The sick man of Europe - Turkish AAR

[clamp2004]

This AAR will have the focus of the Ottoman Empire / Turkey as the played state.

The goals of the Ottoman state will be in order of importance:

1. Restoration of Ottoman control of the Mediterranean. Herein a control of Egypt. Dominate the entire North African coastline. This also means a restoration of the Ottomans as the foremost naval power in the Mediterranean.

2. A modernization of the Ottoman economy to an emphasis on producing 3rd tier industrial goods where the goal is to produce more steamers, artillery, luxury furniture and luxury clothes than any other state. This will ensure a stable Ottoman economy

3. A multicultural democratic state where the emphasis will be put on Ottoman culture and not Turkish. Whether the state ends up with a constitutional monarchy or full democracy is not important. However presidential dictatorship, monarchy or proletarian dictatorship is NOT acceptable.

4. The modernization of Islam in the state, so that religion is secularized and so that an Islamic country will once again contribute to the philosophical schools of the world. The Ottoman state shall once again produce the greatest thinkers of the world.

5. Ottoman dominance of the Balkans and Southeastern Europe.

6. Securing strategic resources in Persia

7. Retake the Black sea area, thereby including Crimea and the historical claim to that area.

8. Colonize Africa.

 

[Lurken]

Good luck!

The Ottomans is always my country o choice, may it be EUII or Vicky. ALthough I stink when it comes to Ottomans in Vicky. So I'll listen learn.

 

[Memnon]

Make sure you check out the events available to you as the OE, and check out VickyWiki's OE stategy guide page--there's a few fancy things you can get if you know what's coming.

 

[clamp2004]

Some more formal settings:

Difficulty: Very Hard
Agression: Furious
Playing with newest patch and newest VIP (I think it is 1.03 and 0.4b). Also added in LM+'s special hardmode MOD.

Rules:
No wildspread conquests neglecting badboy, therefore badboy must always be under 20 before starting any war.
No Churks (Eg. no importing Chinese labor)
No use of console except to check out badboy.

Anything else I glipped? I hope not.

 

[clamp2004]

Reformation of the Turkish leadership

Özgun Dormick was in a good mood. He had just been appointed to Grand Vizier by the Sultan. Sure it was welldeserved considering his meticulous work of Özgun in the court of the Sultan, but still Özgun had been no show off and he didn't know that his works had been appreciated so much.
He was not of the clergy, but an educated and travelled man. He had been to the capitals of the great and developed West. He had seen the Arc Triumphe in Paris, had been to the Parliament in London, he had travelled up through the round tower in Copenhagen. He had done all this before turning 30. Now just one year before his 30th birthday, he had been promoted to the most important political position in the Ottoman Empire.

Özgun had his ideas about the world that differed much from the Ottoman elite. He could see his beloved Empire crumble like a body infested with some kind of internal worm. This nationalism that blossomed everywhere throughout the Empire was slowly but surely destroying it. However now that he had been appointed Grand Vizier he could finally do something about it.

He looked over a map of Turkey and foresaw the difficulties about reforming the empire:

The problem was that Turkey was surrounded with enemies to the north, south and east.

Or at least potential ones. However the Nizem-i-Cedid military corps was reforming and Özgun could see the use in strengthening this somewhat modern military corps.

For a strengthened Ottoman Empire, it had to defend against external threats. For the next months, Özgun decided to order the formation of 18 new cavalry corps. They would be found amongst the Albanian horsemen and the officer corps for these new cavalry formations would be the finest educated Turkish military students.

However he had a problem as Grand Vizier... The Turkish aristocracy was severely against Özgun's new ideas for the Ottoman Empire. They opposed a new reformed empire that had a strong central state power. However the Sultan had given Özgun free reins to do as he would like. To pay for the formation and training of these new cavalry corpses, the upper classes would be taxed till they bleeded. Despite rattling protests, the new taxation system was put into works.

However this did not fully pay for all the expenses of training the troops and the Ottoman Empire was deep into debt despite selling off their stock of exotic Arabian clothes to the royalties of Europe(hoarding and then selling luxury clothes really helps though still around -10000 gold).

To secure the modernization of Ottoman economy, stable amounts of coal and iron had to be provided. Persia the long time enemy of the Ottoman state had vast amounts of these ressources:

Despite the current state of debt, Özgun bided his time and prepared for war. A war to secure the Ottoman Empire its place in the sun.

 

[unmerged(17581)]

Good luck, sir. If you are in need of a free, awesome image hosting service, try www.imageshack.us.

 

[unmerged(24031)]

I am excited about this aar. Here is a map of the Ottoman Empire at its greatest extent.

 

[clamp2004]

The stepping bounds for Glory

The preparations for war had been made. As much as Özgun disliked it, he firmly believed that war against Persia was the only way to secure the stability of the empire. The plentiful coal and iron of the mines of Persia would secure the resource flow into the Empire and would give the Ottoman a much needed boost to its lacking economy.

On the 7th of June 1836, the newly formed cavalry corps of the Ottoman Empire invaded Persia.


The Ottoman Empire had also gotten its first general.


Mr. Kerim was promptly put to lead the largest of the cavalry regiments going into Persia.

The war progressed as planned and by October the war was beginning to shape up pretty well:


The Persian however was getting very nervous and started to sent peace-feelers out to the Sultan's court. Özgun would have to consultate with the his actual commander in chief. His dear friend, the cavalry general Usman Bey.

With the Ottoman positions locked up in the winter, Usman was called back to Constantinopel to report back to the Vizier about the situation of the war.

Usman had been childhood friends with Özgun and they had received the same formal education without any influence from the clergy. Usman was therefore astonished that Özgun had actually made it to the top in Ottoman politics, but he couldn't say he was surprised. Özgun had always been the brilliant politician and thinker.

These thoughts were abrutly halted when he was admitted to see the Vizier.
After a warm welcome and a cup of Turkish tea, Usman proceded to the formalities:

"Dear friend, I know that the Persians have offered us several treaties that promise of vast amounts of land. However I would suggest you not to accept them. The army is progressing steadily and there is no longer any formal resistance in the country. The military divisions of the shah have all been destroyed, all we have to do is to wrap it up. Therefore I beg you, let the army have 6 more months and we can dictate the peace terms without any consideration! The iron and coal mines will be ours!"

"Dear Usman, it is not the Persians that worry me. The Egyptian Mehmet Ali is beginning to defy the Sultan already. There are unrest in Syria. Egypt has threatened to bring their friends France into the play if we do not recognize Egypt as a sovereign country. Despite that Persia is no longer a threat, we still cannot risk commiting forces in both Persia AND Egypt. However if you say that you can capture all remaining Persian land in 6 months then let us look at the prospect of continuing the war a bit more.

After some several hours a decision was made.

The war against Persia would continue, but peace was to be made at first given oppurtunity. The threat of war from Egypt was simply too large.

 

[C.V. Mannerheim]

good luck! and good start

 

[unmerged(33638)]

Clamp2004, I have to say I love Ottoman AAR's what ever format they are in.

Please keep up the good work, just one question, is the push to demoracy for game benefits or personal ideals?

 

[clamp2004]

Clamp2004, I have to say I love Ottoman AAR's what ever format they are in.

Please keep up the good work, just one question, is the push to demoracy for game benefits or personal ideals?

personal ideals...

I don't think going for democracy early is viable in VIP 0.4b though... the counterrevolution is pretty nasty... especially with all the Ottoman high militancy.

 

[OHgamer]

Will be watching this closely.

I'd recommend annexing Azerbaijan and Khuzestan (the states centered on Tabriz and Ahwaz) and then either satelliting PER or having them pay indemnity if the warscore is high enough. You do not want the Egyptian juggernaut rolling in with a large army in east Persia.

 

[unmerged(17581)]

Just how realistic would an Ottoman invasion of Persia have been in this era?

 

[OHgamer]

Just how realistic would an Ottoman invasion of Persia have been in this era?

Probably not feasible as Muhammad Ali was a grave concern to Sultan Mahmud II. I would highly doubt the Sultan would have undertaken a war against the Qajars unless attacked by them, and even then he would have had 1 eye on Egypt.

For his part Muhammad Ali would probably have moved to declare a complete break with Istanbul if the Ottomans got involved in a conflict with Qajar Persia. Something to think about for VIP 0.5

 

[clamp2004]

Peace already?

With the winter over, Ottoman forces were yet again on the move. Despite the musings of Mehmet Ali in Egypt, Özgun was determined not to end the Persian war before Ottoman ambitions in that area had been met.

Ottoman forces had occupied Teheran before the winter and all organized enemy forces had already been eliminated. There was however the slight problem of gaining control of the entire vast Persian area. The Shah of Persia would not give in to the Ottoman demands and that made Özgun furious. He knew that the shah only bided his time for Egypt to join in the war against Persia. However the Ottoman cavalry moved fast and its conquests of the Persian provinces was progressing very well. Usman had not been kidding when he said that the entire Persian realm would be under Ottoman control in no less than 6 months.

Of course the final peace would first come in October 1838, but the Ottoman patience in continued demand of the strategic resources of Persia had finally paid off. Persia was formally divided into a lower and upper Persia, with the new Ottoman crossroad into the heartland of Persia.



With the peace treaty in house. Özgun was ready to move to respond to the rising Egyptian threat.

 

[clamp2004]

The empire's future

Özgun was sitting in the royal gardens this sunday morning enjoying a cup of Turkish coffee. The gamble in Persia had paid off and the old sultan had been extremely appreciative towards Özgun. Özgun now enjoyed an increased yearly pay of 1000 lira. His harsh work toward the aristocracy of the country had given him many enemies, but his victory in Persia had silenced many of them.

The weather was nice and a light breeze was coming in from the south, giving a freshness to the otherwise warm winter morning.

Then a runner in blue came. He looked very serious as he approached Özgun.

"The Sultan is dead! The Prince requires your immediate attention!"

Özgun was set back. It was a black cloud that had suddenly the fine day. What would happen with the reforms now? Who would be in charge of the country? What would happen?
Mahmud II had been a sultan who had craved for reforms within the Ottoman Empire. His first Vizier had been quite alike Özgun, but was killed by the Janissaries. Özgun thanked whomever was in heaven for the luck of fate that had maken him Vizier at the right time.

Mahmud II:

For now Özgun had been summoned to the prospective future king.

 

[unmerged(24031)]

Did you humiliate Persia?

 

[clamp2004]

Did you humiliate Persia?

Nope the warscore was 100, however because it is a colonial war the unrest isn't so high. Therefore I couldn't really force any good deals out of Persia. Tried like 5 times forcing a peace...

 

[DJuan d Austria]

Great job!!

Will Turkey annex EU at last?

 

[Mike von Bek]

Ooh, you're embracing Ottomanism - very cool! If ever the Ottomans could have reclaimed their original greatness it was during this period.

Im not sure how closely the VIP replicates the increasing nationalistaion of the Balkans, but Id consider just holding onto them until the end of the game a success - but you are aiming much higher

Good to see the fall of the Persians! Uppity little buggers...

Lets see how the Eastern Question resolves itself...