Russia and Abyssinia]
Nikolai Ivanovich Ashinov of the Russian diplomatic mission to Abyssnia had mostly followed the orders of the military entourage (Victor Fedorovich Mashkov and Dmitri Fleekov) regarding the deal with the Emperor Yohannes IV, and had even assisted the Orthodox priests in the elaboration of the first 'Ethiopian'-Russian dictionary.
But he had his own ambitions for a particular project, a Russian colony in East Africa, an idea presented to the Ethiopian Emperor Yohannes IV himself. The Ethiopians were interested in more 'gifts' from the Russians (weapons) and the Russians were obviously going to want something in return, so obtaining territory in exchange for weapons was a good idea.
The French military presence had been strongly weakened in East Africa, now attempting to focus more on the west and some other particular regions while they settled their internal affairs.
The potential for Ethiopian resources such as coffee was tempting to Nikolai Ashinov's business mind, so Ashinov proposed to Emperor Alexander III to accept the idea of a Russian colony in the Horn of Africa, on the shores of the Red Sea.
With the Russian Pacific fleet growing, the Russian navy still needs particular ports to repair to, without needing to depend on the British or other foreign powers. Furthermore, the Russian ports in Aceh were growing, but between Aceh and Russia there was still an enormous distance.
Faced with these considerations, the government of Tsar Alexander III decided to give Nikolai Ashinov's experiment a try, hiring potential civilian settlers, and putting Victor Mashkov as the leader of a Russian-Cossack military force as a defense.
Thus the Russian expedition took control of the abandoned Egyptian fort of Sagallo (Сагалло in Russian, ساغلو in Arabic). Which the Russians decided to name New Moscow (Novoy Moskvoy, Новой Москвой), accompanied by a flag and a tent as a church.
The Russian Empire, with Mashkov as the main diplomat, gave some gifts to the local people and kept the Cossacks at bay to avoid problems with these local tribes.
Some gifts were also made to Abyssinia, while Ashinov planned the construction of a port and everything necessary to start commercial activities.
This meant that Russia had two different colonies, Slavic Africa on the island of Manoleh, with the settlement of New Krakow, and now Sagallo with the settlement of New Moscow.
Sagallo could benefit from something, nearby Ethiopia, since some of the Sagallo Cossacks could also be military instructors for the Ethiopian army, as Tsar Alexander III and Victor Mashkov would offer in exchange for certain Ethiopian resources flowing into the colony (coffee for example).
New Krakow on the other hand would not have such a large trading partner, but the Russians continued to send alcohol to the native Africans, which brought them some success for New Krakow.
*******
[The Pacific: Aceh, Bali and Novaya Gvineya]
To give an example, while Germany (and the Dutch East Indies) put resources in Vietnam, the British in Singapore and the Austrians in North Borneo, the Russian Empire divided its resources between Novaya Gvineya, Aceh, Bali and at least give arms to Lanfang.
In the Kingdom of Bali similar to the Sultanate of Aceh, the Russians built not only a port but civil and military schools to train the population, not only in a more modern force, but also in a population more integrated into the Russosphere and education. modern european.
In Novaya Gvineya the town of Cape Maclay continued to grow and increase commercially, the Miklouho-Maclay government (which was getting older and woefully weak in health in the 1880s) had begun to admit many more Slavic migrants (Russian, Ukrainians and Belarusians mainly) or other ethnic groups of Russia in general, to populate the cities of Novaya Gvineya, at the initiative of the government of Saint Petersburg.
These were mainly some more police, a population educated to serve as teachers, doctors, engineers, etc.
Meanwhile, the militias in the interior of Novaya Gvineya did not report too many problems, but thanks to the military government of the colony they were able to start receiving medical and logistical resources two to three times more usually.
Of course, although the colonial government cared about the population, Tsar Alexander III decided to undertake in the tourist industry of Novaya Gvineya with the creation of some areas of natural attraction (bird watching, sustainable fishing, and highly controlled trips by possible wild dangers).
Plantations also increased in number and productivity, with more beans and agricultural products, and rubber (with some pesticides).
Aceh, on the other hand, was able to start building its first factory thanks to Russia's help in the midst of modernizing its army and part of the infrastructure. Of course the new military and administrators were instructed by Russia (and learned the Russian language), developing a close relationship with the Russian Empire of Alexander III.
Aceh began to export more resources as first sources of trade and money.
In addition, Tsar Alexander III made Aceh's first nature reserve for Sumatran elephants, a tourist attraction for which the Sultan of Aceh received gifts from Saint Petersburg.
*******
[Balkans: Independent Bosnia?]
While the Ottoman government was finally having good luck crushing the last guerrilla havens of Albanian extremists, and Prince Pedro Aladro y Kastriota was building Albanian schools and other humanitarian institutions, civilians protested due to possible violence in Northern Epirus.
Region that had not rebelled and that in addition to having Albanians, had Greeks, a significant minority. The region was planned to integrate into the Ottoman-created Principality of Albania, something to which the Greeks, supporters of the Greece-Epirus union of the North, opposed.
This caused problems as the Kingdom of Serbia, the Principality of Montenegro and the Tsardom of Bulgaria were 'concerned' by the Bosnian revolt, which could pose a danger in the Balkan regions.
The Slavs also presented that the Ottomans had not yet paid the last payments regarding the removal of Muslim subjects, something to which the Ottomans responded was due to having to deal with rebellions.
Given this, Alexander I of Bulgaria called his cousin, Alexander III of Russia to 'mediate' the situation, a call approved by Montenegro and later by Serbia.
Something that obviously worried the English, but they could not convince Rudolf I of an intervention against Russia, instead Alexander III argued with the other Slavic states: The Balkan states send an ultimatum to the Ottoman Empire, if they did not put order in Bosnia-Herzegovina before 1884 were to give independence or a referendum to the region.
Russia supported this with diplomacy, but not oficially joining.
The English then tried to negotiate a passage for the Ottomans in the Adriatic to Bosnia, or in the Balkans, but Serbia and Montenegro were not going to accept such a thing, only Austria-Hungary remained.
*******
* Alexander III and Rudolf I.
"Taking the Ottomans into Bosnia-Herzegovina is going to be worse for you than for the Ottomans, Rudolf." Tsar Alexander III presents. "Look, if you allow the Ottomans to pass you will just have bigger problems with your Slavic subjects, even some Hungarians. Instead, if we allow an independent Bosnia, then you will pacify the Slavs momentarily. Like a champion against the Turks, and you might deal with the Hungarians to continue your reforms. "
"... It's an interesting offer." Kaiser Rudolf mentions. "But I think you should discuss it with the staff."
"... Listen, I know this won't be free. So, what do you think is sweetening the deal a bit more. What do you want, money, any help?"
"Well ... we need some help with the Austrian Pacific Navy." The Kaiser explains one of the many problems of Austria-Hungary, the Pacific navy was not very impressive, and Rudolf did not want to depend on the English, while depending on the French was difficult at the moment.
Tsar Alexander III and Kaiser Rudolf I continued to strengthen their ties when Austria-Hungary banned the Ottomans through Austro-Hungarian territory, giving Rudolf some good opinions among some Slavs and Hungarians. This didn't solve all the problems, but at least they understood that the Kaiser wasn't pro-Turkish or something.
Instead Russia transported some materials to Austria-Hungary to create some electrical power plants (electrification like in Italy) and expand the Austrian-Hungarian presence in the Pacific, also to prevent Germany or the English from taking all the cake that the Russians could not take.
With this the Ottomans had no way to pass to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
With this Sultan Abdul Hamid II agreed to a plea, to finish things quickly. The Turkish population, mostly landowners, voted to stay in the Ottoman Empire, but the Slavic peasant majority (Serbo-Croatians and other Bosnians, Muslims too) voted to leave.
Now the Ottoman Empire had to find a way to pay for the Bosnian Turkish-Ottoman idea and the last payments from Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro, pacify the Kurdish rebellion and integrate Northern Epirus into Albania without angering the Greeks.
*******
[Chinese migration to Russia]
Chinese migration to Russia had increased in recent years, especially to the Caucasus and some regions of the Black Sea due to the increase in Russian tea production. However now that the Chinese could not go to the United States, some turned their heads towards the giant of the north (and west depending on where one will be in the Qing dynasty).
The Russians were working on their new White Sea-Baltic Sea canal, and while some Koreans had gone, mostly Korean migrants were working building railways and telegraphs in the Russian Far East.
This left a niche open for Chinese migration to European Russia, and worth the redundancy, the government of Alexander III did not put laws against it, in fact it accepted it quite well.
This motivated the migration of a growing number of Chinese workers and / or families to start infrastructure jobs in European Russia, some also turned south to continue in the agricultural tea industry or others.
Chinese immigrants in Russia also began to engage in the extractive industry, especially logging.
The first generation Chinese (mostly Chinese Han) had some problems learning Russian, but those problems were quickly resolved in the second generation.
*******
[Transaction completed]
During this period King Carlos VII of Spain finally transferred ownership of 'Nueva Filipinas' to Alexander III's Russian Empire, moving the Palao, Carolines and Los Pintados / Marshall Islands to Russian ownership.
The natives by order of the emperor receive a series of rights for their protection, also the native animals, and Russian investment in the region begins to build ports and some natural tourist areas.
Most important as such are the islands themselves, which extend the holdings of the Russian Pacific, although not surprisingly, the Austrians and Germans are also expanding their presence in the region.
Three powers that the British Empire cannot contain without aligning others, but today the English are probably more important to France than the Austrians.
The problem is that removing Austria from her alliance with France would make them prey to other great powers, or they would fall into a certain sphere that would only be a bigger problem for the English.
Prime Minister Gladstone certainly has a tough time ...
*******
[Semifinals]
The semifinals of the fourth edition of the Russian Soccer League takes place:
* Vladivostok vs Erivan: Erivan, the Armenian team from Russia, beat Vladivostok by 2 to 1.
* Kharkov vs Murmansk: Murmansk defeats the Kharkov team by 2 to 0.
*******
[International]
July 3, at Glaslow the SS Daphne has a disaster, killing 123 individuals.
July 22, King Cetshwayo of the Zulu narrowly escapes a rebellion.
In the first weeks of August, Bosnia-Herzegovina obtains its independence from the Ottoman Empire, the provisional government (which has not yet made a decision about its form of government) which is an assembly with local delegates, initiates an agrarian reform to return the land of Turkish-Ottoman landowners who left Bosnia to the peasants.
August 12, the last quagga (a subspecies of South African zebra) dies in captivity in Amsterdam, at the Artis Magistra zoo. Before the death of this specimen, the wild quagga were hunted to near extinction.
August 21, in Poland, delegates of Tsar Alexander III capture the last female specimen (known at that time) of Tarpan (Equus ferus ferus), which goes to the Moscow Zoo until further notice for attempts to repopulate the Tarpan horse.
Between August 26 and 27, an eruption of the Krakatoa volcano occurs on the volcanic island of Krakatoa, causing the destruction of 163 villages, and a tsunami associated with the eruption kills 36,380 individuals.
Pope Leo XIII publishes Supremi Apostolatus Officio: on the Devotion of the Holy Rosary on September 1.
Egypt now has Evelyn Baring as Consul-General, another sign of British rule over 'Ottoman' Egypt.
A consortium of Minneapolis flour millers tries to get their product to Great Lakes ports, but at the same time avoid Chicago fees.
The consortium attempts to form a Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic railroad, however, encounters problems when its competition tries to do business with the mayors of the aforementioned cities to prevent the construction of the rival railroad.
*******
[Kurdish council]
After the death of Sheikh Ubeydullah, the various Kurdish tribes had fallen into certain administrative problems and traditional problems that they had ignored due to their unifying sheikh. However with the Bosnian revolt and the Albanian revolt effectively ending, the rebellious Kurds decided to hold a council to democratically elect their next leader, before the dream of an independent Kurdistan died.
Of all the candidates, one rose above all others, Abdul-Kadir Ubeydullah (born 1851). Only registered son of Sheikh Ubeydullah, grandson of Sheikh Tara, and descendant (in theory) of Abdul Qadir Gilani, descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
The Kurdish conference ultimately chose Abdul-Kadir Ubeydullah because of his relationship with the first sheikh, and his work as administrator during his father's revolt.
In the midst of all this, the Russian Kurds kept sending weapons and objects to their rebel brothers, it would certainly help.
*******
[Some nights in Russian Kurdistan]
* Said's perspective.
The young Said, a 17-18 year old Zaza Kurdish man, walked through the city of Erzurum to address his studies, the city however seemed in some celebration, although it was mainly Armenians.
Count Mikhail Loris-Melikov appeared accompanied by an escort with the 'White Pasha' (as the Muslim peoples called him), Mikhail Skobelev.
The Erzurum line of local railways (designed by the Russians to meet their military needs) would join the Transcaucasian Railway, as would many of the railways from the Russian conquests of 1876.
There Said saw them, the Russians and Kurdish volunteers were walking the same streets. Alongside the railway, more men from the Russian army were accompanied, firing some ceremonial artillery shots from the train tracks.
Russian flags with their black eagles flew, even among some Kurds. And of course, Kurds could access education, teach in their language, violence between Kurdish tribes in Russia stopped, Kurds could be respected members of the army, they no longer paid taxes as often as when they were part of the Ottoman Empire, etc.
*******
"What do you plan to do after finishing your studies?" The grandfather Sheik Ali asks, the father Mahmud Fevzi remained calm, waiting for the answer.
"... I'm not sure, maybe I'll go to college. Be a teacher." Said answer while Grandpa Ali takes a drink of water.
"Teach religious sciences?" Grandpa asks again after drinking water.
"Probably." Said responds.
"If we are lucky, I will be able to build a great university in Erzurum for our people." Grandpa Ali mentions.
"What?". Said asks confused.
"Tsar Alexander III has appointed me as a special administrator of Erzurum." Sheik Ali announces, cause for celebration among his children and grandchildren.
********
* Russian perspective.
With the administrative reform of Alexander III, not only were zemstvos formed in the various counties or administrative units of the Empire, but some notable native governors or administrators also arrived.
For example, in Erzurum province, Emperor Alexander III appointed the notable Sheikh Ali, son of an influential Kurdish Zaza family, as a special delegate for Kurdish people-related projects.
Sheikh Ali was a man respected by the religious community, who after his death was widely visited by thousands of pilgrims.
Sheikh Ali's work as administratorwould be characterized as one of the many successes of the Alexandrian administration vis-à-vis its Kurdish subjects, who continued to improve their quality of life.
Also Sheikh Ali in the government of Alexander III would help the convincing between the Armenians, Kurds and other peoples of the Russian territories.
His descendants include Sheikh Mahmud Fevzi (son), Sheikh Said and Sheikh Ebdurehîm (Grandsons), Abdülhalik (great-grandson), Abdülmelik Fırat (great-great-grandson) and Belçim Bilgin (great-great-great-granddaughter).