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^ No, but it will be fun. 
Sorry for the uber delay, I'd like to have the next update, filled with Revolution and War up by tonight.
Sorry for the uber delay, I'd like to have the next update, filled with Revolution and War up by tonight.
Viva La Revolución!
Excerpt from The Byzantine Empire in the Victoria Era: 1836-1936 by Prof. Charles Whitsford:
Unfortunately for the young king, the annexation of the former Egyptian and British territories did no solidify his power as much as he had bargained it would. For the two years after the end of the conflict in the Middle East,, the economy continue to stagnate, despite much government intervention in the area of early industry, taking Otto's popularity with it. The spirit of the people was also greatly shook when not only did the only other free Orthodox state in the Balkans, Montenegro go bankrupt (as Greece was headed there herself, foreign debt was starting to pile up) in August 1843, the great hero of the War of Independence, General Theodoros Kolokotronis died of a heart attack in Athens. Otto wanted to bring in Bavarian officer's to take charge of the army, but when most of the Greek soldiers threatened to mutiny at even the hint of a German in command, Otto gave in to a suggestion submitted by Karamanlís, promoting Konstantos Samaras to overall command of the Hellenic Army.
The overall public angst aimed at Otto came to a head on the night of Marth 25, 1844, the twentieth anniversary of the beginning of the Greek War of Independence. The army garrison in Athens, under the command of Colonel Dimitrios Kallergis, along with citizens of the city, led by Andreas Metaxes, head of the "Russian Party", and former ambassador to Portugal and Spain stormed the Royal Palace.
A painting of the coup. Kallergis on horseback, Otto and Amalia at the windows of the Royal Palace.
Otto tried to order Captain Schinas, commander of the Athens artillery to supress the rebels, but he refused, choosing instead to join the insurrection. In the north, by the Ottoman border, von Armensberg, who was inspecting the Army of Thessaly, under the newly acquired command of General Samaras, ordered him to march the entire Hellenic Army to Athens and disperse the rebellion. Samaris, in response to the order is said to have marched into the German's tent in the middle of a meeting, and arrested the entire Bavarian entourage, then proceeding to finish Armensberg's coffee for him.
Surrounded, and out of options, the King relented, agreeing to the crowd's demands. All the (extremely unpopular) Bavarian officials that had until now run most of the Hellenic government where to be sent home, and a constitution was to be drafted. In fact, the Council of State had already drawn up the constitution in anticipation of the coup. The king then asked Metaxas to form a new government and to summon a new national assembly, which met on November 10. Otto asked Karamanlís to form a new government, as he was the "only powerful Greek [he] could trust". Ironically, as documents found in 1896 would indicate, Geórgios Karamanlís was one of the main conspirators in the plot to force Otto into a constitutional monarchy, and had been a strong champion of democracy in Greece since the beginning. The troops returned to their barracks, acclaiming the king as a “constitutional” one. The coup was completely bloodless, and both France and Britain both accepting the governmental change without difficulty, thinking back to their own Revolution of 1830, and Glorious Revolution respectively. Russia, however did not approve of the change. This decision on behalf of the Tsar would would shape the new Greek government's foreign policy for the next decade.
Andreas Metaxas, one of the conspirators, and the foreign minister under the new government.
The main provisions of the 1844 constitution were the following: It established the principle of monarchical sovereignty, as the monarch was the decisive power of the State; the legislative power was to be exercised by the King - who also had the right to ratify the laws. Laws would be submitted by Parliament (a body of 80 representatives directly elected for a three-year term by universal male suffrage, and by the Senate, a body of 27 men which were appointed for life by the King. The King also had the ability to appoint ministers, either to advise him on political matters, or act as ambassadors and foreign dignitaries. The judicial system was also completely controlled by the Monarch, as only he possess the ability to appoint or dismiss judges. [1] The Greek constitution was a revolutionary one, although it was still severely limiting. It was the first European law to mandate universal suffrage (only for males of course), and also sent shock waves through the German states. The Greek constitution could be considered one of the main causes for the liberal revolution of 1848. Returning Bavarian officials from Greece spread the liberal ideas of the constitution throughout Europe, sparking a new age of political reasoning.
-----
[1] Most of the bit on the constitution is directly copy-pasted from Wikipedia, with some minor changes on my own part. So credit for the nice political wording goes to them.
Excerpt from The Byzantine Empire in the Victoria Era: 1836-1936 by Prof. Charles Whitsford:
Unfortunately for the young king, the annexation of the former Egyptian and British territories did no solidify his power as much as he had bargained it would. For the two years after the end of the conflict in the Middle East,, the economy continue to stagnate, despite much government intervention in the area of early industry, taking Otto's popularity with it. The spirit of the people was also greatly shook when not only did the only other free Orthodox state in the Balkans, Montenegro go bankrupt (as Greece was headed there herself, foreign debt was starting to pile up) in August 1843, the great hero of the War of Independence, General Theodoros Kolokotronis died of a heart attack in Athens. Otto wanted to bring in Bavarian officer's to take charge of the army, but when most of the Greek soldiers threatened to mutiny at even the hint of a German in command, Otto gave in to a suggestion submitted by Karamanlís, promoting Konstantos Samaras to overall command of the Hellenic Army.
The overall public angst aimed at Otto came to a head on the night of Marth 25, 1844, the twentieth anniversary of the beginning of the Greek War of Independence. The army garrison in Athens, under the command of Colonel Dimitrios Kallergis, along with citizens of the city, led by Andreas Metaxes, head of the "Russian Party", and former ambassador to Portugal and Spain stormed the Royal Palace.
A painting of the coup. Kallergis on horseback, Otto and Amalia at the windows of the Royal Palace.
Otto tried to order Captain Schinas, commander of the Athens artillery to supress the rebels, but he refused, choosing instead to join the insurrection. In the north, by the Ottoman border, von Armensberg, who was inspecting the Army of Thessaly, under the newly acquired command of General Samaras, ordered him to march the entire Hellenic Army to Athens and disperse the rebellion. Samaris, in response to the order is said to have marched into the German's tent in the middle of a meeting, and arrested the entire Bavarian entourage, then proceeding to finish Armensberg's coffee for him.
Surrounded, and out of options, the King relented, agreeing to the crowd's demands. All the (extremely unpopular) Bavarian officials that had until now run most of the Hellenic government where to be sent home, and a constitution was to be drafted. In fact, the Council of State had already drawn up the constitution in anticipation of the coup. The king then asked Metaxas to form a new government and to summon a new national assembly, which met on November 10. Otto asked Karamanlís to form a new government, as he was the "only powerful Greek [he] could trust". Ironically, as documents found in 1896 would indicate, Geórgios Karamanlís was one of the main conspirators in the plot to force Otto into a constitutional monarchy, and had been a strong champion of democracy in Greece since the beginning. The troops returned to their barracks, acclaiming the king as a “constitutional” one. The coup was completely bloodless, and both France and Britain both accepting the governmental change without difficulty, thinking back to their own Revolution of 1830, and Glorious Revolution respectively. Russia, however did not approve of the change. This decision on behalf of the Tsar would would shape the new Greek government's foreign policy for the next decade.
Andreas Metaxas, one of the conspirators, and the foreign minister under the new government.
The main provisions of the 1844 constitution were the following: It established the principle of monarchical sovereignty, as the monarch was the decisive power of the State; the legislative power was to be exercised by the King - who also had the right to ratify the laws. Laws would be submitted by Parliament (a body of 80 representatives directly elected for a three-year term by universal male suffrage, and by the Senate, a body of 27 men which were appointed for life by the King. The King also had the ability to appoint ministers, either to advise him on political matters, or act as ambassadors and foreign dignitaries. The judicial system was also completely controlled by the Monarch, as only he possess the ability to appoint or dismiss judges. [1] The Greek constitution was a revolutionary one, although it was still severely limiting. It was the first European law to mandate universal suffrage (only for males of course), and also sent shock waves through the German states. The Greek constitution could be considered one of the main causes for the liberal revolution of 1848. Returning Bavarian officials from Greece spread the liberal ideas of the constitution throughout Europe, sparking a new age of political reasoning.
-----
[1] Most of the bit on the constitution is directly copy-pasted from Wikipedia, with some minor changes on my own part. So credit for the nice political wording goes to them.
For whom the Revolutionary bells toll...
I think I'll be keeping an eye on this AAR.
I think I'll be keeping an eye on this AAR.
Why would Russians have a problem with this. After all their faction won. And most of their Tsars were on the liberal side. They would only have a problem with it if somebody proposed to violently introduce the same solution in Russia.
So Montenegro went broke? I wasn't aware we HAD any money. The only thing Montenegro ever had in abundance was rocks, dry rocks and people who took levels in heroism.
So Montenegro went broke? I wasn't aware we HAD any money. The only thing Montenegro ever had in abundance was rocks, dry rocks and people who took levels in heroism.
I'm not actually sure to be honest with you, I was going with ifon I got from wiki, which I assume to be reliable, as every other bit so far that I've looked deeply into has been correct.
Either way it won't matter much. In game terms the British party was put into office, but in a years time when the election comes the French will most certainly win, although I don't really intend to cover this explicitly in the story. Besides, everyone knows what is coming in ten years.
That, and I can't afford to open diplomatic relations with people, which is annoying. Anyone know how to edit the cost of diplomatic functions via-save file. Cheating yes, but srsly. This is annoying. Next update up later tonight.
A coup d'tet! Poor Otto... should retreat back to the Germanies. Looks like Greece, excuse me, Byzantium, has fallen victim to the liberal revolutions, I wonder if other nations shall fall - like Austria or Prussia or France. And I wonder what implications this will have on the future of the Byzantine Empire... ?
I Love Big Brother
Excerpt from The Byzantine Empire in the Victoria Era: 1836-1936 by Prof. Charles Whitsford:
The main issue facing the new government was economics. During the interim period between the coup and the first national election on November 11, 1846, the provisional government finally fond out the true size of Greece's economic problems. The nation was over £3000 [1] in debt, and the Bavarian who had formerly ran the government kept it entirely under wraps. Karamanlís himself was stunned when he saw the figures. Something had to be done, and fast, before Greece went bankrupt. The good prime minister [2] found a solution though, in the form of the Sultanate of Oman.
Map of the territory controlled by the Omani Sultan, c. 1845. The capital Muscat is shown [3].
Oman, while considered a regional power by the other Arab states, was by European standards weak, even for Greece. The entire Omani controlled African east coast was only lightly defended by the occasional fort, and a garrison of 600 men on the island of Zanzibar. Karamanlís figured that if troops could be transported to the African east coast, and the Omani forts siezed, Greece could then, basically auction off the rather useless land to the highest bidder. The "scramble for Africa" had not yet started, but the European Great Powers where still interested in gaining foot holds and naval bases in the region. Otto agreed to the plan, as he saw it as the only way, although not the most honorably, to save the Greek economy before it went beyond the hope of rescue. It was also another chance to unify the Greek people with another military victory.
General Samaras and two divisions boarded the ships of the Hellenic Navy and sailed to the east coast of Africa. On the twelfth of June, 1845, ten thousand soldiers each landed on Zanzibar and in Mogadishu. The northern group marched down the coast, and the second group, with the city of Zanzibar secured within a week, left an occupation force of a few hundred, and moved along to Lindi. The two forces met a year later, in July of '46 in the city of Dar es Salaam. and declared the region secured. In desperation, the Said II bin Sultan, in desperation ordered the Omani fleet to head to Athens and attempt an invasion. The Omani ships where intercepted by the only two combat ships in the RHN, Loudovikos and Amalia, and where destroyed. 2138 of the 6000 sailors and soldiers on the Omani ships where rescued by the Greek ships, and returned to Oman at the end of the war. Two weeks after the naval disaster, the Sultan agreed to peace, forfeiting all African land to Greece, along with the Soccotra islands of Horn of Africa.
Almost immediately, a "customer" was found. Andreas Metaxas, now serving as the Greek ambassador to Russia, approached Tsar Nicholas I, about his interest in the former Omani land. Russia had been kept out of acquiring any colonies because of her geography, and Nicholas jumped at the chance to see the Russian tricolor flying in Africa. He offered £38500 for the African land (Greece would keep the trading posts, forts, and missions captured from Oman however). Otto also offered full use of any Greek ports to Russian ships, military or civilian. He also included in a letter to the Russian ruler that if possible, in the future, Greece would help Russia...acquire a warm water port in the Indian Ocean.
Greece came away from the Treaty of St. Petersburg with the hard cash needed to pay down the entire foreign debt, and jump start the economy. Greek Orthodox missionaries where taking the place of former Omani Sunni ones, and would begin the spread of Orthodox Christianity into Kenya and Somalia, which would have major ramifications down the road. But perhaps the most important effect of the treaty was the effect on Greek-Russian relations. The coup four years earlier was condemned by Nicholas as "a liberal menace", but this soon changed. The provisional government took a strong stance in becoming in ally to Russia, and supporting their interests. The agreement between Otto and Nicholas for use of Greek ports, and favoring Russian trade in the Aegean, set the two nations on the path of a strong alliance. The blatant "mercenary action" that many in Britain and France saw in the Omani war, and later treaty with Russia, that would have normally been condemned, was not. Britain was preoccupied in China, and France (albeit choosing not to invade Annam after being insulted), still had many diplomatic and military issues to deal with in East Asia, along with political and social turmoil at home [4]. Greece was able to carry on, as the economy went into an upswing, and the general feeling among the citizenry that maybe this silly German wasn't going to run the nation into the ground after all, and Greece would make a place for herself on the world stage.
-----
[1] I'm using in-game amounts for economics in this AAR, as I have really no idea how the in game Pound would translate to real world historical money. Easier on me.
[2] The current Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Greece is Geórgios Karamanlís, instead of Metaxas as it was OTL. The thing about the PM of Greece under the 1844 Constitution is that he/she/it is appointed directly by the king, and is not reliant on parties. I'll do more on this in the next update.
[3] Historically at this time, the capital of Oman is Zanzibar. However in game terms it is not, and eventually the Sultanate splits evenly between Said II's sons, represented by Oman releasing Zanzibar in the 1850's.
[4] The current government in France was beginning to fall apart, the July Monarchy would be overthrown in France in 1848. More on this also in the next update.
Thanks for reading.
Excerpt from The Byzantine Empire in the Victoria Era: 1836-1936 by Prof. Charles Whitsford:
The main issue facing the new government was economics. During the interim period between the coup and the first national election on November 11, 1846, the provisional government finally fond out the true size of Greece's economic problems. The nation was over £3000 [1] in debt, and the Bavarian who had formerly ran the government kept it entirely under wraps. Karamanlís himself was stunned when he saw the figures. Something had to be done, and fast, before Greece went bankrupt. The good prime minister [2] found a solution though, in the form of the Sultanate of Oman.
Map of the territory controlled by the Omani Sultan, c. 1845. The capital Muscat is shown [3].
Oman, while considered a regional power by the other Arab states, was by European standards weak, even for Greece. The entire Omani controlled African east coast was only lightly defended by the occasional fort, and a garrison of 600 men on the island of Zanzibar. Karamanlís figured that if troops could be transported to the African east coast, and the Omani forts siezed, Greece could then, basically auction off the rather useless land to the highest bidder. The "scramble for Africa" had not yet started, but the European Great Powers where still interested in gaining foot holds and naval bases in the region. Otto agreed to the plan, as he saw it as the only way, although not the most honorably, to save the Greek economy before it went beyond the hope of rescue. It was also another chance to unify the Greek people with another military victory.
General Samaras and two divisions boarded the ships of the Hellenic Navy and sailed to the east coast of Africa. On the twelfth of June, 1845, ten thousand soldiers each landed on Zanzibar and in Mogadishu. The northern group marched down the coast, and the second group, with the city of Zanzibar secured within a week, left an occupation force of a few hundred, and moved along to Lindi. The two forces met a year later, in July of '46 in the city of Dar es Salaam. and declared the region secured. In desperation, the Said II bin Sultan, in desperation ordered the Omani fleet to head to Athens and attempt an invasion. The Omani ships where intercepted by the only two combat ships in the RHN, Loudovikos and Amalia, and where destroyed. 2138 of the 6000 sailors and soldiers on the Omani ships where rescued by the Greek ships, and returned to Oman at the end of the war. Two weeks after the naval disaster, the Sultan agreed to peace, forfeiting all African land to Greece, along with the Soccotra islands of Horn of Africa.
Almost immediately, a "customer" was found. Andreas Metaxas, now serving as the Greek ambassador to Russia, approached Tsar Nicholas I, about his interest in the former Omani land. Russia had been kept out of acquiring any colonies because of her geography, and Nicholas jumped at the chance to see the Russian tricolor flying in Africa. He offered £38500 for the African land (Greece would keep the trading posts, forts, and missions captured from Oman however). Otto also offered full use of any Greek ports to Russian ships, military or civilian. He also included in a letter to the Russian ruler that if possible, in the future, Greece would help Russia...acquire a warm water port in the Indian Ocean.
Greece came away from the Treaty of St. Petersburg with the hard cash needed to pay down the entire foreign debt, and jump start the economy. Greek Orthodox missionaries where taking the place of former Omani Sunni ones, and would begin the spread of Orthodox Christianity into Kenya and Somalia, which would have major ramifications down the road. But perhaps the most important effect of the treaty was the effect on Greek-Russian relations. The coup four years earlier was condemned by Nicholas as "a liberal menace", but this soon changed. The provisional government took a strong stance in becoming in ally to Russia, and supporting their interests. The agreement between Otto and Nicholas for use of Greek ports, and favoring Russian trade in the Aegean, set the two nations on the path of a strong alliance. The blatant "mercenary action" that many in Britain and France saw in the Omani war, and later treaty with Russia, that would have normally been condemned, was not. Britain was preoccupied in China, and France (albeit choosing not to invade Annam after being insulted), still had many diplomatic and military issues to deal with in East Asia, along with political and social turmoil at home [4]. Greece was able to carry on, as the economy went into an upswing, and the general feeling among the citizenry that maybe this silly German wasn't going to run the nation into the ground after all, and Greece would make a place for herself on the world stage.
-----
[1] I'm using in-game amounts for economics in this AAR, as I have really no idea how the in game Pound would translate to real world historical money. Easier on me.
[2] The current Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Greece is Geórgios Karamanlís, instead of Metaxas as it was OTL. The thing about the PM of Greece under the 1844 Constitution is that he/she/it is appointed directly by the king, and is not reliant on parties. I'll do more on this in the next update.
[3] Historically at this time, the capital of Oman is Zanzibar. However in game terms it is not, and eventually the Sultanate splits evenly between Said II's sons, represented by Oman releasing Zanzibar in the 1850's.
[4] The current government in France was beginning to fall apart, the July Monarchy would be overthrown in France in 1848. More on this also in the next update.
Thanks for reading.
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The 1848, which I'll talk about next (then I go into everyone's favorite Eastern European war...) does not actually effect Greece that much, as OTL. Greece's liberal revolution really happened in 1862, when Otto was deposed. Don't worry. Byzantium will rise again, (I hope, or else this AAR would be rather pointless.) and with any luck, I can form it into the most foward-thinking liberal happy place to live in Europe.
A happy stable, liberal Balkans and Middle East? Who knew?!
Oh yes! You have to remember, as a law and history student, coupled with Samaras' knowledge of all things military, between the two of them, they both pretty much know all there is to know about OTL Greek history. They know the mistakes Greece made, and how to fix em, and how to get around the Great powers. Unfortunately, I really kinda suck at writing character driven anything (as shown by the prologue...bleh), so I will probably not be able to do as much character development on these two, and more as I'd like. I may give it a shot, idk. All depends on what y'all want.Well, Karamanlis surely is quite a modern backstabber.
Thanks for reading everyone! Just a quick question, how is my media? I don't plan to put too many screenshots in, as I'll be making all the maps in MS Paint. Are they of good enough quality? Thanks.
NEVER!
Who'll we fight then? We suck at peace, trade and such unworthy actions."Zanzibar, ports and other stuff, would that be it? Okay, that's 38500.
Will His Majesty be interested in Indian Ocean Coastline? I hear it's lovely this time of year (it's winter in Russia)."
Greece - Selling other people's land since 1845 :rofl:
"The problem with Greece's economy is that eventually you run out of other people's land to sell."NEVER!
"Zanzibar, ports and other stuff, would that be it? Okay, that's 38500.
Will His Majesty be interested in Indian Ocean Coastline? I hear it's lovely this time of year (it's winter in Russia)."
Greece - Selling other people's land since 1845 :rofl:
You'll see for the next 20-25 years the only reason I won't go bankrupt is because of playing the role of the great powers' colonial mercenary. :3
I hope it keeps working...I'm writing this as it goes along, so gameplay suggestions would be lovely.
Well you won't get such advice from me. I never played Victoria. I'm a Hearts of Iron barbarian. All we know is how to do Mechanized offensives, and Combined Arms. Economy sounds like jiberish to us (probably because it can't be run over with a tank, anhilated with planes or blown to atoms with a nuke. :rofl:
I disagree. Economies can be rolled over with tanks, annihilated by planes, and blown to atoms with nukes.
Two updates if I can tomorrow. Political, economic, and military developments in the ante bellum period, then the 1850 census.
Or rather, today. Seems it's almost 2AM. Lol.
I disagree. Economies can be rolled over with tanks, annihilated by planes, and blown to atoms with nukes.
Two updates if I can tomorrow. Political, economic, and military developments in the ante bellum period, then the 1850 census.
Or rather, today. Seems it's almost 2AM. Lol.
Well it can be stomped down, but can't be beaten into a good economy. Well yes it can, you can always take shit from other unfortunates.
Antebellum Antics
Excerpt from The Byzantine Empire in the Victoria Era: 1836-1936 by Prof. Charles Whitsford:
The Treaty of St. Petersburg showed to Otto that it had been worth it's weight in gold, literally. It also fostered a strong bond of trust between the German King and his Prime Minister, as yet again, one of Karamanlís' ideas had succeeded, and this time, finally bringing economic stability to the rocky young Kingdom of the Hellenes.
In May of 1847, Otto ordered the construction of Greece's first modern factory, a Glass blowing complex, to be built in Athens, using government money. A rail line would also be layed from the port in Athens, ending at the town of Mesolongion on the Ionian coast. A small track of rail would also be laid on the island of Argostoli, for use in the Fishing industry. Otto, on the request of General Samaras, authorized the raising of four division of reserve soldiers, to be mobilized in the case Greece became embroiled in a major war. But perhaps the most important event in the year of 1847, was Greece's first General Election, taking place on November 11.
Painting of the first session of the Greek Parliament, in Athens, on 13 January 1848.
Results of the 1847 General Election:
Parliament:
French Party: 60 seats (+60)
British Party: 19 seats (+19)
Russian Party: 1 seats (+1)
Senate:
French Party: 4 seats (+4)
British Party: 2 seats (+2)
Russian Party: 21 seats (+21)
The election showed that in general, the population of Greece was conservative in nature. They had voted to send 60 representatives of the French Party, which was considered to be a "conservative" one, to Parliament. However, polls taken on election day said that foreign policy, which was the largest separator of the three political groups in Greece, was not as much of an issue for the general farmer or fisherman than originally thought. Most Greeks thought that the issue of what other countries to support, and dealings with the great powers, was a role rightly left to the King, not themselves. The issue was mute however, because even if the French and British Parties wished to form a coalition in Parliament, even with their overwhelming almost 80-1 superiority, they where constitutionally bound to have almost no power in foreign affairs, as the power of the purse lied with the Senate, which was entirely King appointed, and thus, consisted of mostly Russian Party politicians which would support Otto and Karamanlís' "eastern first" policy. Despite this, the Parliament was still mostly cooperative with Otto in matters of internal policy, where they had more power. As later documents have shown, much of Otto's legislative support came from deals worked in the background by Karamanlís, who was himself not a member of any party, and was able to successfully play all three parties interests to get what Otto needed.
Because of the ease Otto was able to control monetary flow, thanks to control of the Senate, he was able to get approved two spending plans, both on the urging of his always active Prime Minister. First, a research university and museum of Greek history and culture would be opened in Athens, open to any and all citizens of the Kingdom, for only a small admittance fee. The second plan, worked on and finalized by members of both Karamanlís and Samaras' staff, outlined a five year plan to expand and reorganize the military. First, six new frigates would be constructed, the strongest of which being two 34-gun fifth-rates, christened Hellas and Miaoulis. The navy would also acquire two large trawlers to be modified into training vessels, which would form the background of a new, official Greek Naval Academy, under the command of Admiral Constantine Kanaris, who agreed to come out of retirement [1] to help train new professional officers and crew.
Constantine Kanaris, commander of the Greek Naval Academy from 1848 until his death in 1877.
The army, would also participate in the new military agenda. The plan called for a further expansion of the reserve forces by four more divisions, along with the training and deployment of four more active duty divisions. The Hellenic Military Academy would be moved to Kypseli, Athens, and would play a huge part in the overhaul and professionalization of the officer corps. Samaras argued, rightly so, that nobles buying commissions in the Army was one of the many reasons why the regular military was in the condition it was in. He, with the support of Karamanlís, managed to start the process of "promotion by merit", instead of family ties, beginning with the Military Law of 1848. This also helped to foster the middle class, as the officer corps has traditionally been a status symbol, and now with less noble control on it, middle class men where now entering the service and becoming more in touch with their upper class noble counterparts. This could be seen as one of the major reasons behind the rise of the political and social power of the middle class. Because of the widespread support in the Senate for the Prime Minister, and the King (who constitutionally controlled their livelihoods, and political power), the bill was passed without much issue.
Photograph of the original location of the HMA, in Athens. This building is now government offices, as training facilities for the army were moved in the 1870's.
Diplomatically, the years of 1847-1853 where very fruitful for the little Kingdom. Tsar Nicholas offered Metaxas a letter in May 1849, inviting King Otto and Greece into a full military alliance with the Russian Empire. Otto accepted. This move however, fostered a rift in relations between Greece and the western great powers, especially France. The new President of France, Louis Napoleon, was enraged that Greece's colonial sale and open ports agreement with Russia gave the Black Sea Fleet unmatched control of the eastern Mediteranian. He was not confident (as no one really was), of the Ottoman's ability to remain in control of the Bosporus and Dardanelles if attacked.
Otto, worried that his complicated relationship with the great powers was falling apart, turned yet again to his right hand man, Geórgios Karamanlís. He did not disappoint. Since the French invasion of Algeria in the early 1830's, they had been looking hungrily over the border at Morocco, but Spanish and Portuguese protests had kept them from properly taking control of the coastal sultanate. Karamanlís figured that if Greece landed 20,000 troops in the western Sahara coast, taking control of Moroccan forts, and then marching north to Fez, the Sultan, Abderrahmane, would have no choice but to forfeit a good portion of his country. The land could then be traded to France for a large chunk of money, and French diplomatic favor. Otto and the Senate [2] agreed on the plan, and the third of January, 1850, a messenger delivered a declaration of war to Morocco, while the I and II Merarchías Pezikoú [3] landed in Ifni, under the command of the venerable General Konstantos Samaras. This force marched north along the Atlantic coast for 7 months, evading all Moroccan forces, proving Samaras' adeptness at maneuver warfare. They then drove inland and seized the Moroccan capital. Abderrahmane, trapped in his palace with over 14,000 Greek soldiers surrounding him, surrendered in January 1851. He offered up his entire Mediterranean coast, along with the Saharan forts, and the provinces of Infi and Draa. In a personal letter to Napoleon, Otto offered the Moroccan land for sale, and wished to mend any diplomatic harm done by the Russian alliance. After talks, and a trip to Paris by Karamanlís himself in June, Napoleon agreed to buy the land for £51500, and to cease protesting the Russio-Greek relationship.
With the influx of capital from the Treaty of Paris, economic and military expansion continued to go forward. The beginnings of a winery and a rail line in the island of Crete, along with modernization programs for most of the Aegean isles, all built with government funds began to take shape. The last frigate ordered in the naval expansion program entered service in February 1853, and the reorganization of the army had finished, organizing the eight active duty divisions into four "omádes tou stratoú" (army groups), of two divisions each.
The future of Greece was looking bright. Economic upturns, with a thriving economy that was making an (albeit small) positive monthly income, all fostered feelings of hope and prosperity for the Greek people. However, things were not all as they seemed. Storm clouds were forming over the Middle East, and Greece would never be the same again.
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[1] OTL, Kanaris had retired in 1844, and became a politician, eventually becoming Prime Minister under George I in the 1860's. ITTL, he shall remain an admiral for the remainder of his life.
[2] According to the Greek constitution, the Senate had to vote to accept the King's request to declare war, and submit a budget, etc, furthering Parliament's lack of control over anything really.
[3] Roughly translated to "Infantry Division".
Excerpt from The Byzantine Empire in the Victoria Era: 1836-1936 by Prof. Charles Whitsford:
The Treaty of St. Petersburg showed to Otto that it had been worth it's weight in gold, literally. It also fostered a strong bond of trust between the German King and his Prime Minister, as yet again, one of Karamanlís' ideas had succeeded, and this time, finally bringing economic stability to the rocky young Kingdom of the Hellenes.
In May of 1847, Otto ordered the construction of Greece's first modern factory, a Glass blowing complex, to be built in Athens, using government money. A rail line would also be layed from the port in Athens, ending at the town of Mesolongion on the Ionian coast. A small track of rail would also be laid on the island of Argostoli, for use in the Fishing industry. Otto, on the request of General Samaras, authorized the raising of four division of reserve soldiers, to be mobilized in the case Greece became embroiled in a major war. But perhaps the most important event in the year of 1847, was Greece's first General Election, taking place on November 11.
Painting of the first session of the Greek Parliament, in Athens, on 13 January 1848.
Results of the 1847 General Election:
Parliament:
French Party: 60 seats (+60)
British Party: 19 seats (+19)
Russian Party: 1 seats (+1)
Senate:
French Party: 4 seats (+4)
British Party: 2 seats (+2)
Russian Party: 21 seats (+21)
The election showed that in general, the population of Greece was conservative in nature. They had voted to send 60 representatives of the French Party, which was considered to be a "conservative" one, to Parliament. However, polls taken on election day said that foreign policy, which was the largest separator of the three political groups in Greece, was not as much of an issue for the general farmer or fisherman than originally thought. Most Greeks thought that the issue of what other countries to support, and dealings with the great powers, was a role rightly left to the King, not themselves. The issue was mute however, because even if the French and British Parties wished to form a coalition in Parliament, even with their overwhelming almost 80-1 superiority, they where constitutionally bound to have almost no power in foreign affairs, as the power of the purse lied with the Senate, which was entirely King appointed, and thus, consisted of mostly Russian Party politicians which would support Otto and Karamanlís' "eastern first" policy. Despite this, the Parliament was still mostly cooperative with Otto in matters of internal policy, where they had more power. As later documents have shown, much of Otto's legislative support came from deals worked in the background by Karamanlís, who was himself not a member of any party, and was able to successfully play all three parties interests to get what Otto needed.
Because of the ease Otto was able to control monetary flow, thanks to control of the Senate, he was able to get approved two spending plans, both on the urging of his always active Prime Minister. First, a research university and museum of Greek history and culture would be opened in Athens, open to any and all citizens of the Kingdom, for only a small admittance fee. The second plan, worked on and finalized by members of both Karamanlís and Samaras' staff, outlined a five year plan to expand and reorganize the military. First, six new frigates would be constructed, the strongest of which being two 34-gun fifth-rates, christened Hellas and Miaoulis. The navy would also acquire two large trawlers to be modified into training vessels, which would form the background of a new, official Greek Naval Academy, under the command of Admiral Constantine Kanaris, who agreed to come out of retirement [1] to help train new professional officers and crew.
Constantine Kanaris, commander of the Greek Naval Academy from 1848 until his death in 1877.
The army, would also participate in the new military agenda. The plan called for a further expansion of the reserve forces by four more divisions, along with the training and deployment of four more active duty divisions. The Hellenic Military Academy would be moved to Kypseli, Athens, and would play a huge part in the overhaul and professionalization of the officer corps. Samaras argued, rightly so, that nobles buying commissions in the Army was one of the many reasons why the regular military was in the condition it was in. He, with the support of Karamanlís, managed to start the process of "promotion by merit", instead of family ties, beginning with the Military Law of 1848. This also helped to foster the middle class, as the officer corps has traditionally been a status symbol, and now with less noble control on it, middle class men where now entering the service and becoming more in touch with their upper class noble counterparts. This could be seen as one of the major reasons behind the rise of the political and social power of the middle class. Because of the widespread support in the Senate for the Prime Minister, and the King (who constitutionally controlled their livelihoods, and political power), the bill was passed without much issue.
Photograph of the original location of the HMA, in Athens. This building is now government offices, as training facilities for the army were moved in the 1870's.
Diplomatically, the years of 1847-1853 where very fruitful for the little Kingdom. Tsar Nicholas offered Metaxas a letter in May 1849, inviting King Otto and Greece into a full military alliance with the Russian Empire. Otto accepted. This move however, fostered a rift in relations between Greece and the western great powers, especially France. The new President of France, Louis Napoleon, was enraged that Greece's colonial sale and open ports agreement with Russia gave the Black Sea Fleet unmatched control of the eastern Mediteranian. He was not confident (as no one really was), of the Ottoman's ability to remain in control of the Bosporus and Dardanelles if attacked.
Otto, worried that his complicated relationship with the great powers was falling apart, turned yet again to his right hand man, Geórgios Karamanlís. He did not disappoint. Since the French invasion of Algeria in the early 1830's, they had been looking hungrily over the border at Morocco, but Spanish and Portuguese protests had kept them from properly taking control of the coastal sultanate. Karamanlís figured that if Greece landed 20,000 troops in the western Sahara coast, taking control of Moroccan forts, and then marching north to Fez, the Sultan, Abderrahmane, would have no choice but to forfeit a good portion of his country. The land could then be traded to France for a large chunk of money, and French diplomatic favor. Otto and the Senate [2] agreed on the plan, and the third of January, 1850, a messenger delivered a declaration of war to Morocco, while the I and II Merarchías Pezikoú [3] landed in Ifni, under the command of the venerable General Konstantos Samaras. This force marched north along the Atlantic coast for 7 months, evading all Moroccan forces, proving Samaras' adeptness at maneuver warfare. They then drove inland and seized the Moroccan capital. Abderrahmane, trapped in his palace with over 14,000 Greek soldiers surrounding him, surrendered in January 1851. He offered up his entire Mediterranean coast, along with the Saharan forts, and the provinces of Infi and Draa. In a personal letter to Napoleon, Otto offered the Moroccan land for sale, and wished to mend any diplomatic harm done by the Russian alliance. After talks, and a trip to Paris by Karamanlís himself in June, Napoleon agreed to buy the land for £51500, and to cease protesting the Russio-Greek relationship.
With the influx of capital from the Treaty of Paris, economic and military expansion continued to go forward. The beginnings of a winery and a rail line in the island of Crete, along with modernization programs for most of the Aegean isles, all built with government funds began to take shape. The last frigate ordered in the naval expansion program entered service in February 1853, and the reorganization of the army had finished, organizing the eight active duty divisions into four "omádes tou stratoú" (army groups), of two divisions each.
The future of Greece was looking bright. Economic upturns, with a thriving economy that was making an (albeit small) positive monthly income, all fostered feelings of hope and prosperity for the Greek people. However, things were not all as they seemed. Storm clouds were forming over the Middle East, and Greece would never be the same again.
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[1] OTL, Kanaris had retired in 1844, and became a politician, eventually becoming Prime Minister under George I in the 1860's. ITTL, he shall remain an admiral for the remainder of his life.
[2] According to the Greek constitution, the Senate had to vote to accept the King's request to declare war, and submit a budget, etc, furthering Parliament's lack of control over anything really.
[3] Roughly translated to "Infantry Division".
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