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October 1912-August 1913Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

The Balkan Wars Double Greek Territory

Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, and Montenegro gang up on a weakened Ottoman Empire, then Greece and Serbia turn on Bulgaria

On the timeline · around October 1912-August 1913 · Independence and the Modern StateIndependence and the Modern StateModern GreeceThe Balkan Wars Double Greek Territory187018801890190019101920193019401950

Quick facts

First Balkan War declared
17 October 1912
First Balkan War ends
30 May 1913
Second Balkan War
June-August 1913 (Bulgaria vs. former allies)
Greek prime minister
Eleftherios Venizelos

What happened

On 17 October 1912, Serbia and Greece declared war on the Ottoman Empire, joining Montenegro and Bulgaria in an alliance encouraged by Russia to seize the empire's remaining European territory while the Ottomans were simultaneously fighting Italy over Libya. The combined Balkan forces routed the Ottoman army and drove Turkish forces from almost all of their European holdings within weeks. A peace treaty ending the First Balkan War was signed 30 May 1913 after months of negotiation among the European powers in London, partitioning Macedonia among the victors. Dissatisfied with its share, Bulgaria attacked its former allies Serbia and Greece in June 1913, starting the Second Balkan War; Bulgaria was defeated, and Serbia and Greece ended up with most of Macedonia. Under Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek territory roughly doubled, adding Thessaloniki, southern Epirus, most of Macedonia, and Crete.

Why it matters

The Balkan Wars turned Greece from a small kingdom confined to the Peloponnese, central Greece, and the Cyclades into a substantially larger state with major cities like Thessaloniki under its control, and they cemented Venizelos as the dominant figure in Greek politics for the next two decades. The territorial appetite the wars satisfied also fed directly into the Megali Idea, the vision of an even larger Greece incorporating Constantinople and Greek communities across Asia Minor, that would drive Greek foreign policy into catastrophe less than a decade later.

How we know

The Balkan Wars are documented in the diplomatic record of the London peace conference and the Treaty of Bucharest, and Venizelos's leadership during the conflict is described in the official biographical materials of the Greek foundation established in his name.

Sources

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