A Research on the French Intervention and Outcomes of the 1857 Elections of Wallachia and Moldavia

In spite of the Ottoman Empire’s objections and Austria’s occupation of 1854, an election, based on the 22and and 27th articles of the Paris Peace Treaty of 1856, is foreseen at the autonomously ruled tribute players (haracguzar), Danube Principality of Wallachia and Moldovia, legally considered as “memâliki mahrûse” and named as “Memleketyn”. According to the aforemetioned treaty, both principalities will get the chance of having their own Parliament and own Council. With the article 23, a commission formed by France along with the other related states will be in action to monitor and inspect them. France is to open a Project into discussion to soften the negative attitudes of Austria, United Kingdom and Turkey. According to the Project, a joint committee consisting of nine members of each, total 18 is supposed to be formed by one of the two “hospor’s” in Wallachia and the other in Moldavia under the rulership of the Sultan and two parliaments, one in Bucharest and the other in Iaşi. Furthermore, the proposal of having mutual flag and mutual currency put Mehmet Emin Âli Paşa (1815-1871) and Fuad Paşa (1814-1868) in a serious difficulty as the leading statesmen of the period. In this study, under the framework of diplomatic documents, the political effects of the elections for uniting these two principalities, will be evaluated and open to discussions by taking into consideration of four months (from June to September) diplomatic struggle of Bâb-ı Âli against France’s desire of putting the elections into state of “Ke en-lem-yekun” – never happened- along with the progress, ultimatums, threats that even peaked to the dismissal of Mustafa Reşid Paşa (1800-1858) from his duties.