Figure 1.--This image is a painting that was circulated during the 1912-13 Balkan Wars in Greece. It was painted by an unknown artist. It is printed in large quantities and circulated throoughout Greece. The painting's title is "The honored". Of course not all Greek boys dressed like the two depicted in the painting. The painter probably wanted to present Greece as a country without economic problems by painting two boys from affluent middle-class families, one in a white school smock and the other in a sailor suit.

The series of wars among the various countries and principalities in the Balkan Peninsula which occurred between their gaining og independence from the Ottomon Empire and the onset of World War I are collectively known as the Balkan Wars. The efforts of Bismarck to settle the political future of the Balkans following the Russo-Turking War (1877-78), in part to avoid great power conflict, did not suceed. A series of wars in the Balkans began almost immediately after the Congress of Berlin (1878) which to varing degrees dragged in the Great Powers. The primary conflict in the Balkans was between Austria-Hungary and Russia for dominance in the Balkans with the weigning power of the Ottomon Empire. This was the conflict tht eventually provided the spark which launched World War I. There were, however, a range of issues dividing the peopke of the Balkans and the borders of the new states and principalities of the region.

Russo-Turkish War (1877-78)

Russian and the Ottomans fought a series of Balkan Wars. In each the Russians gained ground. The Ottoman Empire would have collpased early in the 19th century, had the major European powers not differed on how to carve it up. Concerned about the Russian succeeses, Britain and France intervened in the Crimean War to support Turkey. The last Russo-Turkish War occurred in 1877-78. It was also the most important one. Tsarist Russia in 1877 came to the aid of its fellow Christian Orthodox ally Serbia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria in local rebellions against Ottoman rule. The Russians attacked diretly through Bulgaria toward Turkey and gained considerable success. After completing the Siege of Pleven, the Russians advance into Thrace, taking Adrianople (now Edirne, Turkey) in January 1878. The Ottomans conceded and in March 1878 agree to the Treaty of San Stefano with Russia. This treaty liberated Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro from Ottoman rule. It granted autonomy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and created a Bulgaria (much larger than modern Bulgaria) under Russian protection. The great powers, especially Britain and Austria-Hungary, were concerned with the massive Russian gains confirmed by the treaty. Here the British were coflicted. Public opinion had been aroused against Ottoman attricities against Christians in the Balkans, yet Queen Victoria was stongly anti-Russian and many officials were concerned about the Russians mocing south toward Suez. The great powers this compelled Russia to accept more limited gains under the Treaty of Berlin (July 1878). Russia's gains from the war were sharply reduced.

Balkan Peoples

The principal ethnic groups in the Balkans are the Slavs and the major Slav countries were Bulgaria and Serbia. The two major non-Slav states were Romania and Greece. Within the Austro-Hungarian Empire were the Croats and Slovenes. There were also conflicting religious groups incliding Orthodox and Cathlolic Christians and Moslems. The Moslems were especially promimant in Bosnia and Albania.

Competing Great Powers

The primary conflict in the Balkans was between Austria-Hungary and Russia for dominance in the Balkans with the weigning power of the Ottomon Empire. This was the conflict tht eventually provided the spark which launched World War I.

Russia

Russia thought that it had been deprived of its rightful gains in the Russo-Turking War by the Congress of Vienna. It also so Bulgaria and Serbia as client states. In particular Russia was not pleased with the selection of Prince Alexander to govern Bulgaria

Austria

Austria-Hungary played a prominent role in Blakan politics. The Austrian rokle was often aimed a creating cionflict between the Slav (Bulgaria and Serbia) and non-Slav (Greece and Romania) countries. The goal was to prevent the emergence of a strng Slav state and to expand Austria territory as by the seizure of Bosnia.

Balkan States

Greece

Serbia

Romania

Bulgaria (1879)

The Trearty of Berlin created the Principality of Bulgaria which was to be nominally a tributary to the Ottomon Empire. A German, Prince Alexander of Battenberg, was made the soverign of part of Bulgaria. Tsar Alexander II accepted Prince Alexandder II because hewas a nephew. Other countries, especially Austria-Hungary, thought he might be more than a Russian pawn because he was German. Prince Alexander was, however, very young an inexoerienced. Not only did he try to undercut the rather democratic Bulgarian Constitution, but he dreamed of expanding his territory and buiilding a powerful Bulgarian state. The remaining part was Eastern Rumelia. As a result of a revolution in Eastern Rumelia, the province was united with the rest of Bulgaria under Prince Alexander. Russia objected to this annexation, and a new Alexander III began efforts to unseat Prince Alexander. Among other actions, the Tsar withdrew officers that were serving in the Bulgarian Army.

Motenegro

Bulgarian-Serbian War (1885-86)

As difficulties escalted between Prince Alexander and the Tsar, King Milan of Serbia in an effort to expand his territory declkared war on Bulgaria on November 14, 1885. In less than 5 months, however, the Serbian Army was defeated by the Bulagrians. But then in tyoical Balkan fashion, the situation got more complicated. The Austrians intervened to prevent the collapse of Serbia. Russian agents with Bulagarian accomplaces kidnapped Prince Alexander. He was forced to abdicate and leave Bulgaria. Although Prince Alexander largely dissappears from history at this point, a son and grandson will be familar to most British readers. The Prince was succeeded by Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Couburg-Gotha, another German.

Austrian Annexation of Bosnia (1908)

Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia in 1908. At the Congress of Berlin, Bosnia was given to Austria-Hungary to administerm but it was not to be incorporated into the Austro-Hungarian Empire itself. This was part of the delicate series of compromises enginered by Bismrck. As many Serbs lived in Bosnia, Serbia protested the 1908 annexation bitterly. Russia intervened to help defuse the situation.

Turkish Revolution (1908)

Turco-Italian War (1911-12)

Italy began the assault on the Ottomon Empire by declaring war in this case to secure a new colony in North Africa--Libya. The Turko-Italian War (1911-12). While fought outside the Balkans, it further weaked Ottomon troops. In this case the Ottomons largely ceeded to Italian demands because of the worsening situation in the Balkans.

Balkans Wars (1912-13)

The Balkans Wars are very complicated and involved extensive assaults and killing of civilians by all sides. The First Balkan War (1912) was essentially a continuation of the wars for independence from the Ottoman Empire. This meant by the 20th century dividing up the spoils of the Ottomon territories in Europe. The new Balkan states (Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia) combined to drive the Ottomans from Eastern Roumelia (Lower Thrace and Macedonia). Unfortunately for the people of Macedonia and other Balkan lands, there was no agreed plan for partitioned the territory liberated from the Ottomans. Which lead to the Second Balkan War (1913). This time the primary target was Bulgaria. Romania joined this war to get a slice of Bulgaria--Southern Dobrudža. Even the Ottomns attacked Bulgaria which had occupied areas desired by its neighbors. The First Balkan War had been fought by the Balkan states obstensibly to liberate Christian peoples from Muslim Turkis rule. The Second Balkan War was largely fought among those Christian states and involved attrocities and ethnic cleaning that still affect the people of the Balkans today. While not active participants, the Wars also involved Russia and Austria-Hungary. The rivalries involved were probably a factor in the ability of the two Emoires to contain the escalating conflict after the assasination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand which finally led ton World War I. In the end, Bulgaria was outraged by the territories that it had to surender. In particular it had to renounce its claims to Macedonia and cede Southern Dobrudža back to Romania. This left an embittered Bulgaria, once World War I (1914) broke out, willing to join the Central Powers to regain these territories. As did the Ottomons. The Greeks, Serbs, and Romanians joined the Allies.

Created: March 25, 2003
Last updated: 2:50 PM 11/7/2005