this time. To protect our interests in the Near East, what is the government planning to do?”
The Ottoman Empire had accumulated power over a long period of time. Even though it was declining in this era, it still commanded some prestige. On top of that, the Ottoman government had just completed reforms, making it appear superficially like a modernized empire.
In Queen Victoria’s view, even if the Ottoman Empire could not match Russia and Austria, with such a large territory and millions of troops, at most they would lose some land, but would not collapse immediately.
This was also the mainstream view in Europe—no one knew just how weak the Ottoman Empire really was.
Prime Minister John Russell, who was prepared, answered: “Your Majesty, we have already joined hands with France, and are preparing to jointly intervene in this war.”
Prince Albert questioned: “Prime Minister, this Russo-Turkish war is different from previous ones with Austria also participating.
Even joining hands with France, I’m afraid we cannot compel them to compromise, otherwise this war would not have broken out in the first place!”
Queen Victoria disliked getting involved in politics, unlike Prince Albert, who had a hand in many major British decisions.
John Russell explained: “Your Highness, Russia and Austria’s alliance is only temporary. Due to their conflicting interests, they will eventually part ways.
Our enemy now is Russia. Austria can be put aside for the moment. Their appetite is limited—even giving them the Balkan Peninsula would be too much for them to swallow.
The government is prepared to join hands with France to support the Ottoman Empire against Russia, while Austria’s Foreign Ministry can be easily dealt with.”
Send troops to intervene in the Near East War? Historically, the British were not prepared to personally take the field from the start.
The reason the British sent troops to participate in the Crimean War in history was that the Ottomans could no longer hold on, and France was willing to be the main force and only then did they dispatch forces to fight.
Currently, the Ottoman Empire’s millions of soldiers are still there. No one knows if these troops are just for show before fighting starts.
Many in the British government believed that just providing loans to the Ottomans, and selling some weapons and equipment to them would be enough.
Of course, sending the navy to help was possible. Extending their reach into the Black Sea Straits was also in line with British interests.
They did not have confidence in confronting the Russians on land, but they were not afraid to use their navy to contain the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
……
Paris
Compared to the British, Napoleon III was much more proactive. In his view, the Near East War was the perfect opportunity to divert domestic issues.
If he could defeat the Russians and avenge his uncle’s waterloo, he would gain tremendous political points.
If they lost, it would not matter either. After all, the war is being fought in the Ottoman Empire, and they could always blame their allies. As long as the French army could win some victories to take home for propaganda, it would be enough.
Napoleon III asked with concern: “Rouher, what did the British say? Are they prepared to send troops with us?”
Rouher replied: “Your Majesty, the London government is still hesitating. Their preliminary judgment is to support the Ottoman Empire behind the scenes without sending troops themselves.”
However, if we send troops to assist the Ottomans, the British will also be supportive. They also want to teach the Russians a lesson on the battlefield.”
This conclusion was quite rash. With the Ottoman Empire not yet defeated, of course the British could choose not to take the field.
If the Ottoman army suffers a major defeat, could the British still sit idly by?
If the Ottoman Empire collapses, not only would their initial investments be in vain, even their interests in the Mediterranean would be threatened.
The reason Napoleon III dared to send troops to intervene in the Near East War was also based on the Ottoman Empire having a certain amount of strength. Otherwise, if they were to take on Russia alone, the French would be afraid to do so.
There was no other reason than the sheer number of Russian horsemen. Quantitative change leads to qualitative change. Even Napoleon had been overwhelmed by the Russian numbers back then, not to mention there was also the Austrian Empire. They had no choice but to take this seriously.
“Humph!”
Napoleon III let out a cold snort, expressing his dissatisfaction. The British were clearly making them be the spearhead.
“Tell the British not to forget that there is also Austria. If they don’t send troops to support the Ottoman Empire, I’m afraid we’ll soon hear news of their defeat.” Napoleon III said after thinking for a moment.
Using diplomatic means to divide the Russo-Austrian alliance was very important for the British, and it was worth paying some price for.
But for Napoleon III, it was different. The stage was already set, the audience waiting to watch the show. They can’t suddenly stop performing.
Since Napoleon III took the throne as Napoleon’s heir, avenging his uncle was natural and justified. The French people were closely watching him so he could not back down.
After all, the French people of this era were quite demanding. Since Napoleon III made promises before taking the throne, he had to keep them.
This was how Napoleon III acted historically. The Crimean War ended Russia’s hegemony over Europe, and won him public support.
“Your Majesty, if the Russians and Austrians truly ally, we will be hard pressed to defeat them in the Near East.” Rouher cautioned.
The Vice-Emperor title was not for nothing. If they lost, he would take the blame, so preventing problems was a must.
“Don’t worry, they cannot truly ally. With Russia’s appetite, Austria would not dare let them take control of the Black Sea Straits.” Napoleon III affirmed confidently.
An overwhelmingly strong Russian Empire was not in Austria’s interests. If Russia swallowed the Ottoman Empire, it would increase pressure on Austria.
......
Balkan Peninsula
On April 11, 1852, after negotiations between the Austrian and Russian governments, the Balkan Treaty was signed.
The treaty stipulated that Russia would hand over Moldavia and Wallachia to Austria; Russia obtain rights of free passage; Austria would provide logistical support for Russian forces in the Balkans.
The two sides took what they needed. Austria obtained the pre-agreed territory, successfully masking its westward strategy. Russia gained the chance to continue attacking from the Balkan Peninsula, increasing the odds of victory in this war.
Looking at a map makes it clear that without Austria’s material support, after occupying the two countries along the Danube, logistical constraints would have deprived Russia of the ability to continue the offensive.
Russia’s sudden concession left the Ottoman government, prepared to watch a Russo-Austrian conflict, dumbfounded.
With no time to hesitate, 250,000 Russian troops set off along the lower Danube, heading straight for Bulgaria.
Anyone with some military knowledge knows that once Bulgaria falls, the Ottoman capital would be in danger.
In fact, if not for the Ottoman government timely inviting the British and French navies into the Black Sea, Russia’s offensive would have proceeded even more smoothly. Transporting supplies by sea is much easier than by land.
With Russia’s military strength, if they did not lose naval supremacy, they could have chosen multiple landing sites, leaving the Ottoman Empire overwhelmed.
Just as one wave subsided, another one rose.
The Russians were also prepared. Using connections through the Eastern Orthodox Church, Bulgarians were now eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Tsar’s forces.
Not just Bulgarians, other ethnicities within the Ottoman Empire were also ready to rise up. It was just that they still lacked effective organization at this time, nationalism had not yet spread, and they could not unleash much combat power.
In short, the Ottoman Empire now faced gathering storms, and with Austria added to the mix, they will face even greater troubles.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m