In truth, Hamed Karamanli had brought this entirely upon himself. Franz had wanted him to practice Free Trade and quietly serve as a tax official in Tripoli, but the man was insatiably greedy and insisted on imitating Franz.
There were plenty of people in Tripoli who wanted to replace him, and the Karamanli Family name didn't carry much weight or hold much appeal for the people. Besides, allying with a fool was a risky business.
For Franz, installing a new Pasha in Tripoli was no difficult task. With Egypt's rise and Russia's covetous gaze, the Ottoman Empire had long since given up on North Africa in all but name.
Even without the secret agreement from before, the Ottoman Empire wouldn't have stopped the Austrian Empire from sending troops to occupy Tripoli—and it would have been powerless to do so.
So long as appearances were preserved, replacing the Pasha of Tripoli wouldn't cause any trouble.
It would, however, inevitably invite the covetous attention of the other great powers, especially the British and the French. Tripoli was widely acknowledged to be a wretched place, but that wouldn't stop them from making trouble for the Austrian Empire.
The next Pasha of Tripoli had to be chosen only after careful screening. Franz needed to assess him and his family from every angle.
Above all, he had to consider their loyalty. Franz didn't want someone to lure him into crippling himself.
The people of Tripoli who had come to Vienna for the examination this time were mainly Egyptian craftsmen and commoners whom Franz had rescued years ago.
Back then, fearing Muhammad Ali's brutality, they had chosen to put down roots in Tripoli.
They had enjoyed a brief honeymoon period with the Karamanli Family, but as the family's internal power struggle intensified, these outsiders were ultimately