On this day, on May 14, 1920, in the aftermath of World War I, a part of Thrace (west of the Evros River) was liberated by the Greek Army.
The entirety of Thrace (including the areas over the border in Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey) was conquered and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire around 1360. Because Thrace was an extremely strategic location and the Bulgarian and Greek populations were quite large, the Turks embarked on centuries of punitive colonization policies, which included: the importation of large Turkish and Turkoman populations from Anatolia, the forced Turkification and Islamization of Greeks and Bulgarians in key areas, widespread state persecution, forced population movements, destruction of property, and the meddling in the affairs of the Greek and Bulgarian communities by Ottoman authorities.
In 1821 with the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, like all Greeks throughout the Ottoman Empire, Thracian Greeks took part and offered ships, money, heroes, and shed blood for the Greek Struggle.
Following the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, the Treaty of Bucharest of 1913 officially awarded western Thrace to Bulgaria. The Thracian Greeks and some Muslims in the western Thrace region immediately revolted upon the signing of the treaty and established an autonomous state and provisional government, hoping for foreign intervention. Bulgaria briefly retreated. However, Greece agreed with the terms of the Treaty and abandoned all claims to western Thrace. No other foreign intervention came and autonomy collapsed a few months later.
Upon the reoccupation of western Thrace by the Bulgarians, the Greeks and Muslims of the region were brutally persecuted, and the social and economic fabric of the local society destroyed in the years that followed. The region was devastated and 250,000 Greeks of Thrace were driven into exile. Tens of thousands were massacred.
Following the end of World War I, the defeated Central Powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire - were penalized by the victorious Allies. Bulgaria was dealt with major territorial losses in all areas of the country, including areas in Thrace to the west of the Evros River.
The French ordered the occupation of western Thrace, and on the morning of October 4, 1919, Allied troops led by Greek General Leonardopoulos entered Xanthi and then liberated all of western Thrace from the Bulgarians. One month later, in the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, the Bulgarians accepted all their territorial losses.
While the Allies controlled western Thrace, they imposed a regime of inter-Allied occupation, and referred to the region as "Inter-Allied Thrace" (Thrace Interalliée). The official language was French. The administration of Thrace was assumed by the French Commander-in-Chief, General Charpy.
In April of 1920, at the San Remo Conference, it was decided that western Thrace would be handed over to Greece. A month later on May 14, 1920, the Greek Army assumed administrative control and were welcomed by jubilant crowds and hailed as liberators as they advanced in the region. On July 30, 1920, western Thrace was officially annexed to Greece. In a telegram from Prime Minister Venizelos to his government representative in Thrace, he stated: "I am very happy to announce to you that today, the seventh anniversary of the Treaty of Bucharest, a peace treaty was signed with Turkey, through which the main allied powers transferred Western Thrace to us."
The entirety of Thrace (including the areas over the border in Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey) was conquered and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire around 1360. Because Thrace was an extremely strategic location and the Bulgarian and Greek populations were quite large, the Turks embarked on centuries of punitive colonization policies, which included: the importation of large Turkish and Turkoman populations from Anatolia, the forced Turkification and Islamization of Greeks and Bulgarians in key areas, widespread state persecution, forced population movements, destruction of property, and the meddling in the affairs of the Greek and Bulgarian communities by Ottoman authorities.
In 1821 with the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence, like all Greeks throughout the Ottoman Empire, Thracian Greeks took part and offered ships, money, heroes, and shed blood for the Greek Struggle.
Following the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, the Treaty of Bucharest of 1913 officially awarded western Thrace to Bulgaria. The Thracian Greeks and some Muslims in the western Thrace region immediately revolted upon the signing of the treaty and established an autonomous state and provisional government, hoping for foreign intervention. Bulgaria briefly retreated. However, Greece agreed with the terms of the Treaty and abandoned all claims to western Thrace. No other foreign intervention came and autonomy collapsed a few months later.
Upon the reoccupation of western Thrace by the Bulgarians, the Greeks and Muslims of the region were brutally persecuted, and the social and economic fabric of the local society destroyed in the years that followed. The region was devastated and 250,000 Greeks of Thrace were driven into exile. Tens of thousands were massacred.
Following the end of World War I, the defeated Central Powers - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire - were penalized by the victorious Allies. Bulgaria was dealt with major territorial losses in all areas of the country, including areas in Thrace to the west of the Evros River.
The French ordered the occupation of western Thrace, and on the morning of October 4, 1919, Allied troops led by Greek General Leonardopoulos entered Xanthi and then liberated all of western Thrace from the Bulgarians. One month later, in the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, the Bulgarians accepted all their territorial losses.
While the Allies controlled western Thrace, they imposed a regime of inter-Allied occupation, and referred to the region as "Inter-Allied Thrace" (Thrace Interalliée). The official language was French. The administration of Thrace was assumed by the French Commander-in-Chief, General Charpy.
In April of 1920, at the San Remo Conference, it was decided that western Thrace would be handed over to Greece. A month later on May 14, 1920, the Greek Army assumed administrative control and were welcomed by jubilant crowds and hailed as liberators as they advanced in the region. On July 30, 1920, western Thrace was officially annexed to Greece. In a telegram from Prime Minister Venizelos to his government representative in Thrace, he stated: "I am very happy to announce to you that today, the seventh anniversary of the Treaty of Bucharest, a peace treaty was signed with Turkey, through which the main allied powers transferred Western Thrace to us."
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