Ottoman Empire VH/VH Government question

[d311]

I'm starting a new campaign as the Ottomans vh/vh. Which type of Government do you recommend to help you through your campaign on vh/vh Ottomans? Is it worth it to keep Absolute Monarchy? As Prussia it was easy for me to stay AM. But Ottoman seems like a tougher campaign. Is it best to go Republic right away to keep everything stable?

Opinions appreciated

[Heinz Guderian]

Your people will begin to get angry esp in Anatolia, Armenia and Georgia (if you take the latter) without a strong military presence (which draws away vital men). Better off with a Republic before 1720.

[Osiris1975]

I am playing as Ottoman Empire, I'm in the year 1750. You should become a republic ASAP. I have found that most often Georgia will be the first country to declare war on you, so fortify your position there. Here are what I would say your priorities should be:

Political Priorities:
1) Switch to Republic by raising taxes to max on lower class and exempting any region that is in danger of revolting except for the region of your nations Capital where Istanbul is. Make sure to remove all forces from the region before doing this. You may need to destroy any buildings in Istanbul that repress or give happiness bonuses. You basically want to see that the region is red in the policy screen.

2) Suck up to Austria and Russia. You can secure peace with Russia quickly by presenting state gifts, and you can hold off Austria for long enough for you to focus on your first military campaign.

3) Forget about your protectorates. Everyone hates the Barbary States, and remaining allied with provides you with little to no benefit. You'll end up in war with everyone if you stick beside them. The Crimean alliance is probably more valuable, but I decided to let Russia have them so that I could focus on my first military priorities.

4) Build madrassas in your western most regions of Greece, Bosnia, Croatia etc...you will need to convert this populace to decrease the risk of revolt.

Economic Priorities

1) You have a lot of trade ports to begin with, so strike as many trade pacts as possible.
2) Take an admiral, park him just outside the Straits of Gibraltar, and have him recruit as many dhows as possible. As they arrive at his position, send them out to the trade theaters to claim as many unclaimed trading posts as possible.
3) Invest first in upgrading any mines that you have, and then any workshops.
4) Do not raise taxes! You want your regions to grow quickly so that you can build more money generating towns.
5) Invest in your infrastructure by upgrading your roads. This will increase your trade income, and allow your armies to move faster across your territories which will be vast.

Military Priorities
1) As I have found Georgia tends to declare war on me pretty early on, and will have superior troops, the best thing to do is take them over first, before they build too many line infantry. Taking Georgia will also provide you with another school, which is important because you will begin at a technological disadvantage.
2) Once you have taken Georgia, you will be free to focus on Persia (though Daghestan may pose a minor threat, so take them out first. The nice thing about Persia is they have a lot of territory for a minor nation, their units are inferior to your units, and they are the gateway to India. Taking over Persia will also provide you with ports on the Persian Gulf and allow you to build up a Navy to exert your control over the Indian Ocean more effectively.
3) Once you have taken over Persia, you should have progressed economically and militarily to hand any conflict with western nations.

Using this strategy outlined above, I have an empire ranging from Vienna to the west and Baluchistan & Afghanistan to the east. I have alliances with Russia and Poland/Lithuania which keeps my northern border secure as I and my Polish allies decimate Austria. I would have probably been further along in my campaign at this point, but it took me some time to figure out that I needed to be a republic (which I didn't do until around 1725) and that I needed to focus on my economy more than my military.

Anyway, good luck!