10 Facts About Balkan Wars

Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913.

The First Balkan Wars War began on 8 October 1912, when the League member states attacked the Ottoman Empire, and ended eight months later with the signing of the Treaty of London on 30 May 1913.

The Second Balkan Wars War began on 16 June 1913, when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its loss of Macedonia, attacked its former Balkan Wars League allies.

Balkan Wars were marked by ethnic cleansing with all parties being responsible for grave atrocities against civilians and helped inspire later atrocities including war crimes during the 1990s Yugoslav Wars.

The Christian Balkan Wars countries were forced to take action and saw this as an opportunity to promote their national agenda by expanding in the territories of the falling empire and liberating their enslaved co-patriots.

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At that time, the Balkan Wars states had been able to maintain armies that were both numerous, in relation to each country's population, and eager to act, being inspired by the idea that they would free enslaved parts of their homeland.

The Bulgarians were not satisfied with their share of spoils and as a result, the Second Balkan Wars War broke out on the night of 29 June 1913, as Bulgaria confronted the Serbian and Greek lines in Macedonia.

The Second Balkan Wars War broke out on 29 June 1913, when Bulgaria attacked its erstwhile allies in the First Balkan Wars War, Serbia and Greece, while Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire intervened later against Bulgaria, with Romania attacking Bulgaria from the north in violation of a peace treaty.

Epilogue to this nine-month pan-Balkan Wars war was drawn mostly by the treaty of Bucharest, 10 August 1913.

Balkan Wars brought to an end Ottoman rule of the Balkan Peninsula, except for eastern Thrace and Constantinople.