ABSTRACT
Historical investigation of the nineteenth-century origins of the Eastern Question has, for the most part, focused on the Greek Revolution, while in turn treating the Serbian uprising primarily as a symptom of the internal disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. Likewise, the Serbian uprising was essentially a local movement with little effect on the rest of the empire. The discussions about a possible partition of the Ottoman Empire resumed in March 1808 in St. Petersburg as both sides attempted to work out the details for a final resolution of the Eastern Question. The reactions of the powers to the turbulent developments in the Belgrade pashalik had important repercussions for the evolution of the Eastern Question and for the various Balkan national liberation movements. Indeed, the responses of the powers to the Serbian problem broadly delineated the classic patterns of nineteenth-century Near Eastern diplomacy.
