Unlike the joyful laughter surrounding the coronation ceremony with the British Government, the atmosphere in the Tsarist Government located in Eastern Europe was quite solemn.
As the only Eastern Orthodox Church country among the great powers, the relationship between Eastern Orthodoxy and Tsarist Russia was far closer than that between other great powers, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
The Russian Government had always advocated Pan-Slavism, supporting the groups adhering to Eastern Orthodox faith and protecting its fellow Slavic people.
The Serbian resistance on the Balkan Peninsula against Ottoman Empire rule happened to meet both criteria, being both Slavic and Eastern Orthodox.
For Tsarist Russia, abandoning support for Serbia was out of the question. This was not only to open the passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean but also to adhere to Pan-Slavism and justify Tsarist Russia's expansion.
