Herzegovina; Or, Omer Pacha and the Christian RebelsArbuthnot, George
History
Herzegovina; Or, Omer Pacha and the Christian Rebels
Arbuthnot, George
Hercegovina (Bosnia and Hercegovina) -- History; Serbia
Before alluding to the financial or military resources, it will be well
to pass in brief review the events of the past few years, of which no
chronicle exists. These, if devoid of any special interest, tend
considerably to our enlightenment regarding the much vexed question of a
south Slavonic kingdom, and at the same time of Russia's prospects of
aggrandisement south of the Danube. The neutral attitude preserved by
Servia during the war in 1854-55, must have been a grievous
disappointment to the Emperor Nicholas. Had she risen consentaneously
with the irruption of the Hellenic bands into Thessaly and Epirus, the
revolt might have become general, and would have been fraught with
consequences most perplexing to the Sultan's allies. This neutrality may
be attributed to the position assumed by Austria throughout that
struggle, combined with the independence of Russian influence manifested
by the then reigning family of Servia. No sooner was peace declared,
than Russia applied herself to the task of producing a state of feeling
more favourable to herself in the Slavonic provinces. While adhering to
her traditional policy of fomenting discord, and exciting petty
disturbances with the view of disorganising and impeding the
consolidation of Turkey, she redoubled her efforts to promote her own
influence by alienating the Greek Christians from their spiritual
allegiance to the Archimandrite, and transferring it to the Czar. Nor to
attain this end did she scruple to resort to presents, bribes, and even
more unworthy means. That her efforts have not met with more signal
success than has as yet attended them, is due to the indifference
displayed by the people on these subjects.
One measure which was deemed most important was the substitution in
Servia of the Obrenovitch family for that of Kara George. This occurred
in 1858; and during the lifetime of Milneh, Russian influence was ever
in the ascendant. The familiar roughness of tone and manner assumed by
that Prince towards his uncultivated people procured for him great
weight; while his astute cunning, his hatred of Turkey, and his Russian
bias, would have given a most valuable ally to that power, had she
procured his restoration before her armies crossed the Pruth.
Fortunately no opportunity presented itself for him to promote actively
the cause of his imperial master; and the two years which he survived
his return to power are marked only by occasional ill-judged and
bloodthirsty emeutes, as prejudicial to his people as they were
ineffectual in overthrowing Turkish supremacy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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