On this day, on October 26, 1912, the city of Thessaloniki was liberated by the Greeks during the First Balkan War, bringing an end to five centuries of Ottoman rule in the strategic Macedonia region.
Although the Macedonian Greeks heroically rose up and revolted along with the other Greeks during the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence of 1821, and on numerous occasions in the following decades, they would finally realize their freedom about a century later during the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913.
The Balkan Wars commenced on October 8, 1912, after a secret pact was made between Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro uniting as the "Balkan League" in order to bring an end to Ottoman rule. The Balkan League victories came swiftly throughout the entire Balkans.
On October 20, 1912, a tense dispute broke out between the heir to the throne, Prince Constantine, who headed the Greek military forces in this war, and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos. The Prince demanded permission to head north to liberate Monastir (today's Bitola) which he stated could be under Greek control in two days. However, the Prime Minister who had the final political say, immediately denied that request and instead ordered the Prince to immediately head to Thessaloniki without delay. The Prince relented and headed to Thessaloniki. This dispute had also caused a minor rift between Venizelos and King George I, but Venizelos was adamant that the Prince must follow political orders as the future of Thessaloniki was at stake and that the Bulgarians were also vying to control the city. The King agreed with Venizelos and calmed the tension between his son Constantine and the Prime Minister.
Greek historians are split on whether or not Venizelos should have even been involved in the affairs of the battlefield. However, history proved that Venizelos was correct in his calculations, as those two days to liberate Monastir would have definitely resulted in the Bulgarian liberation of Thessaloniki. His thought was that whoever controls Thessaloniki first, controls Macedonia.
The Greek forces encircled the city of Thessaloniki on October 25, 1912, with the Bulgarians quickly gaining ground. The Ottoman government, sensing that the end was near, started immediate negotiations with the Greeks for the handover of the city. Knowing that Thessaloniki was his, Prince Constantine purposely stalled and waited with his troops on the outskirts in order to enter the city the very next day, on October 26, on the major feast day of Saint Demetrios, a Roman-era military soldier who was martyred for his Christian faith in the 4th century.
On October 26, 1912, the Greek forces led by Prince Constantine triumphantly entered Thessaloniki and were welcomed as liberators by the jubilant crowds. On the same day, the protocol process for the official hand over of the city took place between Ottoman military official, Hasan Tahsin Pasha, and the Greek military. The protocol was signed just after midnight, in the early hours of October 27.
The Bulgarians arrived in Thessaloniki after the Greeks took command of the city. Bulgarian military officials, horrified that the Greeks were in control of Thessaloniki, attempted to bribe Hasan Tahsin Pasha to break the agreement with the Greeks and to hand the city over to the Bulgarians instead, but Tahsin responded that on the battlefields in the broader area, he faced the Greeks and not the Bulgarians, and that "we [i.e. the Turks] took it from the Greeks, and we gave it back to the Greeks", in reference to the Ottomans capturing Thessaloniki in the siege of March 1430.
With Thessaloniki liberated, the Greeks would end up liberating 95% of the bona-fide ancient Greek region of Macedonia (or over 51% of the modern geographic definition of Macedonia) by the end of the First Balkan War in May of 1913, along with the addition of a few very small northeastern areas of the region by the end of the Second Balkan War in August of 1913.
Long live Greece!
Long live Thessaloniki!
Long live Macedonia!
Hellenic Canadian Research Institute (Hellenic Institute)
Although the Macedonian Greeks heroically rose up and revolted along with the other Greeks during the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence of 1821, and on numerous occasions in the following decades, they would finally realize their freedom about a century later during the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913.
The Balkan Wars commenced on October 8, 1912, after a secret pact was made between Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro uniting as the "Balkan League" in order to bring an end to Ottoman rule. The Balkan League victories came swiftly throughout the entire Balkans.
On October 20, 1912, a tense dispute broke out between the heir to the throne, Prince Constantine, who headed the Greek military forces in this war, and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos. The Prince demanded permission to head north to liberate Monastir (today's Bitola) which he stated could be under Greek control in two days. However, the Prime Minister who had the final political say, immediately denied that request and instead ordered the Prince to immediately head to Thessaloniki without delay. The Prince relented and headed to Thessaloniki. This dispute had also caused a minor rift between Venizelos and King George I, but Venizelos was adamant that the Prince must follow political orders as the future of Thessaloniki was at stake and that the Bulgarians were also vying to control the city. The King agreed with Venizelos and calmed the tension between his son Constantine and the Prime Minister.
Greek historians are split on whether or not Venizelos should have even been involved in the affairs of the battlefield. However, history proved that Venizelos was correct in his calculations, as those two days to liberate Monastir would have definitely resulted in the Bulgarian liberation of Thessaloniki. His thought was that whoever controls Thessaloniki first, controls Macedonia.
The Greek forces encircled the city of Thessaloniki on October 25, 1912, with the Bulgarians quickly gaining ground. The Ottoman government, sensing that the end was near, started immediate negotiations with the Greeks for the handover of the city. Knowing that Thessaloniki was his, Prince Constantine purposely stalled and waited with his troops on the outskirts in order to enter the city the very next day, on October 26, on the major feast day of Saint Demetrios, a Roman-era military soldier who was martyred for his Christian faith in the 4th century.
On October 26, 1912, the Greek forces led by Prince Constantine triumphantly entered Thessaloniki and were welcomed as liberators by the jubilant crowds. On the same day, the protocol process for the official hand over of the city took place between Ottoman military official, Hasan Tahsin Pasha, and the Greek military. The protocol was signed just after midnight, in the early hours of October 27.
The Bulgarians arrived in Thessaloniki after the Greeks took command of the city. Bulgarian military officials, horrified that the Greeks were in control of Thessaloniki, attempted to bribe Hasan Tahsin Pasha to break the agreement with the Greeks and to hand the city over to the Bulgarians instead, but Tahsin responded that on the battlefields in the broader area, he faced the Greeks and not the Bulgarians, and that "we [i.e. the Turks] took it from the Greeks, and we gave it back to the Greeks", in reference to the Ottomans capturing Thessaloniki in the siege of March 1430.
With Thessaloniki liberated, the Greeks would end up liberating 95% of the bona-fide ancient Greek region of Macedonia (or over 51% of the modern geographic definition of Macedonia) by the end of the First Balkan War in May of 1913, along with the addition of a few very small northeastern areas of the region by the end of the Second Balkan War in August of 1913.
Long live Greece!
Long live Thessaloniki!
Long live Macedonia!
Hellenic Canadian Research Institute (Hellenic Institute)
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