Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 171 The Paris Peace Talks (Part 2)

Alexander II did not want to give up the southern territories, but it seemed they had no other choice at the moment.

Internal panic outweighed the anger over territorial concessions, and the man who declared himself Astrakhan Khan led his army to attack Tsaritsyn, while the Kazakhs east of the Caspian Sea also launched a wave of uprisings. If these people were left unchecked, they would sooner or later become the next Pugachev.

No matter how reluctant one may be, concessions must be made when necessary. Furthermore, to demonstrate sincerity, Amir stated that Iran will not establish a fleet in the Black Sea.

Okay, I can barely agree to that. Besides, Iran's status is no longer something he can control; many countries are reassessing their views on Iran. Even if they don't recognize him, they can't force him to.

Moreover, if these places are lost, they can simply be replaced from other places; it's not really considered lost if you round it up.

Meanwhile, Iran also held private meetings with countries such as Britain and France, offering its proposals for peace in Europe and the Near East. These included uniting the two Danube principalities into a single state to serve as a buffer between the Ottomans, Austria, and Russia.

To better gain public support, Iran proposed electing a leader through a popular referendum. After reunification, the six powers—Britain, France, Austria, the Ottoman Empire, Russia, and Iran—would jointly oversee the process. This joint oversight would not only deter Russian infiltration but also ensure safe navigation on the Danube River.

Clarendon praised Iran's contributions to regional peace, saying that this not only promotes peace but also stops the fighting in the Balkans, which is really good.

Finally, there is one issue that has remained unresolved: Poland. Napoleon III supported the idea of ​​re-establishing the Congressional Kingdom of Poland, an autonomous kingdom established under the Treaty of Vienna, but whose freedom was being eroded by Russia.

After the peace conference began, Napoleon III was well aware that the other parties would not stand up for Poland, and his original ideas were no longer realistic. So he said he would support the conditions put forward by the moderates, including maintaining the status of the Polish language and protecting Poland from Russification.

Count Orlov, however, remained unmoved, insisting that Russia's claim to Poland was not based on the Treaty of Vienna of 1815, but rather on its conquest of Poland during the suppression of the Polish uprising in 1830–1831. Napoleon III needed Russian support to force Austria to relinquish northern Italy, and therefore, in order to improve relations with Russia, he decided to abandon his support for Poland.

It's a pity for Poland; this was the closest it ever came to regaining its independence. However, the organizations supported by Iran still exist, and there may be new changes in the future.

With all major issues resolved, the Paris Peace Conference proceeded smoothly without any major disputes. After several rounds of talks, a draft peace treaty was ready. The Paris Peace Accords were signed on July 30th.

The agreement included the following clauses: 1. The Allied powers would return to Russia the territories they had occupied during the war, but Russia was prohibited from establishing fortifications in Sevastopol.

2. Britain, France, Russia, and other belligerent nations withdrew their troops, and the Black Sea was designated a neutral zone, open only to merchant ships, prohibiting the establishment of military facilities, and barring warships of any country from entering.
3. Reaffirm the Straits Convention signed in London in 1841, stipulating that foreign warships are not permitted to pass through the Dardanelles Strait and the Bosphorus Strait during peacetime.
4. The right to international openness and free navigation on the Danube River, as guaranteed at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, was reaffirmed. 5. Russia relinquished control over Moldavia and Wallachia, located northwest of the Black Sea, and ceded southern Bessarabia to Moldavia. Nominally, the Ottoman Empire was the suzerain state of these two territories, but in reality, they had acquired autonomy.

6. The Ottoman Sultan agreed to implement reforms to strengthen his country; at the same time, he promised to treat Christians in the country equally.

7. Russia agreed to the annexation of the South Caucasus region to Iran and recognized the independence of Cerksia and the Imam State of the Caucasus.

News of the signing of the peace treaty was being announced throughout Paris, and newspapers continuously relayed the news to the world. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the cannon at Les Invalides fired a deafening roar, announcing the end of the war. Cheerful crowds gathered in the streets, restaurants and cafes were bustling with business, and the Parisian sky was lit up with fireworks that evening.

The following day, a military parade was held on the Champ de Mars. The French army was reviewed by the French Emperor, high-ranking officers, and foreign envoys, while tens of thousands of Parisians lined the route to watch. The deafening cheers echoed throughout the Champ de Mars, louder than the roar of a thousand cannons. Napoleon III had initially decided to send France into the war hoping for glory and applause; now he had finally achieved his goal.

News of peace reached Crimea the following day—telegrams were relayed from Paris to Varna, and then to Crimea. The Crimean allied forces fired their final cannon shots, commemorating the end of the war.

At a ball hosted by the French Embassy, ​​the Sultan was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French Ambassador, Toufner. After receiving the military salute, he conversed with foreign diplomats and strolled among the dancers. When the military band played an Ottoman march, the dancers even gave an impromptu performance to the beat of the drums.

During the war and shortly afterward, more foreigners than ever before traveled to Constantinople, including a large number of diplomats, financiers, military advisors and soldiers, engineers, travelers, merchants, missionaries and clergy, all of whom had a profound impact on Ottoman society.

This war influenced the Eurasian landscape for at least fifty years, reinforcing Russia's long-standing resentment towards Europe. The Western powers' choice to side with the Ottomans felt like a betrayal to the Russians; it marked the first time in history that a European alliance fought alongside the Crescent Moon against another Christian nation.

However, at the same time, some insightful individuals saw the situation within Russia. The defeat in the war had tarnished the army's credibility, highlighting the urgent need for modernization of national defense, which included not only military reforms but also the construction of railways, industrialization, and a sound financial system.

This disaster exposed problems in various Russian institutions, including not only corruption and incompetence in military command, technological backwardness of the army and navy, and long-standing supply difficulties caused by poor roads and lack of railways, but also the poor living conditions and lack of education of serfs, the main component of the army, the inability of the serf economy to support a war against an industrialized country, and the failure of the hereditary system itself.

The long-held image of Russia in the minds of many—the world's largest, richest, and most powerful nation—has suddenly shattered, exposing its backwardness. Calls for reform can be heard in every corner of society, and everything is being questioned. Critics point the finger at Nicholas I, arguing that his arrogant and stubborn policies led to this disaster and the loss of countless lives.

(End of this chapter)