Balkan Wars

The Balkan Wars were two conflicts fought in southeastern Europe in 1912–1913, as Balkan states seized Ottoman territories and then fought over their division.

Balkan League: An alliance of Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia formed before the First Balkan War. Its members coordinated their attack on the Ottoman Empire, then disputed the spoils.
Eastern Question: The international struggle over the weakening Ottoman Empire and the distribution of its territories. The Balkan Wars were a decisive episode in this long contest over Ottoman lands.
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria: Tsar of Bulgaria from 1908 to 1918, who led the country through both Balkan Wars. His government pursued Bulgarian claims in Macedonia and entered the 1913 war against its former allies.
Albanian Declaration of Independence: The declaration of an independent Albania at Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Albanian independence emerged as Balkan armies advanced and neighboring claims threatened the region.
First Balkan War: The 1912–1913 war in which the Balkan League fought the Ottoman Empire. It dismantled most Ottoman rule in Europe and created the territorial disputes behind the next war.
Young Turk Revolution: The 1908 revolution that restored constitutional government in the Ottoman Empire and strengthened the Committee of Union and Progress. The upheaval exposed Ottoman vulnerability and sharpened neighboring states’ calculations.
Peter I of Serbia: King of Serbia from 1903 to 1918, whose reign included Serbia’s rapid territorial expansion in the Balkan Wars. Serbia’s gains after the wars intensified its conflict with Austria-Hungary.
Albania: A state in southeastern Europe whose independence was recognized by the Great Powers in 1913. Its creation blocked Serbia’s attempt to obtain an Adriatic outlet.
Treaty of London (1913): The treaty that ended the First Balkan War and redrew Ottoman boundaries in Europe. Its settlement left the allies divided over Macedonia and Albania.
Bosnian Crisis: The 1908–1909 international crisis caused by Austria-Hungary’s annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It heightened Serbian hostility toward Austria-Hungary and regional competition over Slavic populations.

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