In 1839, Europe held its breath. Over 20 years ago, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated. He governed a France that easily conquered its far weaker neighbors through aggressive centralization, nationalistic fervor, and advancements in military tactics.
The peace that followed was largely successful, save for one glaring hole: The aching Ottoman Empire, at risk of collapsing under its own weight.
Napoleon's invasion of Egypt had made it clear that the Ottomans could no longer be considered a great power, incapable of fulfilling its position as a guarantor of stability in Eastern Europe. To make matters worse, his expulsion of the Mamluks, rulers of Egypt for the last 700 years, had created a power vacuum in their most wealthy province.
While the egalitarian mannerisms of the French had made them anathema to the nobility, and their later brutality would make them hated by the people; no Egyptian would soon forget their near conquest at the hands of odd foreigners with strange ideas.
The power vacuum of Egypt would soon be filled by the Albanian military commander, Muhammad Ali Al Pasha. He would consolidate his control of Egypt by destroying the remnants of the Mamluks, moving to rapidly modernize his country on the Napoleonic model. They would soon find a loyal ally in France, eager for the powerful North African state to aid in stabilizing its new Algerian dominions. In a series of wars, Ali would take over Crete and fight against his nominal suzerain to take over Syria and Hejaz. The Ottomans would fail to retake Syria, with their entire military being decimated and the entire Ottoman navy defecting to Egypt.
Great Britain and Austria quickly realized the urgency of their situation. The weakpoint in their Conservative order had given, paving the way for British influence to wane at the hands of a resurgent Eastern Empire, and the Austrian realms to be shaken by national agitation in the balkans.
POINT OF DIVERGENCE - The Russian Empire, however, saw oppertunity. While Egypt did terrify many in Russia, the idea of taking Constantinople and finally defeating their ancestral enemy once and for all proved far too tempting for the Russian people. Feeling pressured, the Emperor cobbled together a rickety balkan league through vague promises and began occupying Thrace.
The British and their allies attempted to dissuade the Russians from their short sighted actions, but it was far too late to turn back.
The Great Eastern War had begun.
More descriptions below the maps coming soon!
The Continental Pact, or the "Unholy Alliance", is the alliance between France, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Greece that formed following the Second Diplomatic Revolution and the partitions of Belgium and Poland-Prussia.