Causes of the Second Balkan War. Balkan Wars: Europe's Uncut Gordian Knot. Battle of Kilkis

Plan
Introduction
1 Reasons
1.1 Historical background
1.2 Results of the First Balkan War
1.3 New political situation

2 Plans and forces
2.1 Concentration of troops
2.2 Plans

3 Course of hostilities
3.1 The offensive of the Bulgarian troops
3.2 Battle of Kilkis
3.3 Anti-Bulgarian coalition counteroffensive
3.4 Intervention in the conflict between Romania and the Ottoman Empire

4 Consequences
4.1 Peace treaties
4.2 New disputed territories
4.3 First World War

Bibliography
Second Balkan War

Introduction

Second Balkan War, Inter-Allied War (Bulgarian. Inter-Allied War, Serb. Others of the Balkan Rat, Greek. Β΄ Βαλκανικός Πόλεμος Rum. Al doilea război balcanic, Tur. İkinci Balkan Savaşı, June 19, 2) - fleeting war between Bulgaria on the one hand, and Montenegro, Serbia and Greece - on the other, as well as the Ottoman Empire and Romania, which joined the hostilities against Bulgaria.

The territory conquered by Bulgaria in the First Balkan War was divided among the victorious countries.

1. Reasons

1.1. Historical background

The Ottoman Empire, expanding its territory since its inception, captured the Balkan Peninsula in the 15th century. Even before the arrival of the Turks, many warring peoples lived on the peninsula. The common enemy - Turkey - forced them to consolidate. In the 17th century, the gradual weakening of the empire began. The peoples conquered by the Turks strove for independence, therefore, in the 18th century, uprisings of national minorities took place more than once in the weakened empire. By the middle of the 19th century, the formation of ethnocratic states began. On the Balkan Peninsula, part of the population of which were Orthodox Christians and Slavs, this process took place with the support of Russian Empire. By the end of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire had lost significant part their European possessions, on the territory of which independent Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Montenegro arose.

The confrontation of the great powers in the Balkans led to the emergence of the Balkan Union - a military defensive alliance of Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro. The union was created under the auspices of the Russian Empire and was directed against Austria-Hungary, since the recent Bosnian crisis led to a destabilization of the situation in the Balkans. However, the Balkan Union began to quarrel with the Ottoman Empire. The fact is that a large number of Bulgarians, Greeks and Serbs lived in the weakening empire. In addition, the Bulgarian government wanted to expand the borders of Bulgaria as much as possible by creating a Whole Bulgaria - an empire that was supposed to cover the entire eastern part of the Balkans. The Serbs wanted to gain access to the Adriatic Sea by annexing Western Macedonia and Albania to their country. The Montenegrins sought to occupy the major Turkish ports on the Adriatic and the Novopazar Sanjak. The Greeks, like the Bulgarians, needed to expand the borders of their country as much as possible. Later, after the First World War, the Great Idea of Venizelos arose - the reconstruction of the Byzantine Empire with its capital in Constantinople (Istanbul). There were, however, in the union and contradictions. So, Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia argued about the ownership of Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria - about the ownership of Thrace. Romania, which was not part of the union, also had territorial claims to Bulgaria, and during the First Balkan War, it used these claims to put political pressure on Bulgaria.

1.2. Results of the First Balkan War

Political map of the Balkan Peninsula after the First Balkan War

On October 9, 1912, the First Balkan War officially began, although de facto Montenegro began fighting with Turkish troops on October 4. In the first two months of the war, the forces of the Balkan Union were on the offensive in all directions. In Macedonia, the Western (Macedonian) army of the Ottoman Empire was completely defeated, near Kirklareli - Eastern. The protracted battles under the Chataldzha fortified line, the long sieges of the cities of Edirne and Shkoder forced the parties to begin peace negotiations. The negotiations were thwarted by the Young Turks, who seized power in Turkey. The new government of the empire had a negative attitude towards the national minorities of the state, so it called on the Turks to continue the war in the Balkans, returning the "rebellious regions" to the empire. On February 3, 1913, at 7 pm hostilities resumed. In its second phase, the Balkan Union managed to force the surrender of Shkodra and Edirne. On the remaining sectors of the front, a positional war was waged until May 30. On May 30, the Young Turk government nevertheless agreed to sign a peace treaty in London.

According to the London Peace Treaty, Turkey lost most of its European possessions and all the islands in the Aegean. Only Istanbul and its environs remained under her rule. Albania gained independence, although in fact it was a protectorate of Austria-Hungary and Italy.

The creation of a new state did not satisfy Greece, Montenegro and Serbia, who wanted to divide the Albanian territories among themselves. In addition, the peace treaty did not provide for how the territories lost by Turkey would be divided in the future. The participating countries of the Balkan Union had to independently divide the occupied territories. This was problematic, since Thrace and Macedonia immediately after the end of the First Balkan War became disputed territories for the allies. The situation in these regions was constantly aggravated, Macedonia was divided by a disputed demarcation line between Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. The new borders of the states were never defined.

1.3. New political situation

The German Empire and Austria-Hungary, which at the end of the 19th century were drawn into an all-European arms race, realized that an all-European war was approaching. The Russian Empire was their potential enemy, and the much stronger Balkan Union was its ally. This was feared by Turkey, Germany and Austria-Hungary. To weaken Russian influence in the strategically important Balkan Peninsula, it was necessary to liquidate the Balkan Union. Austria-Hungary could not directly declare war on the alliance, as this could develop into an all-European (actually world) war.

Nikola Pasic - Serbian politician, diplomat, Prime Minister of Serbia

In such a situation, German and Austrian diplomats at the end of 1912 decided to break up the union from the inside. In Belgrade - the capital of Serbia - they persuaded the Serbian king to go to war with Bulgaria and Greece. This was argued by the fact that in the First Balkan War, the Serbs did not get what they wanted - access to the Adriatic, but they can compensate for this by annexing Macedonia and Thessaloniki. Thus, Serbia would have access to the Aegean Sea. At the same time, the Germans and Austrians carried out diplomatic work in the Bulgarian capital - Sofia. The Bulgarian government was inspired by the same thing as the Serbian one - to annex Macedonia. Austria-Hungary promised Bulgaria support in this matter. But the opinion of the Bulgarian side has not changed. She still insisted on strict observance of all clauses of the Serbian-Bulgarian union treaty of 1912, which laid the foundation for the Balkan Union.

The Serbs, unlike the Bulgarians, agreed with the German and Austrian diplomats. Serbia was preparing for a new war, everything had already been decided. The future war was seriously discussed in the national assembly already in May. Meanwhile, Greece, dissatisfied with the strengthening of Bulgaria and striving for a common border with Serbia, on June 1, 1913, signed an allied anti-Bulgarian treaty with Serbia. Greeks and Serbs had common interests in the Balkans - primarily transit trade. The Russian Empire, under whose auspices the Balkan Union arose, opposed its collapse. The Russian government called for a peaceful settlement of the issue. It was planned to convene a conference of all "interested parties", where new boundaries would be established. The situation was aggravated by the revanchism of the Young Turks, who wanted to regain their lost territories.

At the beginning of the summer of 1913, the radicalization of the government and all sectors of society took place in Serbia. Violent "Serbization" began in the regions conquered from the Turks - Western Macedonia and Kosovo. Chauvinistic ideas were spreading, at the end of June the Serbian king himself began to call for the maximum expansion of the state's borders. An extremely radical Black Hand group has formed. It arose with the support of the Serbian counterintelligence and controlled most of the Serbian government. Karageorgievich himself was afraid of her. The internal political situation was aggravated by the fact that part of the Serbian government, headed by Nikola Pasic, did not agree with the policy of the Black Hand. Articles began to appear in the newspapers about "government treason against the homeland of the Pasic cabinet."

2. Plans and forces

2.1. Concentration of troops

Alexander I Karageorgievich - during the Balkan wars he was the heir to the Serbian throne. Personally led the 1st Serbian Army

By the end of the First Balkan War, the 4th Army was formed in Bulgaria, and after the war, the 5th. Both armies were on a par with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd. In fact, nothing has changed in the Bulgarian troops since the recent war with Turkey. To the line of the future front - the Serbian-Bulgarian border - Bulgaria pulled troops for a long time, since they were far away from Chataldzhi.

Serbian troops, the main striking force of the anti-Bulgarian alliance, were stretched along the entire border with Bulgaria. In total, Serbia had three armies and two independent detachments. The Serbian troops also included Montenegrin troops, some of which fell into the 1st Army of Prince Alexander Karageorgievich. Another part of the Serbian troops remained in Skopje as a reserve. The headquarters of the supreme command of the anti-Bulgarian forces was located in the same city.

In Montenegro, after the First Balkan War, the troops managed to demobilize, so mobilization was again announced. Additional mobilizations took place in Serbia and Bulgaria to replenish forces. From June 23 to June 27, the troops of both countries were drawn to the common border. On June 28, they came into contact, at the same time a diplomatic crisis began between the countries of the former Balkan Union and the Russian Empire, which sought to resolve the conflict through peaceful negotiations. On the same day in St. Petersburg, a date was set for negotiations on the ownership of the disputed territories, but the negotiations were disrupted by the war.

2.2. Plans

The Bulgarian command planned to attack the enemy in the south and block the communication between Serbia and Greece. Next, the Bulgarians wanted to attack Skopje and then completely occupy Macedonia. In the occupied territories, it was planned to establish a Bulgarian administration and carry out propaganda among the local population. As expected, the local population should support the Bulgarian army. Next, the Bulgarian government wanted to offer the opponents a truce and start diplomatic negotiations. The government of the country believed that after the capture of Skopje, Serbia, under pressure, would agree to all the conditions of the Bulgarians.

The Serbs did not develop any special plans on the eve of the war. Only at the beginning of July, when the war broke out and Serbian troops were advancing deep into Bulgaria, did the Serbian and Greek governments decide to win the war through diplomacy. It was planned to hold back the offensive of the Bulgarians on the entire front, while accusing Bulgaria of violating the allied treaties, thus isolating it.

3. The course of hostilities

3.1. The offensive of the Bulgarian troops

George Buchanan, British Ambassador to the Russian Empire

In the last days of June, the situation at the border escalated. On June 29, 1913, at 3 o'clock in the morning, Bulgarian troops, without declaring war, went on the offensive on the Macedonian section of the border. For Serbia, this came as a surprise, since it was expecting the start of negotiations in St. Petersburg. George Buchanan, a British diplomat, on the outbreak of war said: "Bulgaria was responsible for the opening of hostilities, Greece and Serbia well deserved the charge of deliberate provocation".

Initially, the offensive was carried out by the Bulgarians with only five divisions of the 4th Army on the Macedonian front and the 2nd Army in the direction of Thessaloniki. Parts of the 4th Army crossed the Zleta River, completely defeating the Serbian troops stationed there, and split into two parts: the first attacked the Serbs at Krivolak, the second at Ishtib. The offensive was successful and unexpected, but the Serbian 1st Army, located 10 kilometers from Zleta, managed to respond to the enemy crossing the border and headed towards the Bulgarians. This army was personally commanded by Alexander Karageorgievich.

In the evening of the same day, at 19:00, the Bulgarian 2nd Army also launched an offensive in the direction of Thessaloniki. With a powerful blow, all the advanced units of the Greeks were destroyed, the survivors retreated. Parts of the 11th division of the 2nd Bulgarian army reached the coast of the Aegean Sea near the Bulgarian-Greek border and the Struma River. Serbian artillery prevented the Bulgarians from developing a larger offensive. From it, fire was opened on the Bulgarian forces in Thessaloniki, the Bulgarians did not advance further. On June 30, after the fact, the Serbs, Greeks and Montenegrins officially declared war on Bulgaria. Constantine I, King of Greece, who personally led the entire Greek army, ordered his troops to launch a counteroffensive. Meanwhile, the 1st and 5th Bulgarian armies went on the offensive against the city of Pirot. The offensive bogged down, the armies were stopped by the Serbs. On July 2, the anti-Bulgarian alliance took the initiative into their own hands, and the Serbo-Greek troops began to gradually advance on enemy positions. Separate Bulgarian units and artillery were captured by the Serbs. So, on the outskirts of Veles, it was possible to capture the 7th division of the Bulgarians in full force. At Zleta, the Serbs managed to stop the advance of the enemy forces on the same day, and at night a significant part of the Bulgarian troops were surrounded and destroyed by powerful artillery fire. A significant part of the 4th Bulgarian army was surrounded on the Ovcha field.

3.2. Battle of Kilkis

Ruined Kilkis in a Bulgarian photograph taken in 1913

Since all the main forces of the Bulgarians on the Greek front were located near Kilkis, the Greek command decided to defeat them. For this, a plan was developed in a short time, according to which the left-flank units of the Bulgarian army were to be detained by three divisions of the Greeks, while the four central divisions of the Greek troops were to attack the enemy's center in Kilkis. In the meantime, the 10th Greek division was supposed to bypass Lake Odran from the north and, having contact with the Serbian army, act together. In fact, the plan was to encircle the Bulgarian troops and destroy them. The Greeks overestimated the strength of the Bulgarians, believing that they had at least 80,000 men and 150 guns. In fact, there were several times fewer Bulgarians, only 35,000 soldiers.

On July 2, fighting resumed between the Greeks and the Bulgarians. The Greek 10th Division was the first to launch an offensive on the left flank. She crossed the Vardar River, some of her units attacked Gavgeli, and also entered into an unplanned battle with the Bulgarian troops. On the right flank, the offensive by the 1st and 6th divisions also began. The battle lasted all night, and on July 3 the Greeks came close to Kilkis and tried to capture the city. In the evening, the Bulgarian troops of the center and the right flank retreated to the border. The left flank of the Bulgarian troops continued the defense until the next day. On July 4, the Greeks forced the remnants of the enemy troops to retreat. 12 artillery pieces and 3 machine guns were taken as trophies. After the battle, the 10th and 5th Greek divisions united into a left-flank group and together began the pursuit of the Bulgarians.

3.3. Counteroffensive of the anti-Bulgarian coalition

Macedonian-Odrinsky corps of Bulgarian troops, consisting entirely of volunteers

On July 6, the Bulgarian troops tried to counterattack at Doiran, but were repulsed and the retreat resumed. The Bulgarians tried to gain a foothold on the Belashitsky pass. The terrain was mountainous, and the day was very hot, it was difficult for the Greeks to deploy artillery. Despite this, they managed to knock the Bulgarians out of position due to the numerical advantage, the pass was taken, albeit with heavy losses.

On July 7, the Greeks entered Strumica. Meanwhile, the retreating left-flank Bulgarian division pulled back three Greek divisions, which made it easier for the central Bulgarian division to resist the Greeks. For three days she resisted the troops drawn over herself, but was also forced to retreat. At the same time, the Greeks were resisted on the western bank of the Struma near Vetrina. On July 10, resistance was broken, and the Bulgarian troops withdrew to the east. The Bulgarians could not count on victory, as their army was weakened and demoralized, and the enemy outnumbered the Bulgarian troops by three times.

On July 11, the Greek army of King Constantine made contact with the Serbian 3rd Army. On the same day, the Greeks landed from the sea in Kavala, which since 1912 belonged to Bulgaria. Also the forces of the anti-Bulgarian alliance managed to occupy Serres and on 14 July they occupied Drama.

3.4. Intervention in the conflict between Romania and the Ottoman Empire

Romanian troops during the invasion of Bulgaria cross the Danube at Zimnitsa

The Kingdom of Romania, during the First Balkan War, put pressure on Bulgaria, threatening to intervene in the conflict on the side of Turkey. She demanded to change the border line in Southern Dobruja in her favor. With the outbreak of the Second Balkan War, the Romanian leadership was afraid of losing the offensive initiative, so they were preparing to invade Bulgaria.

In 1908, the Young Turkish coup took place in the Ottoman Empire, with the coming to power of the Young Turks, the ideology of revanchism prevailed in the country. The Ottoman Empire, after the signing of the London Peace Treaty, could not regain all the lost territories in Europe, so it took advantage of the Second Balkan War to partially compensate for the losses in the First. In fact, the Sultan did not give any orders to start hostilities; Enver Pasha, the leader of the Young Turks, initiated the opening of a second front. He appointed Izet Pasha as commander of the operation.

On July 12, Turkish forces crossed the Maritsa River. Their vanguard consisted of several parts of the cavalry, among them an irregular one, consisting of Kurds. At the same time, on July 14, the Romanian army crossed the Romanian-Bulgarian border in the Dobruja region and headed south along the Black Sea to Varna. The Romanians expected fierce resistance, but there was nothing of the kind. Moreover, two corps of the Romanian cavalry were approaching the capital of Bulgaria - Sofia without resistance. There was almost no resistance to the Romanians, since all the enemy troops were located far in the west of the country - on the Serbian-Bulgarian and Greek-Bulgarian fronts. At the same time, over the next few days in Eastern Thrace, the Turks destroyed all the forces of the Bulgarians, and on July 23, the forces of the Ottoman Empire captured the city of Edirne. The Turks captured Eastern Thrace in just 10 crossings.

On July 29, when the Bulgarian government realized the hopelessness of the situation, an armistice was signed. Following him, peace negotiations began in Bucharest.

4. Consequences

4.1. Peace Treaties

After the end of the Second Balkan War, on August 10, 1913, the Bucharest Peace Treaty was signed in the capital of Romania - Bucharest. Turkey did not participate in its signing. Bulgaria, as the losing side in the war, lost almost all the territories captured during the First Balkan War and, moreover, Southern Dobruja. Despite such territorial losses, the country retained access to the Aegean Sea. According to the contract :

The map was issued in 1914 and shows the disputed territories of the Balkan Peninsula - the "powder keg of Europe". Disengagement according to the London Conference before the war (top) and final borders after the Second Balkan War according to the Peace of Bucharest (bottom)

From the moment the treaty is ratified, a truce begins between the former adversaries

A new Romanian-Bulgarian border is being established at Dobruja: it starts in the west at the Turtukay mountain on the Danube, then runs in a straight line to the Black Sea south of Kranevo. A special commission was created to form a new border, and all new territorial disputes between the opposing countries were to be resolved in an arbitration court. Bulgaria also pledged to demolish all fortifications near the new border within two years.

The new Serbian-Bulgarian border from the north ran along the old, still pre-war border. Near Macedonia, it passed along the former Bulgarian-Turkish border, more precisely along the watershed between Vardar and Struma. Top part At the same time, Struma remained with Serbia. Further south, the new Serbian-Bulgarian border adjoined the new Greek-Bulgarian one. In the case of territorial disputes, as in the previous case, the parties had to apply to arbitration. A special commission was also convened to draw the new border.

Serbia and Bulgaria should conclude an additional agreement regarding the borders in Macedonia

The new Greek-Bulgarian border should begin at the new Serbian-Bulgarian border and end at the mouth of the Mesta River on the Aegean Sea. To form a new border, a special commission was convened, as in the two previous articles of the agreement, the parties in a territorial dispute must apply to an arbitration court

The apartments of the command of the parties must be immediately notified of the signing of peace, and in Bulgaria the next day - August 11 - demobilization should begin

The evacuation of Bulgarian forces and enterprises from the territories handed over to its opponents must begin on the day of the signing of the treaty and must be completed no later than August 26

During the annexation of the territories lost by Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Romania have the full right to use the railway transport of Bulgaria without payment of expenses and to carry out requisitions, subject to immediate compensation for losses. All the sick and wounded, who are subjects of the Bulgarian Tsar and are in the territories occupied by the Allies, must be supervised and provided for by the armies of the occupying countries

There must be an exchange of prisoners. After the exchange, the governments of the former rival countries must provide each other with information on the cost of maintaining prisoners

The treaty must be ratified within 15 days in Bucharest

The Treaty of Constantinople stipulated only the Bulgarian-Turkish border and peace between Turkey and Bulgaria. It was privately signed in Istanbul only by Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire on September 29 of the same year. According to him, Turkey received back part of Eastern Thrace and the city of Edirne.

4.2. New disputed territories

Mehmed V, Turkish sultan. Ruled the Ottoman Empire during the Balkan Wars

Thanks to the agreement, the territory of Serbia increased to 87,780 km², 1,500,000 people lived on the annexed lands. Greece increased its possessions to 108,610 km², and its population, at the beginning of the war, was 2,660,000, with the signing of the treaty, it amounted to 4,363,000 people. On December 14, 1913, in addition to the territories conquered from the Turks and Bulgarians, Crete was ceded to Greece. Romania received Southern Dobruja with an area of 6,960 km² and a population of 286,000 people.

Despite significant territorial losses, the central part of Thrace, with an area of 25,030 km², recaptured from the Ottoman Empire, remained part of Bulgaria. There were 129,490 inhabitants in the Bulgarian part of Thrace. Thus, this was a "compensation" for the lost Dobruja. However, later Bulgaria lost this territory as well.

There were many unresolved territorial issues on the Balkan Peninsula since the First Balkan War. So, the borders of Albania were not fully defined, the islands in the Aegean remained disputed between Greece and the Ottoman Empire. The status of Shkoder has not been determined at all. The city continued to host a major contingent of the great powers—Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, and Great Britain—and was also claimed by Montenegro. Serbia, having again failed to gain access to the sea during the war, wanted to annex the north of Albania, which went against the policy of Austria-Hungary and Italy.

4.3. World War I

The peace treaty seriously changed the political situation in the Balkans. The final collapse of the Balkan Union was supported by the German Empire and Austria-Hungary. The Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I was dissatisfied with such an end to the war. After signing the treaty, he is said to have uttered the phrase "Ma vengeance sera terrible". In turn, in the Second Balkan War, Serbia lost the support of Russia, but significantly increased. Austria-Hungary feared the emergence of a strong state on its borders, which, after the defeat of Bulgaria and Turkey in the Balkan wars, could become the strongest power in the Balkans. In addition, a large number of Serbs lived in Vojvodina, which belonged to the Austrian crown. Fearing the secession of Vojvodina and then the complete collapse of the empire, the Austro-Hungarian government was looking for a pretext to declare war on the Serbs.

Ferdinand I, King of Bulgaria

Meanwhile, Serbia itself was radicalizing. Victories in two wars at once and a sharp strengthening of the state caused a national upsurge. At the end of 1913, Serbian troops attempted to occupy part of Albania, the Albanian crisis began, which ended with the withdrawal of Serbian troops from the newly formed state. At the same time, under the auspices of the Serbian counterintelligence during the wars, the Black Hand group was formed, which controlled almost all authorities.

Part of the group, known as "Mlada Bosna", operated in Bosnia and set itself the goal of splitting it from Austria-Hungary. In 1914, with the support of the Black Hand, the Sarajevo Murder was carried out. Austria-Hungary has long been looking for a reason to eliminate the only state in the Balkans, which at the same time prevented Germany from penetrating into the Middle East - Serbia. Therefore, she presented an ultimatum to the Serbian side, after which the First World War began.

Revanchist Bulgaria sided with Austria-Hungary and Germany in the new war. Her government wanted to restore the state within the borders of May 1913, for this it was necessary to defeat Serbia again. The outbreak of the world war led to greater changes in the Balkans than the previous two Balkan ones. Thus, the Second Balkan War has far-reaching indirect consequences.

Bibliography:

Secondary Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century.

Balkan war. 1912-1913 - Moscow: Publication of the Association of Publishing and Book Trade N.I. Pastukhova, 1914.

Zadokhin A. G., Nizovsky A. Yu. Powder magazine of Europe. - M.: Veche, 2000. - 416 p. - (Military secrets of the XX century). - 10,000 copies. - ISBN 5-7838-0719-2

Vlahov T. Relations between Bulgaria and the central forces in time for the war of 1912-1918 - Sofia: 1957.

Krsto Kojović Crna qiga. Patše Srba Bosna and Herzegovina during the secular period of 1914-1918 / Vojislav Begović. - Beograd: Chigoјa stamp, 1996.

Anderson, Frank Maloy and Amos Shartle Hershey Handbook for the Diplomatic History of Europe, Asia, and Africa 1870-1914. - Washington D.C.: National Board for Historical Service, Government Printing Office, 1918.

Klyuchnikov Yu.V., Sobanin A.V. International politics of modern times in treaties, notes and declarations. - Moscow: 1925 T. 1.

Mogilevich A.A., Airapetyan M.E. On the way to the world war 1914-1918. - Leningrad: 1940.

"My revenge will be terrible"

Introduction

The territory conquered by Bulgaria in the First Balkan War was divided among the victorious countries.

1. Reasons

1.1. Historical background

The Ottoman Empire, expanding its territory since its inception, captured the Balkan Peninsula in the 15th century. Even before the arrival of the Turks, many warring peoples lived on the peninsula. The common enemy - Turkey - forced them to consolidate. In the 17th century, the gradual weakening of the empire began. The peoples conquered by the Turks strove for independence, therefore, in the 18th century, uprisings of national minorities took place more than once in the weakened empire. By the middle of the 19th century, the formation of ethnocratic states began. On the Balkan Peninsula, part of the population of which were Orthodox Christians and Slavs, this process took place with the support of the Russian Empire. By the end of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire had lost a significant part of its European possessions, on the territory of which independent Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Montenegro arose.

The confrontation of the great powers in the Balkans led to the emergence of the Balkan Union - a military defensive alliance of Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro. The union was created under the auspices of the Russian Empire and was directed against Austria-Hungary, as the recent Bosnian crisis led to the destabilization of the situation in the Balkans. However, the Balkan Union began to quarrel with the Ottoman Empire. The fact is that a large number of Bulgarians, Greeks and Serbs lived in the weakening empire. In addition, the Bulgarian government wanted to expand the borders of Bulgaria as much as possible by creating a Whole Bulgaria - an empire that was supposed to cover the entire eastern part of the Balkans. The Serbs wanted to gain access to the Adriatic Sea by annexing Western Macedonia and Albania to their country. The Montenegrins sought to occupy the major Turkish ports on the Adriatic and the Novopazar Sanjak. The Greeks, like the Bulgarians, needed to expand the borders of their country as much as possible. Later, after the First World War, the Great Idea of Venizelos arose - the reconstruction of the Byzantine Empire with its capital in Constantinople (Istanbul). There were, however, in the union and contradictions. So, Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia argued about the ownership of Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria - about the ownership of Thrace. Romania, which was not a member of the union, also had territorial claims to Bulgaria, and during the First Balkan War, it used these claims for political pressure on Bulgaria.

1.2. Results of the First Balkan War

Political map of the Balkan Peninsula after the First Balkan War

1.3. New political situation

The German Empire and Austria-Hungary, which at the end of the 19th century were drawn into an all-European arms race, realized that an all-European war was approaching. The Russian Empire was their potential enemy, and the much stronger Balkan Union was its ally. This was feared by Turkey, Germany and Austria-Hungary. To weaken Russian influence in the strategically important Balkan Peninsula, it was necessary to liquidate the Balkan Union. Austria-Hungary could not directly declare war on the union, since this could develop into an all-European (actually world) war.

Nikola Pasic - Serbian politician, diplomat, Prime Minister of Serbia

In the early summer of 1913, the radicalization of the government and all sectors of society took place in Serbia. Violent "Serbization" began in the regions conquered from the Turks - Western Macedonia and Kosovo. Chauvinistic ideas were spreading, at the end of June the Serbian king himself began to call for the maximum expansion of the state's borders. An extremely radical Black Hand group has formed. It arose with the support of the Serbian counterintelligence and controlled most of the Serbian government. Karageorgievich himself was afraid of her. The internal political situation was aggravated by the fact that part of the Serbian government, headed by Nikola Pasic, did not agree with the policy of the Black Hand. Articles began to appear in the newspapers about "government treason against the homeland of the Pasic cabinet."

2. Plans and forces

2.1. Concentration of troops

Alexander I Karageorgievich - during the Balkan wars he was the heir to the Serbian throne. Personally led the 1st Serbian Army

2.2. Plans

3. The course of hostilities

3.1. The offensive of the Bulgarian troops

George Buchanan, British Ambassador to the Russian Empire

In the last days of June, the situation at the border escalated. On June 29, 1913, at 3 o'clock in the morning, Bulgarian troops, without declaring war, went on the offensive on the Macedonian section of the border. For Serbia, this came as a surprise, since it was expecting the start of negotiations in St. Petersburg. George Buchanan, a British diplomat, on the outbreak of the war, said: "Bulgaria was responsible for the opening of hostilities, Greece and Serbia well deserved the charge of deliberate provocation."

Initially, the Bulgarian offensive was carried out only by five divisions of the 4th Army on the Macedonian front and the 2nd Army in the direction of Thessaloniki. Parts of the 4th Army crossed the Zleta River, completely defeating the Serbian troops stationed there, and split into two parts: the first attacked the Serbs at Krivolak, the second at Ishtib. The offensive was successful and unexpected, but the Serbian 1st Army, located 10 kilometers from Zleta, managed to respond to the enemy crossing the border and headed towards the Bulgarians. This army was personally commanded by Alexander Karageorgievich.

In the evening of the same day, at 19:00, the Bulgarian 2nd Army also launched an offensive in the direction of Thessaloniki. With a powerful blow, all the advanced units of the Greeks were destroyed, the survivors retreated. Parts of the 11th division of the 2nd Bulgarian army reached the coast of the Aegean Sea near the Bulgarian-Greek border and the Struma River. Serbian artillery prevented the Bulgarians from developing a larger offensive. From it, fire was opened on the Bulgarian forces in Thessaloniki, the Bulgarians did not advance further. On June 30, after the fact, the Serbs, Greeks and Montenegrins officially declared war on Bulgaria. Constantine I, King of Greece, who personally led the entire Greek army, ordered his troops to launch a counteroffensive. Meanwhile, the 1st and 5th Bulgarian armies went on the offensive against the city of Pirot. The offensive bogged down, the armies were stopped by the Serbs. On July 2, the anti-Bulgarian alliance took the initiative into their own hands, and the Serbo-Greek troops began to gradually advance on enemy positions. Separate Bulgarian units and artillery were captured by the Serbs. So, on the outskirts of Veles, it was possible to capture the 7th division of the Bulgarians in full force. At Zleta, the Serbs on the same day managed to stop the advance of the enemy forces, and at night a significant part of the Bulgarian troops were surrounded and destroyed by powerful artillery fire. A significant part of the 4th Bulgarian army was surrounded on the Ovcha field.

3.2. Battle of Kilkis

Ruined Kilkis in a Bulgarian photograph taken in 1913

Since all the main forces of the Bulgarians on the Greek front were located near Kilkis, the Greek command decided to defeat them. For this, a plan was developed in a short time, according to which the left-flank units of the Bulgarian army were to be detained by three divisions of the Greeks, while the four central divisions of the Greek troops were to attack the enemy's center in Kilkis. In the meantime, the 10th Greek division was supposed to bypass Lake Odran from the north and, having contact with the Serbian army, act together. In fact, the plan was to encircle the Bulgarian troops and destroy them. The Greeks overestimated the strength of the Bulgarians, believing that they had at least 80,000 men and 150 guns. In fact, the Bulgarians were several times smaller, only 35,000 soldiers.

3.3. Counteroffensive of the anti-Bulgarian coalition

Macedonian-Odrinsky corps of Bulgarian troops, consisting entirely of volunteers

On July 7, the Greeks entered Strumica. Meanwhile, the retreating left-flank Bulgarian division pulled back three Greek divisions, which made it easier for the central Bulgarian division to resist the Greeks. For three days, she resisted the troops drawn over herself, but was also forced to retreat. At the same time, the Greeks were resisted on the western bank of the Struma near Vetrina. On July 10, resistance was broken, and the Bulgarian troops withdrew to the east. The Bulgarians could not count on victory, as their army was weakened and demoralized, and the enemy outnumbered the Bulgarian troops by three times.

On July 11, the Greek army of King Constantine made contact with the Serbian 3rd Army. On the same day, the Greeks landed from the sea in Kavala, which since 1912 belonged to Bulgaria. Also, the forces of the anti-Bulgarian alliance managed to occupy Serre, and on July 14 they occupied Drama.

3.4. Intervention in the conflict between Romania and the Ottoman Empire

Romanian troops during the invasion of Bulgaria cross the Danube at Zimnitsa

The Kingdom of Romania, during the First Balkan War, put pressure on Bulgaria, threatening to intervene in the conflict on the side of Turkey. She demanded to change the border line in Southern Dobruja in her favor. With the outbreak of the Second Balkan War, the Romanian leadership was afraid to lose the offensive initiative, so they were preparing to invade Bulgaria.

On July 29, when the Bulgarian government realized the hopelessness of the situation, an armistice was signed. Following him, peace negotiations began in Bucharest.

4. Consequences

4.1. Peace Treaties

From the moment the treaty is ratified, a truce begins between the former adversaries

The new Serbian-Bulgarian border from the north ran along the old, still pre-war border. Near Macedonia, it passed along the former Bulgarian-Turkish border, more precisely along the watershed between Vardar and Struma. At the same time, the upper part of the Struma remained with Serbia. Further south, the new Serbian-Bulgarian border adjoined the new Greek-Bulgarian one. In the case of territorial disputes, as in the previous case, the parties had to apply to arbitration. A special commission was also convened to draw the new border.

Serbia and Bulgaria should conclude an additional agreement regarding the borders in Macedonia

The apartments of the command of the parties must be immediately notified of the signing of peace, and in Bulgaria the next day - August 11 - demobilization should begin

The evacuation of Bulgarian forces and enterprises from the territories handed over to its opponents must begin on the day of the signing of the treaty and must be completed no later than August 26

There must be an exchange of prisoners. After the exchange, the governments of the former rival countries must provide each other with information on the cost of maintaining prisoners

The treaty must be ratified within 15 days in Bucharest

4.2. New disputed territories

Mehmed V, Turkish sultan. Ruled the Ottoman Empire during the Balkan Wars

Thanks to the agreement, the territory of Serbia increased to 87,780 km², 1,500,000 people lived on the annexed lands. Greece increased its possessions to 108,610 km², and its population, at the beginning of the war, amounted to 2,660,000, with the signing of the treaty, amounted to 4,363,000 people. On December 14, 1913, in addition to the territories conquered from the Turks and Bulgarians, Crete was ceded to Greece. Romania received Southern Dobruja with an area of 6960 km², populated by 286,000 people.

Despite significant territorial losses, the central part of Thrace, with an area of 25,030 km², recaptured from the Ottoman Empire, remained part of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian part of Thrace had a population of 129,490. Thus, this was a "compensation" for the lost Dobruja. However, later Bulgaria lost this territory as well.

There were many unresolved territorial issues on the Balkan Peninsula since the First Balkan War. So, the borders of Albania were not fully defined, the islands in the Aegean remained disputed between Greece and the Ottoman Empire. The status of Shkoder has not been determined at all. The city continued to host a major contingent of the great powers—Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, and Great Britain—and was also claimed by Montenegro. Serbia, again not having achieved access to the sea during the war, wanted to annex the north of Albania, which went against the policy of Austria-Hungary and Italy.

4.3. World War I

The peace treaty seriously changed the political situation in the Balkans. The final collapse of the Balkan Union was supported by the German Empire and Austria-Hungary. The Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I was dissatisfied with such an end to the war. After signing the treaty, he is said to have uttered the phrase "Ma vengeance sera terrible". In turn, in the Second Balkan War, Serbia lost the support of Russia, but significantly increased. Austria-Hungary feared the emergence of a strong state on its borders, which, after the defeat of Bulgaria and Turkey in the Balkan wars, could become the strongest power in the Balkans. In addition, a large number of Serbs lived in Vojvodina, which belonged to the Austrian crown. Fearing the secession of Vojvodina, and then the complete collapse of the empire, the government of Austria-Hungary was looking for a pretext to declare war on the Serbs.

Ferdinand I, King of Bulgaria

Part of the group, known as "Mlada Bosna", operated in Bosnia and set itself the goal of splitting it from Austria-Hungary. In 1914, with the support of the Black Hand, the Sarajevo assassination was committed. Austria-Hungary has long been looking for a reason to eliminate the only state in the Balkans, which at the same time prevented Germany from penetrating into the Middle East - Serbia. Therefore, she presented an ultimatum to the Serbian side, after which the First World War began.

Bibliography:

Secondary Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century.

Balkan war. 1912-1913 - Moscow: Publication of the Association of Publishing and Book Trade N.I. Pastukhova, 1914.

Zadokhin A.G., Nizovsky A.Yu. Powder cellar of Europe. - M.: Veche, 2000. - 416 p. - (Military secrets of the XX century). - 10,000 copies. - ISBN 5-7838-0719-2

Vlakhov T. Relations between Bulgaria and the central forces in time for the war of 1912-1918 - Sofia: 1957.

Krsto Koјoviћ Tsrna kњiga. Patše Srba Bosna and Herzegovina during the secular period of 1914-1918 / Vojislav Begović. - Beograd: Chigoјa stamp, 1996.

Anderson, Frank Maloy and Amos Shartle Hershey Handbook for the Diplomatic History of Europe, Asia, and Africa 1870-1914. - Washington D.C.: National Board for Historical Service, Government Printing Office, 1918.

Klyuchnikov Yu.V., Sobanin A.V. International politics of modern times in treaties, notes and declarations. - Moscow: 1925 T. 1.

Mogilevich A.A., Airapetyan M.E. On the way to the world war 1914-1918. - Leningrad: 1940.

"My revenge will be terrible"

The Balkan Wars are two wars that took place in 1912-1913 on the territory of the former Ottoman Empire.

These "small" conflicts were one of the prerequisites for the First World War.

Territory of Independence

As a result of the defeat and collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, a number of independent states were formed, each of which belonged to one people, although they also had their own national minorities.

By the beginning of the 20th century, such independent states were formed in this region as:

Greece, which threw off the Ottoman yoke back in early XIX century;
Bulgaria, which gained independence during the Russian-Turkish war;
Serbia;
Montenegro;
Romania.

An independent Albania has not yet appeared. Albanians lived in some Turkish vilayets and outlying Serbian and Greek regions. The liberated peoples proved their right to these territories by the fact that their ancestors lived here even before the Ottoman invasion.

Moreover, all of them were Christian (mostly Orthodox) peoples who experienced spiritual oppression under the Ottoman yoke - they were forcibly converted to Islam, and those who disagreed were physically destroyed or restricted in their rights.

First Balkan War

The new Balkan states that gained independence realized that they would have to defend it only together: the weakened, but not disappeared, Ottoman Empire could swallow them back; in addition, the then world powers laid eyes on the small principalities and republics - Austria-Hungary, Russia, etc.

Therefore, the four Balkan states formed an alliance that fought against a single enemy - the Ottoman Empire. All countries of the Balkan Union wanted to win new territories for themselves from the Turks, but in some cases their interests intersected.

Second Balkan War

In June 1913, a new conflict began. Two more countries joined the Balkan Union. Romania was the first. And the second ally suddenly became the former enemy - the Ottoman Empire. Now the enemy of the Balkan Union was Bulgaria, which had seized significant territories during the first war and longed for even greater expansion.

The Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand relied on the support of Germany and Austria-Hungary; at the same time, another ally - Russia - turned away from her and stopped cooperation. The project called "Whole Bulgaria" did not take place - on July 29 the country capitulated. Under the terms of the peace treaty signed in Bucharest, Bulgaria was losing significant territories.

Results of the Balkan Wars

New states were formed on the lands of the former Ottoman Empire. Among them was Albania, which gained independence on November 28, 1912.
Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Greece have significantly increased their territories.
However, the Balkan wars were a prerequisite for. Serbian nationalists Gavrilo Princip and Nedeljko Čabrinović killed Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, intending to achieve the secession of Bosnia from Austria-Hungary and annex it to Greater Serbia. This act was the formal start of the war.
In the Balkans, several "hot spots" were formed, inhabited by opposing national groups. Conflicts in these areas do not subside until our time, as they are supported by world powers and political blocs.

After the signing of the London Treaty, disagreements between the allies on the issue of the division of territories, which Turkey was forced to abandon, came to the fore. Serbian Prime Minister N. Pasic made claims to the lands of Macedonia, occupied during the hostilities by Serbian troops. He justified his demands by providing Bulgaria with additional assistance not provided for by the allied treaty in the capture of Adrianople, and also by the fact that Serbia was left without access to the Adriatic Sea. Proposals regarding the establishment of the Bulgarian-Greek border along the river. Place (Nestos) and the Belasitse mountain range were presented by Greece as early as October 1912. Bulgaria, under various pretexts, hesitated to make counter-proposals, since none of the options put forward suited it. In this situation, on June 1, 1913, an alliance treaty and a military convention were signed between Serbia and Greece.

Trying to prevent the impending conflict, the Russian emperor took the initiative to hold a conference of the countries of the Balkan Union in St. Petersburg. Bulgaria demanded as a precondition that Serbia initially confirm the union treaty of 1912 and allow the establishment of a condominium in Macedonia. Compromise solutions did not suit the Bulgarian side.

On the night of June 29-30, 1913, Bulgarian troops attacked Serbian and Greek positions in Macedonia. The 4th Army was given the task of gaining a foothold by reaching the line of Kratovo-»

"■ Whiter, and before the 2nd Army - to occupy the mouth of the river. Struma (Strimon). However, the blitzkrieg failed. The Bulgarian government already on July 1 gave the order to cease fire. However, the situation could not be saved. Serbian forces launched a counteroffensive and defeated the Bulgarian troops in the battle on the river. Bregalnice. On July 10, Romania entered the war. Taking advantage of the absence of Bulgarian troops in the north, its units advanced unhindered towards Sofia. Turkey took advantage of this, which on July 13 declared war on Bulgaria. Squeezed from four sides, Bulgaria capitulated on July 31.

On August 10, 1913, in Bucharest, between Bulgaria, on the one hand, and Greece, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro, on the other, a peace treaty was concluded, according to which Southern Dobruja was ceded to Romania, Bulgaria was obliged to disarm the fortresses and refuse to build new on the Bulgarian-Romanian border (st. 2). The territory of Macedonia was divided between Greece (Aegean Macedonia with the ports of Thessaloniki and Kavala), Serbia (Vardar Macedonia) and Bulgaria (Pirina region) (Art. 3, 5). The treaty between Bulgaria and Turkey was signed on September 29, 1913 (Constantinople Peace Treaty). The border defined by the London Treaty along the Media-Enos line was eliminated. East Thrace departed from Bulgaria with Lozengrad, Lule-Burgas and Adrianople, behind it remained part of Western Thrace with De-deagach (Alexandroupolis) and Porto Lagos on the coast of the Aegean Sea (st. 1). Thus, Bulgaria did not retain any significant port on the Aegean. The results of the Second Balkan War were perceived by Bulgarian society as a "national catastrophe": Bulgaria lost about 33 thousand people killed, the state debt reached 700 million gold leva, while territorial gains amounted to only 17%.

CULTURE OF BULGARIA

In general, the changes that began in 1878 covered all aspects of the life of Bulgarian society, including traditions and customs.

With the advent of the Bulgarian national state, the formation of the education system began. In accordance with the Tarnovo constitution in 1879, a universal primary education. Medium schools were created according to the Russian type - in the form of classical and real gymnasiums. The Law on Public Education of 1891 provided for an increase in the period of compulsory primary education to six years, strengthening of centralization and control over the content of the educational

process, deepening work on civil and humanitarian education of schoolchildren, etc. According to this law, the state was obliged to compensate 2/3 of the fees to teachers who passed the qualification exam. The last provision, however, caused dissatisfaction among the majority of teachers, for whom the qualifying examination was a formidable barrier. In this regard, at the end of 1894, appropriate amendments were made to the law on public education.

In 1888, the Higher Pedagogical Courses were opened at the Sofia State Classical Gymnasium, transformed in 1889 into higher school, in 1905 - Sofia University. Cl. Ohrid.

In the second half of the 80s. 19th century the government of S. Stambolov put forward the task of developing the Bulgarian national self-consciousness. In this regard, it paid attention to the development of the humanities, literature and art. The functions of the state were expanded to include philanthropy. So, in 1888, 60 thousand levs were allocated for "book and scientific enterprises", in 1889, despite the objections of many deputies of parliament, 10 thousand levs were allocated for the development of theatrical business, and in 1893 - already 30 thousand. This policy was continued by the cabinet of K. Stoilov. Recognizing the importance of civil and patriotic education, the government in 1895 decided to publish a special series of books "Bulgarian Fatherland".

By the end of the 90s. 19th century In the Bulgarian language, a single spelling was established. His vocabulary has expanded significantly.

In the 80-90s. 19th century the formation of Bulgarian art takes place. In 1883, on the initiative of I. Vazov and K. Velichkov, the first professional theater troupe was created. Her repertoire included historical dramas by I. Vazov, comedies by Molière, and others. In 1895, with active participation K. Velichkov, who was not only a writer, but also an artist, opened the State School of Painting. In the 90s. an opera department began to function at the capital's theater troupe.

The emerging Bulgarian art was mostly eclectic in character. As for its content side, since the 90s. 19th century it is increasingly influenced by the national idea.

The Balkan wars are a war of a coalition (Balkan Union) of Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Greece against Turkey in order to conquer Turkish possessions in the Balkan Peninsula (First Balkan War) and a war of the same coalition and Turkey and Romania that joined it against Bulgaria with the aim of redistributing territories captured in the previous war (Second Balkan War).

In Macedonia, the population was dominated by Bulgarians. Their share exceeded 50 percent. There were about three times fewer Turks than Bulgarians, one third fewer Greeks than Turks, and two and a half times fewer Albanians than Greeks. Serbia claimed a large part of Macedonia. The Serbian royal dynasty sought to unite around itself all the southern Slavs. Also in Thrace, the Bulgarians made up more than half of the population, surpassing both the Turks and the Greeks. Contradictions between Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece over the territory of Macedonia led to the Second Balkan War.

The First Balkan War began on October 9, 1912 with the attack of the Montenegrin army on the Turkish fortress of Shkodra in Albania. On October 17, when Bulgarian, Greek and Serbian troops concentrated for an attack, Turkey declared war on Athens, Sofia, Belgrade and Cetinje. The next day, Bulgaria and Greece, in turn, declared war on Turkey (on October 7, Serbia joined them). In this war, they acted as aggressors, counting on the support of the great European powers and on the internal weakness of the Ottoman Empire.

The Turkish army was significantly outnumbered by its opponents. After mobilization, she had an army with a total strength of 914 thousand people, of which she used about 700 thousand people with 1582 guns. The Bulgarian army numbered 738 thousand people, of which almost 600 thousand were transferred to the theater of operations. Montenegro mobilized a 40,000-strong army, which fully participated in the war. Serbia mobilized 291 thousand people, of which 175 thousand people were sent to the front. Greece fielded 175 thousand people, of which 150 thousand people participated in the battles. Thus, the overall superiority of the states of the Balkan Union over Turkey in the number of armies was approximately 1.4 times.

By October 25, Bulgarian troops defeated the main forces of the Turkish Eastern Army near Lozengrad. The Greek Thessalian army, meanwhile, knocked down the weak Turkish barriers at the Sarandaporo mountain pass, and the 1st Serbian army defeated the Turkish Vardar army in the Kumanovo region. By November 3, the Thessalian army had defeated the Turkish forces at Enidzhe Vardar and opened the way to Thessaloniki, and the 1st and 2nd Bulgarian armies inflicted a heavy defeat on the Turkish Eastern Army on the Karagachder River. During this battle on October 29, for the first time in history, Bulgarian pilot Radul Milkov and observer Prodan Tarakchiev conduct reconnaissance and air bombardment of enemy positions.

On November 3, the Turkish government turned to the great powers for mediation in concluding a truce with the states of the Balkan Union. But the war continued. On November 6, the main Turkish forces were pushed back to the Chatalja defensive positions in front of Istanbul. Bulgarian troops could not overcome them on the move. Stubborn battles ensued. On November 8, Turkey again turned to the great powers with a request for mediation, but was refused.

On the night of November 8-9, the Turkish garrison in Thessaloniki capitulated. Greek and Bulgarian troops entered the city. Three days later, Turkey turned to Bulgaria, and through it to the rest of the allies, with a request for an armistice and a preliminary peace treaty. Bulgaria did not accept this request. The government in Sofia hoped that the Bulgarian army would break through the Chataldzha positions and capture Constantinople (Istanbul). However, the attack on these fortifications, undertaken on November 17-18, ended in failure. More successfully for the Bulgarians developed fighting in the Aegean Thrace, where their 2nd Macedonian-Odrin brigade captured the city of Dedeagach on November 19.

On November 20 and 21, the largest battles at sea took place. Four Bulgarian minesweepers in the Black Sea attacked the Turkish cruiser Hamidiye and hit it with several torpedoes, causing serious damage. The cruiser, however, remained afloat and was able to reach Istanbul.

On November 27, Bulgarian troops managed to capture the Turkish corps of Yaver Pasha in the Dedeagach area. More than 9 thousand prisoners, 8 guns and 2 machine guns were taken. After this defeat, on November 25, negotiations began on a preliminary (preliminary) peace treaty, and on December 3, a protocol on a temporary truce was signed. On December 16, negotiations between Turkey and the states of the Balkan Union began in London and a conference of ambassadors of the great powers opened. But already three days after the start of the peace conference, the Bulgarian command decided to prepare for the assault on Edirne (Odrin or Adrianople).

Meanwhile, on January 23, 1913, a coup d'état took place in Turkey. Turkish nationalists came to power - the Young Turks, led by Jemal Pasha, Enver Pasha and Talaat Pasha. On 29 January they broke off the peace talks. Hostilities resumed.

Initially, Turkish troops were able to push back the 1st and 3rd Bulgarian armies from the Chataldzha positions by February 13. Serbian and Montenegrin troops launched an unsuccessful assault on Shkoder. On February 26, hoping to use its military successes during a peace conference, Turkey accepted the mediation of the great powers to negotiate with the state of the Balkan Union. However, the allies were not going to stop the war yet.

On March 5, the Greeks in Epirus captured the Turkish fortress of Janina. On March 24, the Bulgarian troops went on the offensive and five days later pushed the Turks back to the Chataldzha fortifications. On March 26, the 2nd Bulgarian Army captured Edirne and captured a 60,000-strong garrison led by Shukri Pasha and 524 guns. Bulgarian losses in this case were small: 1316 killed, 451 missing and 6329 wounded.

On April 14, 1913, peace negotiations began in London and an agreement was signed on the cessation of hostilities. On May 9, the European Great Powers imposed a protocol on Bulgaria, according to which she was forced to cede the city of Silistra in Dobruja to Romania as compensation for her benevolent neutrality in the war with Turkey. On May 30, the states of the Balkan Union signed the London Peace Treaty with Turkey, according to which the Ottoman Empire lost Macedonia, most of Thrace and Albania, which gained independence (a small part of its territory went to Montenegro, and the vast Kosovo region to Serbia). But the winners could not share the booty, and this led to the Second Balkan War.

Even before the signing of the London Peace, at the end of February 1913, clashes began between the Bulgarian and Greek troops in Western Macedonia. The Bulgarian command began the concentration of troops in Macedonia in case they had to fight with the former allies. At the same time, Serbia and Greece entered into negotiations with Romania on a possible alliance against Bulgaria. On May 5, Athens and Belgrade formed an alliance against Sofia. On May 8, Romania proposed a similar alliance to Turkey. Former allies, as well as the enemy - Turkey feared that Bulgaria, which had the strongest army, would establish its hegemony in the Balkans, capturing almost all of Macedonia and Thrace. Serbia hoped to gain access to the sea by annexing a significant part of the Albanian territory. However, Austria-Hungary opposed this, fearing the strengthening of the Serbian state and its influence on the Yugoslav population of the Danubian monarchy. Then Belgrade demanded compensation from the Bulgarian part of Macedonia. In Sofia, realizing the inevitability of a new military clash, on May 25, additional mobilization was announced. Five days later, additional mobilization began in Greece and Serbia. On June 4, Serbia and Greece concluded a military-political alliance against Bulgaria, and on June 6 they offered Turkey to join them. Serbian, Bulgarian and Greek troops were moving up to the borders.

On June 8, Russian Emperor Nicholas II warned Belgrade and Sofia that whoever started hostilities first would be subject to political sanctions. Meanwhile, on June 11, Montenegro re-mobilized the army demobilized after the First Balkan War. Bulgaria insisted that Russia and other great powers hold an early arbitration on the Macedonian issue to resolve Serbian-Bulgarian territorial disputes. Russian diplomacy in every possible way delayed the solution of this issue, as it did not want to quarrel with Serbia, which at that moment was most closely connected with Russia of all the Balkan states.

On June 22, Bulgaria presented Russia with an ultimatum: to hold an arbitration within seven days, threatening otherwise to start a war against Serbia and Greece. On June 27, Romania warned Bulgaria that the start of hostilities against Serbia would mean a Romanian-Bulgarian war. But on June 29, the Bulgarian army invaded the lines of control of Serbian and Greek troops in Macedonia. The main blow was delivered by the 2nd Bulgarian army, which was supposed to capture Thessaloniki. At this time, the more powerful 4th Army was advancing in the direction of the Zletovska River and the city of Krivolak. The plan of the Bulgarian command was to withdraw Greece from the war as soon as possible, and then to bring down all the forces on Serbia in order to cope with it before the Romanian army had time to complete the mobilization and go on the offensive. At this time, the Serbian troops stationed in Macedonia could be cut off from Serbia. However, the Bulgarians launched an offensive in this direction with insufficient forces and very quickly curtailed it, when on July 2 the Greek troops launched a counteroffensive and began to push the 2nd and 4th Bulgarian armies.

By July 10, the Bulgarian units operating against Serbia withdrew to the old Serbian-Bulgarian border. On July 12, Turkey started a war against Bulgaria. By July 23, Turkish troops ousted the Bulgarians from Eastern Thrace and recaptured Edirne. The position of the Bulgarians became hopeless after the Romanian army launched an invasion of northern Bulgaria on July 14 and, almost unopposed, moved on Sofia and Varna. True, on the same day, Bulgarian troops launched a successful counteroffensive against the Greek army, and by July 30, a 40,000-strong group of Greeks in the area of the Kresna Gorge in the Rhodopes, bypassed from the flanks, was in a semi-encirclement. However, there was no time or energy to eliminate it.

Bulgaria's opponents had a 4-fold superiority in infantry and had 1.6 times more artillery and 2.5 times more cavalry. It was pointless to continue fighting. On July 30, 1913, the Bulgarian government accepted the proposal of the Greek King Constantine to conclude an armistice, which was signed in Bucharest on the same day. On July 31, hostilities ceased. On August 10, 1913, the Bucharest Peace Treaty was signed between Bulgaria and Romania, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro. Most of Macedonia went to Serbia and Greece. Greece also received part of Western Thrace. Bulgaria retained only a small southeastern region of Pirin Macedonia in the Petrich region and part of Western Thrace with the port of Dedeagach on the Aegean Sea. Romania received the Bulgarian southern Dob-ruja with the cities of Turtukay and Balchik. On September 29, 1913, Bulgaria and Turkey signed the Treaty of Constantinople, according to which the Bulgarians returned to the Turks the main part of Eastern Thrace with Edirne and retained only a small area with the city of Malko Tarnovo.

During the two Balkan wars, Bulgaria's losses amounted to 186 thousand killed, wounded and died from wounds and diseases. Of this number, in the Second War alone, there were 33,000 killed and dead, and 60,000 wounded. Serbia in the First Balkan War lost 25 thousand people killed and died from wounds and diseases, as well as wounded. In the Second Balkan War, the total losses of Serbia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania and Turkey amounted to 80 thousand killed, dead and wounded. The total losses of Bulgaria can be estimated at 66 thousand dead, Turkey - 45 thousand, Greece - 14 thousand, Montenegro - 2.5 thousand and Serbia - 17 thousand dead, including those killed and those who died from wounds. In addition, 16,000 Serbs, more than 35,000 Turks, at least 10,000 Greeks and the same number of Turks died of diseases. Turkey suffered the greatest loss of prisoners. More than 100 thousand Turkish soldiers and officers were taken prisoner in the First Balkan War.

As a result of the Balkan Wars, Serbia became the most powerful state in the Balkans, focusing on Russia and France. Greece, Montenegro and Romania were also attracted to the Entente. The losers Bulgaria and Turkey, on the contrary, soon joined the German bloc.