Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 586: Ottoman Crisis (Bonus Chapter)

For most people, pilgrimage holds great significance, but that didn’t include Franz.

As emperor, he had certain privileges. Using state affairs as an excuse, Franz avoided a series of activities altogether. He had already decided that he wouldn’t show up in public until the coronation.

The allure of Jerusalem was undeniable. It wasn’t just Franz and his family who had come; many of the high-ranking officials from the Austrian government had followed as well.

Whether or not they were devout believers was beside the point. For political figures, attending this coronation in Jerusalem carried great significance.

This was the first Christian king to be crowned in Jerusalem in hundreds of years, and both the political and religious implications were substantial, worthy of being recorded in history.

As participants, these figures were assured of their place in history. They would likely receive favorable historical evaluations, especially given Austria’s current trajectory, and the cabinet of this era would probably be idealized by future generations.

Since everyone loves to celebrate success, wise ministers naturally complement a great ruler. The two are inseparable, and Franz never minded his subordinates gaining a good reputation or high prestige.

…

In the Royal Palace of Jerusalem

Foreign Minister Wessenberg said, “Your Majesty, we have just received news that a coup has taken place in Ankara. The reformist leader, the Grand Vizier, has been killed, and Abdulaziz I has been deposed.

According to the intelligence we’ve received, the coup was orchestrated by the Young Ottomans, with students being the main force, along with some participation from the new army units.

After the coup, conservative and religious factions also joined in, and now the situation in Ankara is completely out of control.”

Due to the butterfly effect, the Young Ottomans in this timeline are somewhat different from their original counterpart. Their formation occurred earlier, and the people involved also changed.

After the First Near East War, some enlightened figures, unwilling to watch the Ottoman Empire decline, formed the Patriotic Alliance. Since most of its members were young patriots, the group became known as the Young Ottomans.

The loss of the Balkans had a huge impact, and when this organization emerged, it quickly grew within the Ottoman Empire.

The rise of the Young Ottomans alarmed the Ottoman government, leading to government crackdowns. Due to internal organizational chaos, the Young Ottomans soon found themselves in trouble.

At that moment, the newly ascended Abdulaziz I began his reforms, and many of the Ottoman government policies helped ease internal tensions to some extent.

When the Russo-Prussian War broke out, the Ottoman government opportunistically succeeded in reclaiming the Caucasus region from Russia, increasing the government’s prestige, and causing the Young Ottomans to fracture.

Under normal circumstances, this organization would have quietly faded into the pages of history like most revolutionary groups.

Just when the Young Ottomans were on the verge of collapse, the Second Near East War happened, saving the organization.

After suffering another defeat, the Ottoman government lost its public support, and every social class lost faith in the government, plunging the country into confusion.

Recalling the information in his mind, Franz asked with concern, “How strong is the Young Ottomans, and is there any possibility of them merging with the conservatives?”

At this stage, bourgeois revolutionary organizations didn’t tend to have strong revolutionary ideals, especially in countries like the Ottoman Empire where capitalism hadn’t fully developed. Many members of the Young Ottomans were still from feudal aristocratic backgrounds.

Revolting against themselves meant that their revolution couldn’t be thorough. The fact that this uprising was labeled a coup told Franz that the Ottoman Empire’s path to revolution would be long.

The key issue was whether the Young Ottomans could stabilize the situation, preserve the Ottoman Empire, and prevent the civil war from splitting the empire completely.

Wessenberg shook his head and said, “The Young Ottomans have grown rapidly recently, with over 100,000 members, and they’ve gained the support of many young officers.

However, this is mostly superficial. The Young Ottomans are divided into many factions and lack a strong leader to unify their forces.

Most of the Young Ottomans are young people who’ve embraced new ideas, and their ideological differences with the conservatives are irreconcilable, especially on religious issues, where there is no room for compromise.

Abdulaziz I tried to push for secular reforms but was obstructed by conservatives. Now the Young Ottomans face similar challenges with their own reforms.

If nothing unexpected happens, the Ottoman government will be stuck in a power struggle for a long time. Coupled with the growing national independence movements within the empire, the likelihood of the Ottoman Empire fragmenting is very high.”

In this era, most people believed that the main reasons for the Ottoman Empire’s backwardness were due to religion and its political system. They thought that as long as the empire underwent secular reforms and adopted Western political systems, it would soon become strong again.

This judgment wasn’t entirely wrong, but from Franz’s perspective, it was far from enough. If national strength could be achieved through merely religious and political reforms, then building a strong country would be too simple.

The Ottoman Empire’s urgent need right now wasn’t reform, but stability. Without a stable government, talking about reform was completely pointless.

After dismissing unnecessary thoughts, Franz made a decision, “Let the Ottoman Empire handle its own problems. We’re enemies anyway, and even if we helped, they wouldn’t appreciate it.

Since Britain and France have decided to support the Ottoman Empire, they won’t just sit by and watch it collapse. A fragmented Ottoman Empire wouldn’t be able to contain us. Instead, it would become a fat piece of meat for us.

We should start contacting nationalist groups within the Ottoman Empire. If the Ottoman Empire does split, it should do so within the framework that we’ve set.”

Franz no longer held any illusions about preserving the Ottoman Empire.

Although the existence of the Ottoman Empire would better conceal Austria’s strategic plans, from the Austrian government’s standpoint, there was no reason to help stabilize the Ottoman regime.

As for British and French intervention to save the empire? Franz didn’t have high hopes for them. Besides, what would they do about the various rebel groups within the Ottoman Empire?

The Armenian rebels, Greek rebels, Jewish rebels…

Most of these armed groups had been supported by Austria and Russia during the Near East War and had now gained considerable strength.

Although the Second Near East War had ended, the aftermath of the conflict had only just begun.

Post-war economic depression, refugee crises, government financial troubles… These were just some of the issues plaguing the Ottoman government.

Britain and France weren’t charities and wouldn’t pour unlimited funds into the Ottoman Empire. Facing financial difficulties, Abdulaziz I had failed to solve these problems, and now the Young Ottomans were unlikely to succeed either.