APPENDIX VIII 



CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS 



Leading to the Great War of 1914 and especially to 

 England's quarrel and war with Turkey 



1875 Ismail, Khedive of Egypt, having involved his country in a heavy 

 foreign debt, Disraeli (English Prime Minister) purchases his Suez 

 Canal shares, Rothschild advancing the necessary four millions. 



1876 Servia and the other Christian Provinces of European Turkey, 

 aided by volunteers from Russia, revolt against the Sultan. They 

 are repressed with great severity by the Turkish irregular forces. 

 Agitation in England is roused by Gladstone's " Bulgarian Atrocities " 

 campaign. 



1877 Czar Alexander threatens war on Turkey as a crusade in their 

 support. 



A revolution breaks out at Constantinople under Midhat Pasha, 

 leader of the Liberal party. Sultan Abdul Aziz is dethroned. A 

 Constitution is proclaimed under the Sultan's next heir, Murad, who, 

 being found insane, gives place to Abdul Hamid, and a Parliament 

 assembles amid a general rejoicing of all religious sects of the 

 Empire. War is declared by Russia. 



1878 A Russian Army, having forced the Balkans at Plevna, imposes on 

 the Sultan the Peace of San Stefano under the walls of Constanti- 

 nople. 



Disraeli, objecting to the Treaty as a violation of the International 

 Peace of Paris of 1856, orders a British fleet into the Sea of Marmora 

 and Indian troops to Malta. Derby resigns the Foreign Office and is 

 succeeded by Salisbury. 



A Congress is summoned by Bismarck to meet at Berlin to deal 

 with the Ottoman case. 



While the Congress is assembling Salisbury concludes two secret 

 Agreements regarding Ottoman affairs, the one with Russia about 

 Turkey in Asia, the other with the Sultan, known as the Cyprus 

 Convention, whereby Cyprus is leased to England, with rights of 

 supervision in Asia Minor, in return for an English guarantee of the 

 Sultan's Asiatic dominions and promised reforms. 



Salisbury denies in Parliament the existence of any convention. 

 He accompanies Beaconsfield to Berlin, and at the first sitting of the 

 Congress, 13th June, declares in common with the rest of the Ambas- 

 sadors that he enters the Congress free of all secret Agreements 

 regarding Turkey. The next day, 14th June, the full text of the 



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