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Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 47
We haven't had a new post since before December 25, so obligatory Yuletide link to this hilarious story of Frederick the Great babysitting his bratty little brother, with bonus Fritz/Fredersdorf!
1764-1772 Foreign policy: Austria: Relations with the Turks
Again our map:
In olden times, the Ottomans, being non-Christians, were THE enemy of the Habsburgs. When Eugene of Savoy defected from France and went to work for Austria, Austria was at war with Turkey and in very real danger. There was a siege of Vienna that became part of the national identity.
Also, even if you weren't a Habsburg with a long history of enmity against the Turks, if you were a European power, you still didn't have a long history of alliances with them. Islamic law had always been interpreted to mean that alliances on an equal basis with unbelievers were right out, and Christians couldn't bring themselves to ally with Muslim Turks either. Turks and Christian European powers would have diplomatic representation at each others' courts, the French were quite happy to bribe them to attack mutual enemy Austria, but there were no formal alliances until the 18th century. In the 18th century, two factors had changed: the Ottoman empire had weakened enough that it was no longer THE main otherized enemy, and the Enlightenment had made raison d'état a more important consideration than religion. In 1740, Sweden became the first European power to form an official alliance with the Ottomans.
To Kaunitz, who was a product of the Enlightenment, there was no question that alliances with the Turks should be made whenever self-interest dictated it. To MT, more conservative, preserving the ancient traditions of the Habsburgs and being a good Catholic were more important, but even she finally came around.
The first alliance between the two countries was proposed by the Turks in late 1768, when they were declaring war on Russia. They proposed that the Ottoman Empire, Austria, and Prussia get together to kick the Russians out of Poland. The Prussians and Austrians declined. Then, in March 1770, the Ottomans proposed that they and Austria should kick the Russians out of Poland and either elect a new Polish king or partition the country between Austria and Poland. That also didn't pan out. The triumvirate decided to push for Austrian mediation between Turkey and Russia.
Then 1770 happened. You may recall that that was the year of Russia's string of victories against the Ottomans, crushing the Ottoman navy, etc.
By the start of 1771, an alarmed Austria was ready to move. They began arming and stationing troops in Hungary, in preparation for war, and they began to revisit those Turkish proposals of alliance.
Kaunitz proposes that the Ottomans give the Austrians money, lots of money, to make military demonstrations that will convince Catherine and Frederick that they're serious about going to war, and then Frederick will pressure Catherine to make peace on acceptable terms.
Kaunitz: We're not going to call it an alliance, though! Also, it's going to be completely secret. If Fritz finds out, it'll just push him closer to Russia. And the other European courts aren't going to like it either.
Turks: Okay. So you want money and territory. We want a firm commitment to military action against Russia.
Kaunitz: Well, um, we're prepared to help you negotiate a peace treaty that will leave you with the smallest possible losses!
Turks: Numbers of men you will commit and timeline?
Thugut, the Austrian ambassador in Constantinople: Kaunitz, don't worry, I got this!
Negotiations: *ensue*
Thugut: *plays hardball*
Thugut: Look what I did! We get land back we lost in the last war, we get "most favored nation" status on the Black Sea, and lots of money. In return, I only committed us to helping out via negotiations or arms–note the 'or'!
MT: This seems unethical. It's like we're tricking the Turks into signing this by hoping they won't notice.
Kaunitz: Exactly! I vote we sign the treaty and promote this A+ diplomat.
MT: I still have reservations, but okay.
MT: *signs treaty, promotes Thugut*
Turkish money: *starts to arrive in Vienna*
Turks: *start to notice the Austrians aren't doing anything diplomatically or militarily*
Turks: *start to smell a rat*
Mid 1771:
Kaunitz: So, I've come to the conclusion that the most productive line of action here would be not to go to war with Catherine and potentially Fritz, but to negotiate with them, especially as they seem to be plotting a land grab. We could get in on this land grab!
Catherine: Okay, let's make a secret agreement. Instead of keeping Wallachia and Moldavia, Russia will give them back to the Turks, and you can join me and Fritz in partitioning Poland.
Kaunitz: Great! That means we don't have to go to war with you in return for a piece of Wallachia, and we can get free territory instead.
MT: What about our agreement with the Turks?
Kaunitz: Look, you know how Fritz said it would be super easy for us to dredge up some old claim in Poland? It'll be super easy for us to find some loopholes in this treaty. We have an A+ diplomat in Constantinople, remember?
MT: You were never intending to keep your word!
Kaunitz: I was hedging my bets, calm down. Now do you want to partition Poland or not?
MT: No, but I guess it's better than partitioning the Ottoman Empire, which was your other idea.
To her, acquisition of territory belonging to a neighbor whom she had formally promised to protect was a violation of honor among states and, worse yet, smacked of the kind of thing Frederick II would do.
MT quote:
We want to act like the Prussians and at the same time retain the appearance of honesty.
Mildred: Yes, your son Joseph will later be very disappointed that partitioning Poland will give people the "mistaken" impression that he's not an honest man.
Turks: *are outraged*
Turks: Thugut, you need to come up with some wording that will make it so we don't have execute all our ministers who arranged this treaty.
Thugut: God, you guys are hardcore. Okay, how about this. "Although Vienna [has] found it impossible to declare war on Russia, it [will] continue to exert every effort in the forthcoming negotiations to keep Moldavia, Walachia, and the Crimea in Ottoman hands. In other words, it [will] fulfill all of its obligations under the articles of the convention, short of war." [Quoted from Roider, Austria and the Eastern Question.]
Turks: That will do.
Thugut: Also, can we keep the money you gave us? As a sign of "trust, friendship, and thanks"?
Turks: What the–?!
Turks: Fine.
Kaunitz: See? A+ diplomat!
Turks: We're starting the negotiations with Russia, though, and we are pointedly EXCLUDING you! Prussia can come.
Kaunitz: Perfect! Since us coming was part of the treaty, that means you're not adhering to your obligations, which absolves us of our responsibility. Plus, no matter how it turns out for you, now it's not our fault!
[Mildred: I enjoy the logic of "We're breaking the treaty." "Fine. Then we don't have to keep our end up, either." "Wonderful, that means neither do we!" Politics.]
Thugut: Though we are in fact pleased with this outcome, technically honor demands that I register a complaint that this is an insult against Austria.
To Thugut's surprise, the grand vizier had replied to this routine statement by emptying "the full pot of his political-logical bile against the inconsistent, now pro-Turkish, now pro-Russian, now pro-Polish, now anti-Polish, now neutral Viennese policy."
Thugut and Kaunitz: We are shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
MT: What did I say about acting like Prussians?
Less successful than its Turkish negotiations for Austria was the outcome of the First Polish Partition. Austria got the most land, but:
The new province had no history as a self-contained entity, nor was it defined by any natural or cultural borders; it was purely and simply the product of political deal-making. It was named Galicia and Lodomeria in reference to supposedly ancient Hungarian claims to the principalities of Halych and Vladimir, claims that the court librarian Franz Adam Kollár had reconstructed from archival evidence to give the annexation a veneer of historical tradition and legality.
This is why, in the last post, I had MT predicting and Kaunitz admitting with hindsight that this was a bad move even by the standards of realpolitik.
Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Austria: Relations with the Turks
More seriously, that was a great write up. Listening to the History of Byzantium podcast where the Turks are the up and coming power makes for a great contrast. (Also, the Byzantine Emperors while fighting with them also made deals with them, much to the confusion and disgust of the Western European Crusaders, who didn't get that if you live next door to someone you have diplomatic relations as well as war like ones and a constant swap over of population and employees.)
ETA:
Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Austria: Relations with the Turks
Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Austria: Relations with the Turks
James: *publishes an epic poem praising the victory of Philipp's illegitimate half brother Juan d'Austria (son of Charles and the enterprising Barbara, remember?) at Lepanto*
James: *in the preface, expecting indignant accusations of praising a Spaniard*: Look, I'm not praising the Catholic Spaniard in Juan, and I'm certainly not praising the half brother of Philip of Spain, I'm praising Juan the Christian! A big Christian victory against the evil Muslims is a good thing, surely we can all agree to that?*
English publisher of James' poem, for verily, James has this printed in England, not Scotland: What he said. He's a King, surely he knows better than I, a humble subject. Don't come after me, Walsingham.
Publisher: *also hedging his bets in case the Spaniards win?*
Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Austria: Relations with the Turks
Hee. But that's also very human, I think :)
To Thugut's surprise, the grand vizier had replied to this routine statement by emptying "the full pot of his political-logical bile against the inconsistent, now pro-Turkish, now pro-Russian, now pro-Polish, now anti-Polish, now neutral Viennese policy."
This totally made me laugh! IDK whom the text is quoting, but whoever it is had a sense of humor!