Description
Book SynopsisDescribed as the "sick man of Europe" by the Great Powers, the Ottoman Empire in the early twentieth century was in terminal decline. The newly independent Balkan statesGreece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgariaeach had significant ethnic populations who had remained under Ottoman rule. Under the guidance of Russia, which had its own interests in south-east Europe, they joined forces against the Ottomans, under the name of the Balkan League, in 1912.
In the first phase of the Balkan Wars, Bulgarian, Greek, Montenegrin and Serbian armies fought together against the Ottoman Empire, dealing the Ottomans a heavy defeat in a result that made headlines around the world. In the second phase, the Balkan states fought each other, and Romania also entered the war. In the conflict's aftermath, new borders failed to satisfy any of the belligerent parties. Interventions by the Great Powers further increased tensions in the region. As the ultimate result, the first bullet that triggered
Trade Review
“The Balkan Wars of 1912/13 were a disaster for the Ottoman Empire, a triumph for the Balkan governments, and a tragedy for the population of the belligerent states. This well structured collection brings together contributors from various backgrounds. Unitedly, they help to understand overarching issues far beyond the military event, and especially the still underresearched Ottoman perspective.” Katrin Boeckh, LMU Munich/IOS Regensburg
Table of Contents
List of Tables – List of Figures – Introduction – Biljana Stojić: Diplomacy behind the Curtain: Making the Balkan League – Biljana Stojić: Making the Balkan League with(out) the European Powers – Osman Yalçın: Turkish Aviation during the Balkan Wars – Sabri Can Sannav: The Occupation of the Aegean Islands by Greece in the First Balkan War According to Turkish Sources – Theodoros Giannopoulos and Christos Mantzanas: The Hospitalization of the Ottoman Soldiers during the First Balkan War: The Case of the First Relief Expedition to İstanbul by the German Red Cross – Ethem Çeku: The Balkan Wars 1912–13: The Albanian Question – Cengiz Yolcu: The Population Exchange between Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire after the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 – Irena Kolaj Ristanović: The Issue of Waqf Institutions in the Kingdom of Serbia: The Example of the Münderise Waqf Register of Ottoman Provenance from the Ex-Sanjak of Skopje – Denis Ljuljanović: Young Turk Policy and Albanian Uprisings in Ottoman Macedonia: From Revolution to Balkan War(s) (1908–1912) – Ilirjana Kaceli (Demirlika): Albania in the First Balkan War in the Ottoman Turkish Sources – Notes on Contributors – Index.
