MACEDONIA, in ancient geography, a territory lying to the N. of Greece, which first became powerful under its king Philip, the father of Alexander the Great, and conqueror of Greece. Alex ander the Great added immensely to the empire of Macedonia, and made what had only been a petty province mistress of half the world. After his death the empire was divided; dominion was lost over Greece; and the result of the battles of Cynoscephalw (197 B. c.) and Pydna (168 B. C.) was to reduce the ancient kingdom to a Roman province. Macedonia, previous to the World War, formed a part of Turkey in Europe, and is inhab ited by Wallachians, Turks, Greeks, and Albanians.
Following the Balkan Wars in 1912 and 1913, a large part of Macedonia was partitioned among the victorious coun tries—Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria. Greece received the larger portion, in cluding Saloniki, Seres, Drama, Kozani, and Florina. Macedonia suffered greatly
in the World War. In 1916, after a fierce struggle, the greater part of the country was in the hands of the Austro Germans and a half civil and half mili tary administration was established. In August, 1917, of that year an attempt was made on the part of the Allies under the leadership of General Sarrail to con duct an offensive in Macedonia as a diversion against threatened Bulgarian attacks. This, however, failed. In 1918, however, an offensive was carried on chiefly by the Serbian army, which resulted in the capture of Monastir and was the beginning of the collapse of Bulgaria. By the conditions of the treaty of peace Macedonia practically ceased as a separate entity. The greater part of its former territory was absorbed by Greece.