The almost mythical image of Mihai grew in the National psyche,
matching the ever increasing length and breadth of the Country.
Peace of Alba Iulia
In the autumn of 1624, the massive struggle of Christian Europe against the Ottoman Empire ended in a colossal and historic victory.
This victory marked the greatest setback of Islam in its entire history, reverting to Christendom in only three years an area greater than that regained by the Iberian Reconquista during centuries.
The Ottoman Empire lost more than nine tenths of its Balkan territory, Crimea, all its Caucasus Lands, and all of Africa West of Cyrenaica. It had been badly stricken but not totally destroyed.
The Crusader Alliance had attained almost all its goals with the exception of the completely unreasonable ones such as the conquest of Constantinople itself. Yet, no one was satisfied, mainly because the losses in men, ships and money had been very high.
A difficult problem faced by the victorious Crusaders was that of the peoples left behind by the retreating Ottoman armies: the Berbers in Africa, the Nogays and Circassians in the Caucasus and the Greeks, Croats, Hungarians, Albanians and Montenegrin Serbs in the Balkans. The Crusaders would try to ignore them at the Peace Conference but would be obviously unable to ignore the
facts on the ground afterwards.
Spain had lost more than 70,000 soldiers and about 40 ships and had managed to secure Oran, Algiers, Constantine, Bizerte and Tunis on the African Coast but very little of the still Berber interior. Tripolitania was still firmly controlled by the Ottomans. Several captured Aegean Islands were supposed to be valuable assets for bargaining purposes as they were of little value for Spain.
Venice had lost most of its Fleet and around 4000 soldiers and had only captured Southern Dalmatia and Valona. It had not been able to dislodge the Croats from Northern Dalmatia and decided to keep Valona instead. Initially, most of Northern Dalmatia had been assigned to Venice and Valona to Romania, but the unexpected Croatian Revolt had changed the situation.
The Knights of Saint John from
Malta had lost all their warships and 800 men and got bankrupted without being able to conquer any land at all. In just four months they had exited the war and did not attend the Peace Conference. Less than a year later, they would peacefully become an autonomous part of the Spanish Empire.
Sweden had not fought for land but only for money which had been duly provided by the Pope. They had lost 6000 soldiers and 18 ships but perhaps their greatest loss was the death of their king, Gustavus Adolphus. They did not attend the Peace Conference either.
Rome had not provided any soldiers or ships, but only money to the common cause. They sent a cardinal to Alba Iulia to secure religious rights for the Catholic minority in the enlarged Romania.
The
Cossacks did not attend the Peace Conference, opting instead for a bilateral agreement with Sarmatia. This would prove later to have been a very bad idea because, while Sarmatia recognized their territorial gains, their purported independence was never recognized by any other European Power.
Sarmatia had lost less than 20,000 men and most of its Black Sea Fleet, but had gained more territory than expected, all the valuable Eastern Coast of the Black Sea from the River Don to the Georgian border. It had failed to get Constantinople, of course.
The
Georgians, immediately after liberating themselves from Ottoman rule, had accepted Sarmatian suzerainty in order to get protection against any future Ottoman attacks. They were represented at the Peace Conference by Sarmatia.
The
Nogays, the
Circassians and the
Berbers were not invited.
Morocco, although assigned to Spain according to the Lisbon Treaty, had not been attacked and thus had not been a belligerant.
The
Armenians had been completely defeated by the Ottomans and Eastern Armenia had been occupied by Persia.
Slovakia had attained all its territorial goals. It participated in the Peace Conference in order to get its independence officially recognized and to represent the interests of the Croats who had not been invited.
The
Greeks,
Croats,
Hungarians,
Albanians,
Serbs,
Bulgarians and other Balkan Christians had not been invited. The other Powers would decide their fate according to their own interests.
Romania and the Balkan Romanians had lost 110,000 men, more than the rest of the Crusaders combined, and felt entitled to the greatest spoils of war. It was soon realized however that parts of the huge area tentatively assigned to it in the Lisbon Treaty would go to the Ottoman Empire, Greece, Venice, Croatia and even Germany. The feeling of betrayal would creep in, but the doubling of Romania's territory would eventually soothe the resentiments.
25 November 1624 - 13 January 1625, Alba Iulia
Diplomats from the Ottoman Empire, Spain, Venice, Sarmatia, Slovakia and Romania met in the Romanian Capital and participated in long and arduous negotiations.
1-22 January 1625, Ottoman Hungary
The already intricate geopolitical situation was further complicated by the German invasion of Ottoman Hungary, which was still under Ottoman occupation while claimed in its entirety by Romania as well as by the Hungarians themselves.
The large number of Ottoman soldiers trapped in Ottoman Hungary could easily defend themselves against the small German invading force under normal circumstances. The problem was that the current situation was far from normal, because the army knew very well that Ottoman Hungary was lost anyway.
This turn of events prompted the rapid conclusion of the peace negotiations because at that moment Romania contemplated the dreadful possibility of a new war, this time against the German Empire.
14 January 1625, Alba Iulia
Peace Treaty of Alba Iulia
I. The war between the Ottoman Empire on one side and an alliance of the Spanish Empire, Sarmatia, Venice, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Rome on the other side is over with the defeat of the Ottoman Empire.
II. The former belligerants will attempt to mantain peace in the future and will refrain from any infringements of this treaty.
If, however, any provisions of this treaty will be infringed by either party, the other party is entitled to recourse to any means, including war, in order to thoroughly enforce this treaty.
III. The Ottoman Empire cedes to the Spanish Empire all lands West of a meridian passing through the Southernmost point of the Gulf of Sirte.
The border between the Ottoman and Spanish Empires will be the border between the Ottoman province of Cyrenaica and the Spanish territory of Tripolitania.
The Ottoman Empire will remove its armies and administration from Tripolitania and transfer it to the Spanish Empire in good order.
IV. The Ottoman Empire unilaterally renounces any suzerainty or control it has previously enjoyed de facto or de jure over any peoples in the area ceded to the Spanish Empire.
The Ottoman Empire vows to never support in any way the peoples from that area in their current or any future wars against the Spanish Empire.
V. The Spanish Empire and Sweden will return to the Ottoman Empire all islands and territories situated in the Eastern and Northern parts of the Aegean Sea.
VI. The Ottoman Empire cedes to Sarmatia the Crimean Peninsula, the Fortress of Azov and all the territories situated in the Caucasus, North of the country of Georgia.
Georgia will be under Sarmatian suzerainty and protection.
Sarmatia shall divide those Caucasian territories with the Cossacks in any way they will see appropriate and with no interference from the Ottoman Empire.
VII. The Ottoman Empire unilaterally renounces any suzerainty or control it has previously enjoyed de facto or de jure over any peoples in the area ceded to Sarmatia.
The Ottoman Empire vows to never support in any way the peoples from that area in their current or any future wars against Sarmatia or any other Power.
VIII. The Ottoman Empire renounces its suzerainty over Romania and Slovakia and acknowledges the complete independence of Romania and Slovakia.
IX. The Ottoman Empire cedes to the Allies all its European territories up to a new border as detailed on the annexed map, which is an integral part of this Treaty.
Romania, Slovakia and Venetia shall divide those territories in any way they will see appropriate and with no interference from the Ottoman Empire.
Independent States for the Greeks, Croats and Hungarians shall be created within the ceded territories.
The Aegean border of the Ottoman Empire will pass through the centre of the Aegean Sea.
X. The signatories will not interfere in any way in the peace negotiations between the Ottoman Empire and Persia.
XI. Sweden and Rome have no claims upon any Ottoman territory.
XII. Romania guarantees full religious freedom to all its inhabitants.
XIII. All the Romanians from the Ottoman Empire, defined as those people who either are of Romanian Orthodox faith or speak Romanian as their native tongue, are placed under the protection of Romania.
XIV. The Muslims from the lands ceded by the Ottoman Empire have the right to emigrate to the Ottoman Empire if they so choose.
The Christians from the Ottoman Empire have the right to emigrate to a Christian country of their choice provided that that country accepts them.
XV. All ships have the right to pass free of charge through the Turkish Straits during peace time.
XVI. Neither Romania nor the Ottoman Empire will keep any military closer than twenty miles from their common border with the exception of small police forces necessary for maintaining law and order in their respective demilitarized strips of land.
XVII. All Christian slaves in the Ottoman Empire are freed immediately. No Christians shall ever again be enslaved or bought by the Ottoman Empire.
XVIII. All prisoners of war shall be exchanged or redeemed.
XIX. The Ottoman Empire will pay a war indemnity to the Allies as detailed in the annex. Since the Ottoman Empire does not have that amount of money, smaller annual payments will be made for a duration of twenty years.
XX. The Ottoman armies from Dobrudja, Albania, Epirus, Serbia and Hungary have the right to pass freely through Romanian territory on their way home.
XXI. The Spanish, Swedish and Romanian armies will retreat from the territories which by the provisions of this Treaty will remain Ottoman.
Likewise, the Ottoman armies will retreat from the territories which the Ottoman Empire ceded in this Treaty.
XXII. All exchanges of territory will be concluded as fast as possible and no later than eight weeks from the signing of this Treaty.
Signed today, 14 January 1625 Ceasarian Calendar / 25 January 1625 Gregorian Calendar,
Representing the Ottoman Empire, ............
Representing the Empire of Spain, ............
Representing the Kingdom of Sarmatia, ............
Representing the Republic of Venice, ............
Representing the Principality of Romania, ............
Representing the Principality of Slovakia, ............
Representing the Holy See, ............
New Romania is a monster!