POD: September 1876
Abdul Hamid II, the young Sultan of the Ottoman domains, receives a leader of one of the more moderate (i.e. autonamist, rather than pro-independence/pro-Russian) Armenian factions. The latter has a few names, dates, and plans for outright revolt in conjunction with an invasion from the north. A few days of slightly frantic planning leads to a reasonably effective and limited purge (as opposed to a general deportation) coupled with some political reforms and P.R. moves. Hovhanes Pasha ended his days as the governor of the Eyalet of Ezerum and Abdul Hamid himself would speak at his funeral.
The reforms in Armenia inspired similar changes being proposed for much of Rumelia, but everything would up on hold when the Russians blew thier stack and invaded anyway. The treatment of the Armenians, and to a lesser extent the Bulgarians, as 'traitors to Christiandom' by the invading forces did more to restore the reputation of the Sublime Porte in the eyes of thier subjects and the West than anything the Sultan could have put through in such a short period of time, and several militias were formed to defend against the Russians.
In the aftermath of this the Ottomans (having regained control of Bosnia and limited the Cyprot concessions to a few bases) settled down to formally set up the miltiethnic, multiconfessional constitutionalism of the Young Ottomans. There are no further autonamous areas (the memory of what happens what _those_ are set up being too fresh) but the parlimentary seats from each eyalet are subpartitioned by millet and the Eucemenical Patriach kets strongarmed into appointing autocephalous Bosnian and Bulgarian Archbishops. Meanwhile the militias are reorganized as 'The Sultan's Own' regiments and receive various perks from COnstantinople. In the coming decades most of Abdul Hamid's OTL reforms get through along with increasing democratization at the local level and stronger anti-corruption measures. Local potential leaders are encouraged to come to court and receive honors/positions, while Jewish immigration from Russia and other mathologically anti-semetic places is encouraged (Salonica, Metro Constantinople, and the new levantine town of Tel Aviv being the main points of settlement).
Abdul the Great (at least that is what the Armenians call him, at least one Turkish nationist tried to assassinate him) dies in his sleep in 1918 and is widely eulogized, although it is not known how well his successor will continue the balancing act between Germany and Britan that consumed Abdul-Hamid's forgien policy.
Now what?
For that matter, how is the wider world affected?
HTG
Abdul Hamid II, the young Sultan of the Ottoman domains, receives a leader of one of the more moderate (i.e. autonamist, rather than pro-independence/pro-Russian) Armenian factions. The latter has a few names, dates, and plans for outright revolt in conjunction with an invasion from the north. A few days of slightly frantic planning leads to a reasonably effective and limited purge (as opposed to a general deportation) coupled with some political reforms and P.R. moves. Hovhanes Pasha ended his days as the governor of the Eyalet of Ezerum and Abdul Hamid himself would speak at his funeral.
The reforms in Armenia inspired similar changes being proposed for much of Rumelia, but everything would up on hold when the Russians blew thier stack and invaded anyway. The treatment of the Armenians, and to a lesser extent the Bulgarians, as 'traitors to Christiandom' by the invading forces did more to restore the reputation of the Sublime Porte in the eyes of thier subjects and the West than anything the Sultan could have put through in such a short period of time, and several militias were formed to defend against the Russians.
In the aftermath of this the Ottomans (having regained control of Bosnia and limited the Cyprot concessions to a few bases) settled down to formally set up the miltiethnic, multiconfessional constitutionalism of the Young Ottomans. There are no further autonamous areas (the memory of what happens what _those_ are set up being too fresh) but the parlimentary seats from each eyalet are subpartitioned by millet and the Eucemenical Patriach kets strongarmed into appointing autocephalous Bosnian and Bulgarian Archbishops. Meanwhile the militias are reorganized as 'The Sultan's Own' regiments and receive various perks from COnstantinople. In the coming decades most of Abdul Hamid's OTL reforms get through along with increasing democratization at the local level and stronger anti-corruption measures. Local potential leaders are encouraged to come to court and receive honors/positions, while Jewish immigration from Russia and other mathologically anti-semetic places is encouraged (Salonica, Metro Constantinople, and the new levantine town of Tel Aviv being the main points of settlement).
Abdul the Great (at least that is what the Armenians call him, at least one Turkish nationist tried to assassinate him) dies in his sleep in 1918 and is widely eulogized, although it is not known how well his successor will continue the balancing act between Germany and Britan that consumed Abdul-Hamid's forgien policy.
Now what?
For that matter, how is the wider world affected?
HTG
You're right! I should've said "drunk hot-headed...""