100 years ago the British capital London was a venue of peace talks between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan Alliance which included Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro. This happened 3 months after the start of the war against this empire for the liberation of all Christians who lived within its boundaries. Along with the peace conference of the allies, a meeting between the ambassadors of the European Great Powers was held in London as well. The powerful European countries were divided into two coalitions. One of them consisted of Great Britain, France and Russia who were supporting the Balkan alliance. The second coalition comprised of Germany, Austria and Hungary and Italy, who were trying to keep the integrity of the Ottoman Empire, because they viewed the empire as a future ally in the forthcoming big war. This is how people used to call the first world military conflict( WW1), says in an interview for RB academician Georgi Markov:

“Sir Edward Gray who was the British foreign secretary and chairman of the London Peace Conference succeeded to pass a bill initiated by the ambassadors for the change of the border of the Ottoman Empire southeast of the town of Edirne. In fact, the major obstacle of the negotiations was the Edirne fortress. The government of Kamil Pasha was against the cession of the Edirne Vilayet. He agreed to give independence to Albania, Macedonia and Epir, but refused to make cession of the territories in the Edirne Thrace. However, the allies including Bulgaria were insisting on the formation of a straight border between the towns of Midiya near Black Sea and the town of Rodosto near the Sea of Marmara. The Great Powers objected to this idea, because this area included the 2 strategic passes Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Then the countries of the Balkan Alliance agreed on a border between the towns of Midiya and Enos (near the Agean Sea). This borderline was negotiated between the 3 parties who managed to reach a joint agreement after 20 days of intense talks. They signed a collective note to yield the possession of Edirne to the alliance and leave the sacred lands around the Sultan Selim(Selimiye) mosque, where many Turkish sultans were buried, under a special statute governed by the Sultan. In return to this agreement the European Great Powers guaranteed inviolability of the Ottoman possessions in Asia, Northern Africa and the Near East”, says Georgi Markov.

© Photo: wikipedia.org

Saint James Palace where the peace conference was launched

Kamil Pasha who was an Anglophile summoned a ministerial council on January 9, 1913. The Turkish military commanders and the viziers thought they could not bring this war to a successful end and had to accept the terms of the collective note which was delivered by the Great Powers to Istanbul. Meanwhile, the Young Turk movement which included mainly Turkish officers regained power. With the assistance of the German diplomacy the Young Turks managed to prepare a military take-over because they believed that the war had not been lost yet. The Turkish clergy also stood in support of the officers. Sultan Mehmed V Reshad who previously stood neutral was aware of the preparation of this take-over. It was held on January 10, 1913. We should not omit the fact that the Young Turk movement was encouraged by the conflict between Bulgaria and its allies in regard to the liberated territories. It started to prepare a counter attack in Eastern Thrace. Thus, on January 16, the peace talks in the British capital were suspended.

“In Belgrade and Athens, the idea for applying the principle of the actual occupation prevailed. This meant that the countries had to keep the possession of they already controlled territories and that a Greek-Serbian border had to be set between Vardar river and the Ohrid Lake”, Georgi Markov goes on to say.” Both countries also held negotiations for the construction of a harbor in the Greek town of Thessaloniki which could be used freely by the Serbians. The officials in Sofia and Istanbul were aware of these talks. Besides, Greece and Serbia were hoping to prolong the war, so they can conquer the occupied Macedonian state. Meanwhile Germany delivered large amounts of weapons to Turkey: quick-firing artillery, machine guns, ammunition. Germany also sent military troops there. The Turkish artillery went under German control and the Young Turk government believed that due to the new armaments and the military support it could turn the course of this war. Their military plan envisaged attack over the Fourth Bulgarian Army in the village of Bulair on the Gallipoli Peninsula and a landing in the town of Sarkoy near the Sea of Marmara. The Turks also planned to lift the blockade over the garrison in the besieged Edirne fortress”, concludes Gergi Markov. 

The battles near Bulair, Sarkoy and Edirne were of key importance to the outcome of this war, where the Ottoman Empire was defeated. The Bulgarian army won new victories in these battles.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov