BALKAN WARS, a series of conflicts fought in the Balkan Peninsula (q.v.) during 1912 and 1913. They fall into three distinct divisions: (1) The war of the Balkan League (q.v.), composed of Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro, against Turkey, in which the Allies conquered Macedonia, Albania and the greater part of Thrace, terminat ing with the armistice of December 1912; (2) the continuance of the war by Greece and the resumption of hostilities by her Allies in February 1913, after the failure of the London negotiations; (3) the second war, which followed the collapse of the Balkan League in June 1913, when Serbia, Greece and Montenegro were arrayed against their quondam ally, Bulgaria; the re-entrance of Turkey and the intervention of Rumania. The avowed ob ject of the Balkan League was the emancipation of Macedonia from Ottoman dominion and the forcible expulsion of Turkey from eastern Eu rope. Ever since the Treaty of Berlin in 1878 the Christian population of Macedonia —mainly Bulgars, Greelcs and Serbs— had been promised reforms by both the European Concert and by successive Turldsh governments. By the Treaty of San Stefano (3 March 1878) which Russia forced upon Turkey at the point of the sword, Macedonia was handed over to Bulgaria, but the arrangement was abrogated four months later at Berlin and the territory restored to Turkey, the powers pledging themselves to supervise the Introduction of reforms. For 34 years the powers had tinkered at the problem, and for 31 years of that period Abdul Hamid II (q.v.) had pursued an unwavering policy of promises and evasions. Hope dawned momen tarily on the horizon when the Turkish revolu tion of 1908-09 ended with the victory of the Young Turkey party, the downfall of Abdul Hamid and the accession of Reshad Effendi as Mohammed V. But although the new ruler expressed his satisfaction at being the first sul tan of a regime of liberty and told his Parlia ment that °the safety and happiness of the country depend on the constant and serious ap phcation of the constitutional regime,° which was °In conformity with the Sacred Law as with the principles of civilization,0 it sodn be came apparent that the more Turkish govern ment changed the more it was the same thing.
Toward the end of 1909 steps were taken to °pacify° Macedonia. In the process of pacifi cation the Turlash commander entrusted with the task, Torgut Pasha, accounted for 12,000 prisoners, 5,000 killed and wounded, 2,000 refugees in Bulgaria and over 1,600 homeless refugees scattered among the hills. The Young Turk government, the °Committee of Union and Progress,0 adopted a ((nationalizing(' pro gram that consisted mainly of stamping out all racial and religious sentiments differing from undiluted Turkish citizenship. This ruth less policy led the Ballcan states to sinlc their quarrds and to unite for common action against the oppressor. But the motives actuating the Balkan League were not entirely altruistic: there were rich prizes to be gained if the ven ture should prove successful.
In the meantime the Turco-Italian War (q.v.) had broken out in the fall of 1911. A succession of defeats was suffered by the Turk ish armies, seriously weakening the resources and organization of the Turkish empire and undermimng what little influence it still pos sessed in its European provinces. The moment for action in order to bring about the liberation of Macedonia, Albania and the other parts of European Turkey had apparently arrived with the most favorable conditions.
In March 1912 a secret treaty of alliance was signed between Bulgaria and Serbia against Turkey, stipulating military co-operation be tween the two states on a fairly extensive basis and providing for the division of whatever ter ritory might accrue as the result of a possible — and successful — war. A similar treaty against Turkey was signed between Bulgaria and Greece in September 1912, except that no provision was made for possible future gains. Montenegro and Serbia, too, had arrived at an understand ing, and finally these diplomatic arrangements were so co-ordinated that they permitted of concerted military action on the parts of Bul garia, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro as against the hereditary enemy, Turkey.