The First Balkan War (1912-1913)

The First Balkan War broke out on 8 October 1912 between the Ottoman Empire and an alliance of Balkan states consisting of Serbia, Montenegro, Greece and Bulgaria, following the expiry of an ultimatum by the latter requesting the autonomy of their national minorities. The Ottoman Sultan's unwillingness to discuss such issues was the occasion for the war. The Greek Army, commanded by the Crown Prince Constantine, advanced into Macedonia, occupying many areas. Serbian troops occupied Skopje and Monastir and advanced as far as Dyrrhachio in present-day Albania. At the same time, Bulgarian forces reached within a short distance of Constantinople and, after occupying Western Thrace and Eastern Macedonia, were heading for Thessaloniki. Faced with the serious possibility of Thessaloniki being occupied by Bulgarian forces, Venizelos ordered his successor Constantine to move swiftly towards Thessaloniki, and on 26 October 1912 the Greek Army entered the city. The First Balkan War ended with the Treaty of London on May 30, 1913, which was concluded between the victorious allies (Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Serbia) on one side and the Ottoman Empire on the other. According to the treaty, among other terms, all territories west of the Ainos–Mideia line were ceded to the countries of the Balkan League. As a result, the Ottoman Empire lost the majority of its European possessions, almost entirely from the Balkan Peninsula, since the alliance of the Balkan states seized Kosovo, Macedonia, and most of Thrace. Pictured: Greek military personnel on the platform of the Eastern Railways Station in Thessaloniki during the Balkan Wars (1912–1913). ©Municipal Photography Museum of Kalamaria ‘Christos Kalemkeris’.