Serbia and the Balkan Wars Cover Image

Србија и Балкански ратови
Serbia and the Balkan Wars

Author(s): Mihailo Vojvodić
Subject(s): Military history, Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919)
Published by: Српска академија наука и уметности

Summary/Abstract: On 19 October 1912, with its Balkan allies Serbia entered a war against Turkey, under the pretext of carrying out reforms in Old Serbia and Macedonia, but in fact with the intention to abolish the Turkish rule in these territories. The war had two – liberation and defence objectives for Serbia – to solve with arms the further destiny of the non-liberated Serbian population and to free itself from the economic and political pressure of Austria- -Hungary by conquering a part of the Adriatic coast. The Serbian army liberated Old Serbia and Macedonia, and broke out to the Adriatic coast in record time. At the London Conference of 1912–1913 (London Peace Conference or the Conference of the Ambassadors), as well as at the Peace Conference in Bucharest of 1913, after the Serbian- -Bulgarian armed conflict, i.e. the Second Balkan War, Serbia recognised its war achievements in Old Serbia and Macedonia. However, by forming the Albanian state the great powers disabled it to access the Adriatic Sea.