The most complete information guide about Athens, Greece
History
of Athens
The Balkan Wars
During the
two Balkan Wars between 1912 and 1914, the Balkan states (Bulgaria,
Montenegro, Greece and Serbia) confronted both the Ottoman Empire
and each other for the annexation of Ottoman territories. All
four sought additional territories within the large Ottoman-ruled
regions known as Romylia, comprising Eastern Romylia, Albania,
Macedonia, and Thrace. In the course of these wars they first
conquered Ottoman-held Macedonia, Albania and most of Thrace and
then fought each other over the division of these territories.
First
Balkan War
Montenegro
started the First Balkan War by declaring war against
the Ottomans on 8 October 1912. The Greeks took Thessaloniki and
then Albania, Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace fell to the allies.
The Ottomans were pressed to maintain the defense of Constantinople.
An armistice was signed between Bulgaria (representing also Serbia
and Montenegro) and Turkey on 3 December 1912. Greece continued
the war alone, aiming at the capture of Ioannina, while it participated
in the London peace conferences. The Treaty of London ended the
First Balkan War on 18 May 1913 but disputes over territory remained
unresolved. As a result, the Second Balkan War immediately followed.
The
victors of the war were eventually embroiled in war amongst themselves
over the territories that Ottoman Turkey lost. Bulgaria felt that
their territorial rewards from the war, particularly in Macedonia,
were insufficient. Greece and Serbia responded by entering into
a military pact, ostensibly aimed at preventing Bulgarian expansion.
A further dispute of Bulgaria was with Romania, over the latter's
claim on the Bulgarian fortress of Silistria on the Danube, as
the prize for their neutrality in the First Balkan war. On 16
June 1912, King Ferdinand of Bulgaria ordered his troops to attack
Serbian and Greek positions which, started the Second Balkan War.
Battles
of the First Balkan War
Name
Land/Sea
Invading
General
Defending
General
Date
Battle
of Sarantaporo
Land
Greeks
Crown
Prince Constantine
Ottomans
9
October 1912
Battle
of Yanitsa
Land
Greeks
Crown
Prince Constantine
Ottomans
Hasan
Tahsin Pasha
19
October 1912
Battle
of Kumanovo
Land
Serbians
Gen.
Radomir Putnik
Ottomans
Zekki-Pasha
(Gen.)
23
October 1912
Battle
of Kirk Kelesse
Land
Bulgarians
Ottomans
24
October 1912
Battle
of Pente Pigadia
Land
Greeks
Lt
Gen K. Sapountzakis
Ottomans
Esat
Pasha
24-30
October 1912
Battle
of Lule-Burgas
Land
Bulgarians
Ottomans
28-31
October 1912
Battle
of Vevi
Land
Greeks
Ottomans
2
November 1912
Battle
of Prilep
Land
Serbians
Ottomans
3
November 1912
Battle
of Bitola
Land
Serbians
Gen.
Petar Bojovic
Ottomans
Zekki-Pasha
(Gen.)
16-19
November 1912
Siege
of Adrianople
Land
Bulgarians
& Serbians
Gen.
Vladimir Vazov, Gen. Stepa Stepanovic
Ottomans
Gen
Ghazi Shulkri Pasha
17
November-3 December 1912
Naval
Battle of Elli
Sea
Greeks
Rear
Adm Pavlos Kountouriotis
Ottomans
Adm
Ramiz Bey
3
December 1912
Naval
Battle of Lemnos
Sea
Greeks
Rear
Adm Pavlos Kountouriotis
Ottomans
5-18
January 1913
Battle
of Bizani
Land
Greeks
Crown
Prince Constantine
Ottomans
Esat
Pasha
20-21
February 1913
Second Balkan War
The
main Bulgarian attack was planned against the Serbs with their
1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th army while the 2nd Army was tasked with
an attack towards Greek positions at Gevgeli and Salonika. The
Bulgarians were outnumbered on the Greek front and the low level
fighting soon turned into Greek attack all along the line on 19
June. The Bulgarian forces immediately withdrew from their positions
north of Salonika (except the isolated Salonika garrison which
was overrun) to defensive positions at Kilkis. The plan to quickly
destroy the Serbian army in central Macedonia by concentrated
attack didn't succeed and the Bulgarians were stopped.
In
the Battle of Kilkis, the Greek army, commanded by, now King,
Constantine, heavily outnumbered the Bulgarian forces by three
to one. The Bulgarians suffered 7.000 casualties at Kilkis. A
further 6.000 were taken prisoner together with 130 guns. The
Greeks also suffered heavily with 8.700 casualties. It was the
decisive battle on this front and the greatest Greek success in
both wars.
On
29 July the Bulgarian army launched attacks on both flanks of
the excellent defensive position in Kresna Gorge pushing the Greeks
down the Struma and Mesta River valleys. Facing with annihilation,
Constantine asked his government to seek an armistice. The Greeks
had lost around 10.000 soldiers in the ten days of fighting. The
Bulgarian government equally wanted peace and Constantine was
saved from destruction.
A
general armistice was agreed upon on 18 July and the territorial
gain settled in the treaties of Bucharest and Constantinople.
Bulgaria lost most of the territories gained in the First Balkan
War including the Dobrudja, most of Macedonia,
Thrace and its Aegean coastline with the exception of the port
of Dedeagach (present day Alexandroupolis. Serbia became the dominant
power in the Balkans and Greece gained Salonika and its environs
along with most of the Western Thrace coast. It was only a temporary
settlement. Ten months later the fighting would begin again at
the start of the First World War.
Battles
of the Seconf Balkan War
Name
Land/Sea
Invading
General
Defending
General
Date
Battle
of Kilkis-Lahanas
Land
Bulgaria
General
Ivanov
Greeks
King
Constantine
19-21
January 1913
Battle
of Bregalnica
Land
Bulgaria
General
Misic
Serbs
30
June-9 July 1913
Battle
of Kalimantsi
Land
Bulgaria
Serbs
15-18
July 1913
Battle
of Kresna Gorge
Land
Bulgaria
Greeks
King
Constantine
29
July-9 August 1913
Ethnic
exchanges & expulsions between 1912 and 1915