World War Zero: Balkan Wars 1912-1913

[@TheGreatWar]

Watch 16 Days in Berlin on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/16-days-in-berlin-01-prologue-the-beginning-of-the-end

[@andreaofcalia]

What is the names of the song in the video?

[@cd5433]

Great documentary. Saw it on nebula . I think it’s the reason I ended up getting nebula actually .

[@savosavic1222]

u forgot to mention that Serbia also send chunk of it men and one of their best generals to support war on that side

[@sonorous4008]

I have a few questions though. Home come Albanians are not mentioned here. They played a huge role on these wars and they had the biggest loss both on territory an man. You mentioned "Muslims" a couple of times that they were moved from Sandjak but you never mentioned that they were Albanians living in their lands. At this time, Albania was divided from Ottomans under 4 vilayets where the majority of the population was Albanians: 1. Kosovo Vilayet, 2. Scutari Vilayet, 3. Manastir Vilayet, and 4. Janina Vilayet. I am quite shocked and surprised that you never mentioned any of these, furthermore the genocide towards this population from the slavs and the deportation of the "muslims" as you are saying towards Turkey. To this day there are 5 Million people living in Turkey with Albanian roots, all of them as a result of the deportation from these wars, starting from 1877. You need to pay a close attention to these facts because from this video it seems that Albanians did nothing, which is totally not true. Albanians always rebelled against Ottomans, since Skanderbeg times, then in 1821, the Albanians(Arvanites) started the revolution of Greece etc. To me it's a shame that your channel doesn't give the Albanians the respect they deserve.

[@slavicduke]

I have to complain about a small thing, what you call Novi Pazar and Sandzak, it is Serbian and Montenegrin land, and Islamic peoples were intentionally settled because of the danger of merging the Christians of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia

[@hilding2063]

Can't believe this wasn't covered in school at all, it's so essential to explain WW1.

[@oliversissonphone6143]

Also helpful in understanding the collapse of Yugoslavia

[@NightingaleSunset]

My history classes never made it past the Industrial Revolution

[@scottoxley8137]

Can't fit everything in.

[@Loquacious_Jackson]

​@@scottoxley8137I got fired today 😢

[@markmiller2263]

It was but it was covered by only one sentence. "Inner strife in the Balkins". 😢

[@Mertiy7]

I was raised listening to my grandma telling me stories of how her grandfather was tortured and executed, and how her grandma raped and half of her kids killed in her village near Drama/Greece. My great great grandma had to walk to Constantinople, losing one more child, only one surviving, my great grandma. My entire life I hated Greeks and Greece for it, until I listened to what their ancestors had gone through in the hands of mine. The past is full of horrible atrocities done by our ancestors who weren't necessarily bad people, but they all thought they were righteous in their actions. I just hope we are better than our ancestors. Greetings from a Turk

[@moremusic2]

Same over here, horrible stories and massacres and eternal hate for Turks and (even worse) for all Muslims. For most people in Greece that know history in bits and pieces, a muslim is a Turk (go figure...) I don't know when this ends, i guess when we all get rid of nationalism and all "greatness" cause whenever a Balcan country goes "great" some other neighbouring Balkan country goes to grave...

[@umarabdaziz]

I do believe that nationalism is one of the greatest disaster that had befallen mankind

[@umarabdaziz]

@@spotonnls3538 ?? I'm a Malay tho

[@umarabdaziz]

@@spotonnls3538 What's your problem with Arab name?

[@kelleychilton2524]

@@umarabdaziz Religion is the greatest disaster. These atrocities had their origin in religion. Muslim vs Christian vs Jew.

[@KunChou]

This take on the Balkan Wars is much more humanist than any depiction of them in Balkan history books. I'm Bulgarian and our history books at school glorified the First Balkan War as the pinnacle of Bulgarian courage and military prowess. That part was pretty much true, but they conveniently omitted the part where Bulgarian troops destroyed villages and committed atrocities against Muslims and Greeks. From what I've seen, history books in my neighbouring countries follow the same pattern, glorifying their militaries and turning a blind eye to their atrocities. And this is the first time I've heard of Romanian troops suffering such high casualties from cholera while not really facing any serious military resistance from Bulgaria. Thanks for the nuanced look at these wars and for recognising that for all the glory and pride, they were also a source of tremendous tragedy!

[@Mighty_Yobama]

In Turkey they just taught to us "Ottoman army wasn't ready and undeveloped because of that we lost" that's it because there is no victory. But you have to learn history with it's everything.

[@alexisz7]

As a Greek ,we both did horrible things to each other at balkan wars and world war 2,atleast we are fine now and hold no grudge.But that's war,we can't change history unfortunately.

[@Mighty_Yobama]

@@alexisz7 all we have to do is looking forward now one of my best friends is greek bro is a legend

[@libertas5005]

The pattern from 1912-1913 and the mass execution of Muslim civilians in the Balkans repeated again in 1992-1995 in Bosnia, where Serbs, inspired by the same wicked ideology fueled by a hatred mix of nationalism and religious fundamentalism of the Orthodox church, committed genocide.

[@none2912]

They displaced hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians from the Thrace and Macedonia prior the first balkan war, don't forget that

[@СветлинЦолов]

As a bulgarian orthodox,this is the best video of the Balkan wars i have ever seen. For every Balkan reader-Peace brothers! 🇧🇬🇷🇸🇦🇱🇬🇷🇹🇷

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

Amen 🙏

[@Earendilkg]

Peace from Serbia brat

[@СветлинЦолов]

@@Pavlos_Charalambous Amen ☦

[@СветлинЦолов]

@@Earendilkg Мир,брат

[@kadudeduder5103]

Insallah Bulgarian bro

[@matthewwhitton5720]

Marvelous ! Not the horrendous extent of both military and, particularly, civilian agony throughout this conflict, but, the fact that this stellar channel has turned its expectedly nuanced and detailed attention to this seminal war. Many thanks ( from an enthusiast for Balkan history ).

[@Oliverg8sr]

I am so pleased to have found this channel. I only found out about the Balkan wars long after my History A level which went long on the causes of the First World War but never mentioned these important events.

[@johnmullen7775]

Again, accurate, unbiased, and un-sanitized narrative of an important episode of history. Great work from the Great War team.

[@RasVoja]

Thats what I love, but comments will be biased

[@adidoki]

Nah, biased. Calling what happened to the turks, mere killings, while it was clear it was a genocide, that´s what being biased means.

[@TerminalConstipation]

They know what we want: the facts and the 'truth', at least as far as can be discerned by the facts

[@misssummersalt]

I'm 8 minutes in and he hasn't even acknowledged Croatia's EXISTENCE. Accurate, unbiased... Sure...

[@RasVoja]

@@misssummersalt It DID not exist as separate state at time

[@Arhiroukounas]

a byproduct of the Balkan Wars was the concept of population exchanges(basically an idea of Greek diplomats).It started with Greece and Bulagaria exchanging populations from Macedonia and Eastern Rumelia(southern Bulagaria) but that was dwarfed by the Greek-Turkish population exchange in 1923-1924(more than two million people involved)

[@hellomoto1426]

And between India and Pakistan after 1947, no offence but these massacre number are rookie, we really increased the numbers . In your conflicts, 8000 people civilians i mean might be massacred , in ours during, 1947 less than 25000 death is just a simple riot .

[@chrispalazis6501]

@@hellomoto1426 that’s cuz y’all have 4 times the population smh if you do ratios it’s still high buddy

[@TheBard1999]

@@hellomoto1426 it's not a contest...

[@ursodermatt8809]

@@hellomoto1426 congratulations!!

[@Molkepulver]

@@TheBard1999 For balkan people war crimes, genocide and population exchanges seem like a contest sometimes... a brutal one

[@alexandrosgialamidis430]

Fun fact: that Greek heavy cruiser you mentioned, is still in service in Greece as a museum

[@Echetlaeus]

This is honor not fun... The Greek was not stronger than Turkish navy but braver! 🇬🇷💙🇬🇷

[@DomnulDarius]

Real

[@ΜικηςΖεζας]

Actually we were stronger at sea at the time, turkish navy was outdated and afraid of averof guns, we were always better at sea than them, long live greece!​@@Echetlaeus

[@void_wyrm]

Oh one small correction, Montenegro didn't really start early because of their desire to claim more land and overshadow the Serbian dynasty, it was a planned move to see how the major powers would react, and then the rest of the members sent ultimatums. It's true that there was a rivalry between the two serb states, but it was generally, or somewhat, disregarded in times of war.

[@bdleo300]

*rivaling dynasties Karadjordjevic and Petrovic

[@dvnk6971]

Additional explanation. The unification of Montenegro and Serbia was predicted to happen once they share common borders, which would happen after the war. The two dynasties competed over who should lead the unified state. The Petrovic (Montenegrin) dynasty was an ally of the old Obrenovic dynasty (Serbian dynasty before 1903) and once the Karadjordjevic's took power, tensions arose. Yet, the unification was imminent.

[@void_wyrm]

@@dvnk6971 Exactly! Unification wasn't discussed while the treaty was being signed in 1912 between Serbia and Montenegro, since the main concern was gaining a common border in the region of Raska/Sanjak of Novi Pazar, which was technically still under Austrian occupation. As you say unification was imminent in some sort of way, be it autonomous or full, the only roadblock was dynastic rivalry. It's interesting that even though Peter of Serbia was son-in-law to King Nicholas, Petrovic saw themselves as an older dynasty that also had ties to the Obrenovic. There was a race towards Prizren for example, a city that would give a lot of legitimacy to either side, and minor border squabbles, but nothing major at the time.

[@igcuric]

Montenegro is not "Serb state".

[@void_wyrm]

@@igcuric Lol, lmao

[@mammuchan8923]

Superb work Jesse and team. Having a look through your sources, it must have been a very complex video to write. Also fantastic photos that I haven’t seen before. A fascinating though heartbreaking episode. Terrible to think that as bad as the suffering was that was experienced in these wars, it would turn out to be a mere prelude before the fast approaching apocalypse. This episode gave great insight into some of the attitudes, rivalries, and thirst for revenge that were still so fresh by 1914. You did an excellent job of carrying the feeling of dread through the episode. Time for a rewatch of the channel from the beginning ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@TheGreatWar]

shout out to our fans from the Balkans who got us archive access and looked for primary accounts from their countries.

[@mammuchan8923]

@@TheGreatWar 👏😎 nice

[@emmanuelawosusi2365]

@@TheGreatWar nice the channel

[@dadanene1197]

It can not be coincidence that you pronounce most of the names as the native speakers do! Big admiration for this.

[@demonblood8841]

This is briefly covered in a Netflix documentary which i recently watched(The long road to war) but you have given alot more detail. Great stuff as always

[@jonathandentler7158]

Extremely well done, yet again. The way this channel balances a popular and accessible approach to complex and contested histories with real nuance is truly commendable.

[@TheGreatWar]

Thank you very much!

[@RhiannonSenpai]

32:08 "To leave them to our slaves" that says everything there needs to be said to show why it was necessary to drive out the Turkish invaders. They always viewed the people of the Balkans as "their slaves." Well-deserved victory by the Bulgarians and Serbians against the Turks!

[@oxia77]

Exactly. He also says that for 400 years they ruled the land. How about the thousands of years before?

[@drinimene9126]

There is no deserved or eligible victory, if it contains the massacre of the locals. Moreover you should not generalize a quote. That was just what an racist individual considered.

[@drinimene9126]

@@oxia77 So following your concept, the territories across the world should be divided depending on who lived in an area for the most time in the past?

[@thedaciana]

Exactly, it's odd, this video is biased to make us try to feel sympathetic to the turks, but let's just forget the bloodshed and long years of tyranny they put us through.

[@ottovonbismarck2913]

@@thedaciana How is the video biased? Byzantine was no less killer than Ottomans.

[@BulgarianHistory1]

Wonderful work! Congratulations to your team for trying to tell this conflict from all its possible perspectives and compiling this comprehensive picture that logically describes the path to the Great War. :)

[@ra-ge]

И вие продължавайте отличната работа, за да знаят новите поколения, че "и ние сме имали царство и господарство" както е казал Паисий.

[@yavortashev]

А не мислите ли, че спестяването на информация за етническия състав на определени области създава усещане у зрителите, че всички страни защитават равностойни интереси?

[@emilbotev3656]

@@yavortashev С цел да избегнат вида на привърженик към една или повече от страните, те си спестяват факти, които биха породили конфликти в коментарите и национализъм в повечето зрители, а такива имаме предостатъчно.

[@yavortashev]

@@emilbotev3656 със сигурност е така, но така се прикрива истината зад мотивите на всяка от страните. А те са от съществено значение. Не става въпрос за колонизацията на Африка.

[@emilbotev3656]

@@yavortashev Съгласен съм. Спора за главната националност на населението във въпросните територии е сигурно най-важният фактор за исканията на участниците във войната както казахте(въпреки, че това трудно се доказва и е рядко достоверно), но не е чак толкова важна причината, а по-скоро последствията. Все пак идеята на видеото е да се проследят действията, довели до Голямата война. С други думи тях не ги интересува особено личните интереси на държавите и техните мотиви, поне не чак в такива подробности,които биха предизвикали обратна реакция.

[@connorstevenson1173]

Happy to see this channel continues. The balkan wars are a critical part of world history

[@samkitty5894]

My great grandfather fought in the Balkan war, in WW I, Spanish civil war, and in WW II. He's my hero and role model. The stories he could tell... the horrors he survived...

[@mohammadyeasinkhan6885]

As a person who has always wanted to learn more about the forgotten wars of the early 20th century, this is definitely my go-to channel, keep it up!

[@obiwanbul]

Excellent work, guys. Literally, the only nitpick is that the final borders didn't show Strumitsa (a tiny region that looks like a tiny tumor next to the Greek border) as Bulgarian. That was one of the compromises Russia arranged.

[@TheGreatWar]

oh wow, that's a deep cut

[@ra-ge]

@@TheGreatWar Yeah too deep, even for me as a Bulgarian😆😆😆

[@zacjigerr2370]

That’s probably because strumica is in Macedonia.

[@stevanvasiljevic6072]

@@zacjigerr2370 Strumica was ceeded to Yugoslavia only after WW1

[@joelgonzalez9248]

More wonderful history content. This channel is one of my favorites. Keep doing the great work yall have done. The Balkan Wars in the early 20th century and along with the aftermath, such as the border and religious disputes between nationalities and political power vacuums after the Ottomans were defeated lead to more of the same regional conflicts after the fall of communism, especially in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s.

[@nodspruductionss3812]

Thank you for covering this, as it often gets overlooked and people do need to know about that history especially during these troubled times. Greetings from Athens.

[@kungfuchimp5788]

New to the channel. Binge watching the last couple of months. This is just another excellent episode on an obscure/overlooked, yet extremely important and influential part of modern history. Loooove it. Keep up the great work.

[@TheGreatWar]

thabks Mr chimp

[@mammuchan8923]

Enjoy!

[@nicholas2827]

My great grandfather came from Sparta to the U.S when he was 11. Went to fight in this war, according to my grandmother when he got his uniform it looked that was worn by someone else, and not properly washed as it was full of lice. He then on his return back the US with his wife, WW1 broke out. He enlisted again and survived. Different breed of men back then.

[@blasphemergrc6794]

Ellhnika milas ?

[@joejankoski8471]

Yeah. I mean like it's not like there weren't US Service members who served 2, 3, or more tours in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 20 years.

[@MrPanos2000]

@@joejankoski8471 2-3 semester long tours of sitting around and occasionally shooting children does not compare with a decade of continued enlistment and total warfare, like many men of 1910s experienced ...

[@dushanovac]

Sparta? Sparta? Spartaaaa??????

[@maximillianschonhausen]

Thanks Jesse, love your work. Quite the challenge to retell the Balkan wars in 30 minutes. Incredibly confusing and chaotic episode of Balkan history. Not that Balkan history tends to be uncomplicated in otherr epochs either of course.

[@indianajones4321]

Often overlooked yet very important wars, well done!

[@hunter-9957]

Amazing well made documentaries! Really enjoy watching them, thank you!

[@kinginexile7139]

Thank you so much for covering this topic! As a Bulgarian it makes me happy to see our history retold in a correct and exciting manner! 🇧🇬 Immediately subscribed to the channel - can't wait to see your other content!

[@HistoryandWhiskey]

You guys are really delivering outstanding content.

[@merdus69]

As a Canadian, I only found out about this originally because I'd read "Birds without Wings" by Louis De Bernières. I highly recommend the book! Like De Bernière's masterpiece, your coverage is humanistic and revealing. Thank you for this tremendous work!

[@MrCasper652]

Agree! Great book!

[@Jim-yv7rm]

My ex wife's ancestors came from the city of Kayaköy (Leivissi in modern Greek) in 1922 and along with other families from Makri Turkey (present day Fethiye), created the town of Nea Makri about 35 km away from Athens which we live today. The setting of Eskibahçe is based upon Kayaköy.

[@Daphne70]

"As a" 💀

[@jakubknopp1964]

This episode was badly needed! I'd wish you took a new look at the Baltic wars of independence in the future. Keep up that brilliant work :)

[@TheGreatWar]

check our videos from 2019-2021, we covered the Baltics in multiple videos

[@antoniostanojevic8572]

Balkan normalno Baltic.

[@Shadowkainine]

There is just something so incredibly fascinating about this era. We are fortunate to have you covering it!

[@garretth8224]

Imo war and genocide aren't fascinating. These things should be remembered to honor the dead, fascinating is an inappropriate term for this.

[@Фниксъ]

@@garretth8224 I don't think he meant war and genocide. Balkan people usually see this era as times of national awakening and revival.

[@pablopeter3564]

EXCELLENT video and the explanation. The Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 is so complex, you did a GREAT JOB explaining. Greetings from Mexico City.

[@stevenv.surawski1178]

Thank You very much for this great review of the Balkan Wars. Very much appreciated. Well done.

[@jackharvey7750]

Crazy. Just watched the videos where Jessie slotted in after the great war 14-18 was covered. Great to see how you've settled into the told and make the channel as great as it is! Keep it up!

[@user-fc1ep2xy7k]

I'm Bulgarian, and the first Balkan War is one if not the most notorious wars in Bulgarian history after the liberation from the Ottoman Empire. First World War was also notorious, but this one had the peak of the desire for Bulgarian reunification. My family sent 4 men in total !! in this war. 3 of them come back alive. I hear stories passed from generations, stories from the trenches, stories of charges with knives, all that kinds of war things. When the mobilization was announced it was like a celebration, like Easter or Christmas. That's how strong was the Bulgarian willing to go to war with the Ottomans. 3 Years later in the First World War, we were allies, so yep history has strange plot twists

[@goxyeagle8446]

Hello brother from Serbia. Our ancestors fought brave against Turks. But they didn't need second Balkan war..it's so sad and tragic which led to the conflict in ww1 as well. Two very similar nations that share almost same fate during history.

[@apojhe1488]

İmagine being proud after living under control of Turks for 500 years and fight them when they fought all eruopeans and win. pathetic Balkans

[@Genessyss]

funny how you bulgarians think it was the Russians who eliberated you from Turks when it was actually us Romanians that did it

[@kostadinboev9255]

@@Genessyss give yourself a break, please. It was a combined effort of Bulgarians, Romanians and mostly Russian empire forces (that were full of non-Russians.) But what is even funnier is that this point has nothing to do with the comment above

[@-unionforhelptothepoorpeople]

@@Genessyss russia never liberated us. They wanted to enslave. They are mongolian ghetto. The true name of russia is muskovi. In the west european archives they are named tatar muskovi. The most crazy thing is that they brutally enslaved us after 9th September 1944 and exterminated millions of Bulgarians and did not stop until 1989. They are the mongolians just like the turks. They are out biggest enemies. We still haven't got rid from russia they continue the genocide even today not directly using the schools and hospitals to kill us. One day we are going to get rid of them. They plan to destroy the european culture and white race!!!!

[@espeon91]

Great video. I remembered seeing a week-by-week episode where Indy had said "Quarter was neither asked, nor given" when referring to Serbs and Bulgarians fighting each other during WW1

[@Zogerpogger]

I love how these videos intersperce quotes which illustrate the horrors of war in between the wider explanation of political and military manuevers. I think a lot of channels fail to convey how terrible conflict is.

[@P.L.D.]

Exactly my words! And note how rich the vocabulary was among the people from the past although is translated.

[@Zogerpogger]

@@P.L.D. Indeed, people of the past were just as intelligent, eloquent and creative as we are today. A lot of ignorami think people from the past were un-intelligent, but really this opinion is a reflection of their deficiency.

[@burimtafilica4933]

I'm from Shkoder (Scutari), Albania. My great grandfather died in the trenches by a sharpshooter's shot. A Montenegrin shell had fallen on the rooftop of the house, causing it to collapse. It left my then baby grandfather with a huge scar running through his forehead. I saw that scar as a child before he died. I'm 34 and I've seen a scar from that war. Strange thing. That war isn't as far in the past as it looks today.

[@richardweil8813]

No history is not far away. My own father, born in 1900, had American Civil War veterans living in his apartment building, my wife's grandmother (b. 1885) told us about seeing Queen Victoria. But the saying is too true that when the last veteran dies the next war becomes inevitable. People forget and think that next time they can easily win both the war and the peace, never learning the lessons of the past.

[@provocateur83]

There was no mention of the two naval battles fought between Greece and the Ottomans neither of the capture of the eastern Aegean islands, which sealed off the ottoman navy and their reserves completely. You presented it as if the ottoman fleet didn't even try and fight.

[@kornaros96]

We have the uberchad Averof...

[@matteus1035]

the reason why the Ottomans lost is the disagreement between the commanders

[@matteus1035]

Barbaros Hayreddin's armour is better cope @@kornaros96

[@miroslavkozarov8803]

It is mentioned that Greece occupied islands without a big resistence.

[@provocateur83]

@@miroslavkozarov8803 which is false since the ottoman fleet tried twice to fight for control of the aegean.

[@jessyalexander3985]

Kudos to the Great War team on another well done video that explores the complexities, military campaigns and the politics of the Balkan Wars. As a Greek-American, I really appreciate the thoughtful way the history was discussed as it contained the seeds of the Great War.

[@AimForMyHead81]

❤

[@mz9514]

Thank You for shedding some light on this topic. A lot of western civilization does not even know about these events and only know about the assassination that "started the war". Much love from Serbia 💕

[@mitzyismad]

A fine presentation of an incredibly complex situations that prevails to this day. Thank you.

[@kelleychilton2524]

So true. The legacy of that era, including World War I, remains with us today .... over a century later.

[@ilija1584]

At that time Kingdom of Serbia was not at rivalry with Kingdom of Montenegro, they wanted to unite, those countrymen shared so much in common. Rivalry began after First world war, when both countries sacrificed their independence and merged into the Kingdom of SCS. Note*: What happened with the grandfather (who was also king) of newly baked king of Yugoslavia?

[@milosav7314]

Rivalry began with communism

[@НиколаЖивановић-ь7х]

They did not merge unto the kingdom of SCS(this was basically Bosnia,Croatia and Slovenia)they merged with the kingodm of SCS to make kingodm of Yugoslavia. Bigest mistake in Serbian history. Sve dobro ti zelim moj pravoslavni brate, nebitno da li si Crnogorac ili Srbin. Ja i dalje mislim da smo jedan narod sa dve drzave!

[@ilijaspasojevic7031]

@@НиколаЖивановић-ь7х Ни ја не волим када неко пише или говори како смо браћа са Црногорцима..Глупости, ми смо једно те исто, Срби! Браћа су нам, по вери: Грци, по крви остали Јужни Словени, а по крви, вери и као наши велики заштитници у прошлости, су нам велика браћа - Руси.. (ушли због нас у Први светски рат, пре тога нам помагали у толико ратова против Османског царства, а у Први светски рат нису морали ући, имали су око 4 милиона мртвих у Првом светском рату, око15 милиона у Грађанском рату, између Белих и Црвених Бољшевика, што се не би догодило да нису ЗБОГ НАС УШЛИ У ПРВИ СВЕТСКИ РАТ!).. изгубили су због тога Империју, имали 73 године комунизма и на десетине милиона побијених од стране комуниста+још 30 милина побијених у Другом светском рату!!/I also don't like it when someone writes or says that we are brothers with Montenegrins...Nonsense, we are one and the same, Serbs! They are our brothers, by faith: Greeks, by blood the rest of the South Slavs, and by blood, faith and as our great protectors in the past, they are our big brothers - the Russians.. (they entered the First World War because of us, before that they helped us in so many wars against the Ottoman Empire, and they did not have to enter the First World War, they had about 4 million dead in the First World War, about 15 million in the Civil War, between the White and Red Bolsheviks, which would not have happened if they had not entered the First World War BECAUSE OF US WORLD WAR!).. because of that they lost the Empire, had 73 years of communism and tens of millions killed by the communists + another 30 million killed in the Second World War!!

[@vladimirdosen6677]

That's why I don't like these videos. They are never accurate.

[@apmoy70]

The youngest NCO in the history of the Greek Army is Gerasimos Raftopoulos, a Kephallonia native, who at the age of 12 received a Mannlicher-Schönauer rifle as a gift for his bravery as an auxiliary in the 1st Balkan War, during the Battle of Sarantaporos in 1912. In the 2nd Balkan War, he was made POW in the Battle of Kilkis-Lachanas but he managed somehow to acquire a firegun, killed his three captors and on the way to the Greek lines, he found and helped a wounded Evzone. For his heroism he was field promoted to the rank of Corporal at the age of 13 on 28 August 1913

[@aleksk4151]

lol his captors were probably sleeping or didn't use their hands?

[@apmoy70]

@@aleksk4151 Or underestimated him, he was a 13 yo boy after all

[@aleksk4151]

@@apmoy70 Yeah right. A bit fictional but ok maybe the boy was trained to do such things

[@goce7641]

At the age of 14, Geronimos Pederopoulos killed Superman and Batman on the same day

[@aleksk4151]

@@goce7641 hahahaha

[@alexdawson868]

Romania shouldnt have asked for South Dobrogea. We were always peaceful with our neighbours in the south. That created incentives for future conflicts. Its easy to say that now after more than 100 yrs but still...

[@runegold321]

Well, at least that was more or less the only modern conflict between our countries which says a lot. Greetings neighbour and let's hope our relations will continue to improve 🇧🇬🤝🇹🇩

[@djprojectus]

@@runegold321 Greetings from Romania. And i hope the same for our relations. I think the Romanian government should do more for that to happen. Peace brothers🇷🇴❤️🇧🇬

[@mihanich]

I guess everyone in those times was somewhat nationalistic crazy and wanting too much

[@aksmex2576]

For staying neutral in a war it was fair to ask for compensation.

[@mortenpoulsen1496]

I have said it before and I will again. What depth. Nuance and details. Impressive as always.

[@m.miskicreativeartarchitec733]

Great job! Everything looks and sounds well-researched. from maps to footage to excerpts. And on top of that, it is not biased. Keep them coming!

[@jacklarkin1383]

I can see why the army's that mobilized in 1914 thought the war would be over by Christmas. Every war prior lasted a year at most.

[@Fractured_Unity]

That’s definitely not true. Like at all. Europe is famous for its long wars

[@morewi]

@@Fractured_Unity in their immediate past the wars were quick

[@Atlas2040]

@@morewi immediate doesn't equate to future outcomes. A statistic to take into account.

[@morewi]

@@Atlas2040 you are very naive

[@Atlas2040]

@@morewi wrong. If some wars in the past were "short," that doesn't mean all future wars will be short as well. Nothing naive about that. Grow up and have conversations rather than blatantly being disrespectful. Keep up your great work, keyboard warrior. Take care.

[@CatalinBogdan]

As a Romanian, I have to admit that I didn't know much about these conflicts. I knew they existed and that they might have played a role in preparing WW1, but that was it. This kind of documentary should be studied in schools, instead of the boring lessons I had 25-30 years ago, that were only focused on memorizing dates and never studying the reasons or the big picture... I'd like to believe that mankind has learned from its past, but sadly, it hasn't, as we saw in the 90's Yugoslav wars and now in Ukraine. Ethnical cleansing, mass killings, villages and towns beying destroyed are still a thing :(

[@andriandrason1318]

And the Balkans is still a powderkeg, sadly.

[@ms-jl6dl]

It's a war.

[@otterkarman8740]

This channel is so educational. In the U.K THIS REGION AND THE HISTORY IS NEVER mentioned, yet it's so important to understand these facts and their importance till this day, which still affect the peoples and politics. Thank you. Superb information.

[@georgios_5342]

Stratis Myrivilis also has written an excellent book about life in the trenches of the Macedonian front, it's called Η ζωή εν τάφω (Life in the grave)

[@Γιάννης_143]

Ευχαριστώ φίλε, θα το ψάξω.

[@Masada1911]

I remember Indy touching on this topic briefly in the Prelude to War series you guys did back in 1914/2014. Its nice to it fleshed out a bit here.

[@Sillytommysadventure]

Buddy weve been doing this stoo

[@supermaximglitchy1]

1912: ottoman empire vs balkans 1913: Bulgaria vs balkans & ottoman empire 1914: balkans vs ottoman empire & Bulgaria

[@SNAIP]

Incredible! Thank you so much for creating this documentary! Fantastic work as ways, Jesse.

[@rocksandoil2241]

I knew a man named CHris Petcoff who fled to America as a stowaway when his Army was overrun. He was only 14 or so but in the Army of Bulgaria.

[@Фниксъ]

Yes. The people of Bulgaria would volunteer to mobilize with no regard for their age, because they believed in the Liberation and the Unification of all the Bulgarians.

[@romeo2473]

Turks, Greeks, Serbians, Bulgarians, Romanians, Albanians all of them have suffered a great deal in the last centuries. Of course, we can all pin-point the fingers towards the ottomans. But they did what they knew (best). History had its course... Thank you for the history lesson. The effort you've put in, it's highly appreciated. Also, taking time to add the sources. You don't see that often in documentaries. Great job! Our history books rarely mention this war and also, most of the time we came "on top". I guess history school books were the product of communism. As you know, nothing is better than communism. I aced history in school, but now having red all sorts of books, I realize my perception was distorted and we weren't as pure, as angelic, as brave as they made us believe. As a Romanian, peace out to you: Turks, Bulgarians, Greeks, Serbians - and even you Hungarians! This part of the world has been tormented by too many wars. Children do not deserve the nightmares created by old and senile adults. I also hope and root for the Ukrainians to have peace on their terms!

[@stanbatakarata6081]

❤ too Romanian 🇷🇴 frend and Peace ✌️ in All Balkans and Region from Bulgaria 🇧🇬

[@billy-the-butcher]

Excuse me, Forgotten? As a greek, let me say that has got to be the most western thing I've read lately

[@Wabu_227]

Well this conflict is forgotten not just by the west but most countries in the world well of course except for countries that were directly involved in the conflict.

[@billy-the-butcher]

@@Wabu_227 people should study the Balkan wars unless they're idiots. The Balkan wars are the prime premise of the first World War, they're exactly what set up the chess pieces for the war, and that makes them incredibly important. But I forgot, no "important" countries (aka Britain, France, Germany, Russia, USA) were directly involved in combat, so the conflict can be forgotten, right?

[@markos2529]

It also shaped our countries till today.

[@MarcusML]

Greetings from Bulgaria! Well done video!

[@photorailfan]

My grandfather from Santorini faught in this war. My mother said he was left for dead on the side of the road but he lived.

[@d-phoenix2198]

Great timing since tomorrow marks 110 years since the surrender of Salonika. Superb job as always!

[@gj5679]

The liberation of Thessaloniki is on the 26th of October .

[@d-phoenix2198]

@@gj5679 Yes indeed however the agreement of its surrender was made several days prior to the official event. Just watch that part of the vid.

[@gj5679]

@@d-phoenix2198 The general that surrendered the city became an honorary Greek after the incident .

[@d-phoenix2198]

@@gj5679 Yeah I have visited the grave of Hasan Pasha a couple years ago. It's in the yard of the Villa the surrender was signed. His son actually followed our army during the Anatolian campaign making most of the popular Greek Army paintings of that period. He is also buried along with his father in that yard.

[@aksmex2576]

Greeks were not even a majority. It was mainly jewish. Who were expelled or exterminated along with the muslims and turks.

[@spirosfatouros1372]

Why you didn't say anything about the Aegean islands and Crete. The Greek navy also occupied those islands and were given in 1913 by the treaty of Bucurest

[@TheGreatWar]

always something to leave out when you make a documentary. always a difficult decision and always someone who disagrees with the decision

[@spirosfatouros1372]

@@TheGreatWar I didn't say I don't like the video it was pretty accurated to the facts of the Balkan wars. I just say why this part of the war wasn't mention. Maybe it wasn't mention because nowadays they government of Ankara doesn't recognize the Greek sovereign on this islands

[@TheHunterOfYharnam]

@@spirosfatouros1372 No matter what Ankara says now, its a well known and undesputed fact that the islands are greek and even turkey agreed to that a few decades ago. They just have neo-ottoman dreams which will obviously fail and cause their ruin again

[@aleksandarstoichev5463]

@@TheHunterOfYharnam since when you are sure they would fail?

[@inijuj]

@@TheGreatWar I'm sure it's just an omission that the north Aegean islands were not painted as gained territory for Greece @30:56, but it's one of current significance seeing how turkish leadership increasingly disputes their sovereignty. The best way to counter such nationalistic propaganda is accurate representation of history, the last thing we need is sloppiness with maps.

[@spanordschleifeenjoyer]

Cool video but I would like to mention that relationship between Serbia and Montenegro was portrayed a bit wrong, Its wrong to say that we were rivals since we are basically one nation divided by Ottomans at the time, one more thing id like to mention is that "Sandzak and Novi Pazar" should be called "Raska oblast" other then that pretty cool video well done.

[@AC-db4ek]

you another Serb who didn't notice that this youtuber lied telling that Serbs found ressistance from LOCAL Albanians in Kosovo. If Albanians were LOCALS in Kosovo, why they didn't anexate it to Albania itself? By this statement, this youtuber wants to make us believe that Kosovo was inhabited by Albanians and not Serbs.

[@vk7311]

Albanians were there long before serbs and slavs arrived in the balkans (6-7 AD), it was called Dardania. Do some research instead of listening to your family/friends propaganizing their xenophobic views.

[@ΓιάννηςΧαρικαπολυς]

United Balkans. Stretching from Turkey to Albania and from Romania to Greece. That is something that nobody from the great powers would salute.

[@zulubeatz1]

Jesse has a very engaging way of presenting these events. Enjoying this very much.

[@RoboticDragon]

You guys do such an amazing job of explaining all the sides in a conflict. Nothing is ever black and white in war. Terrific video, about a very crucial period that is under reported in human history.

[@julius43461]

These conflicts were the closest thing to black and white you can imagine. Former slaves retaking their lands after centuries of occupation, while a smug Ottoman officer laments losing his slaves and promising a revenge.

[@carrotbg]

Bulgaria was always sure that Russia will protects our interest… First they stabbed us in Berlin, then after the first Balkan war and finally after the second. It’s normal that after Second Balkan war Bulgaria will always be allied with Germany.

[@unknown12367]

Russia promised too much. Bulgaria believed Russia too much

[@kennethblachlyjr3040]

A new favorite history Channel. Love pre world war 1 central/eastern European history and conflict!!! Look forward to more

[@ТеодорИлиев-э8у]

With allies like this you don't need enemies

[@revnitelj]

Serbians & Greeks should say that.

[@thecatsari]

​@@revnitelj why serbians and Greeks didn't give a part of Macedonia to bulgaria. Bulgaria did more in Tracey than the serbians and greeks in west balkans. Bulgaria stopped the armies which were comming from Constantinople to Macedonia.

[@Vatatzes123]

Greece also stop the armies come from the sea.stop underestimate other Balkan states

[@Intimate_Ivy]

The amount of work and research done for this video, very educational. Thank you for putting this all together.

[@georgios_5342]

14:45 he also said "I have taken the city (Thessaloniki) from the Greeks, and to them I must return it"

[@vasil.kamdzhalov]

If there is difference in the texts in the two nations someone must have forged it, I'm inclined to trust my side as a Bulgarian. What we study and what is written is suprisingly much more then the rest for those times and rarely go propagandist if at all. The historians are very fair to the facts.

[@markos2529]

He also mentioned that he didn't fight and lose against Bulgarians but against Greeks and to them he must surrender the city.

[@morgan97475]

Great video. I knew of the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, but not of the details you've provided.

[@danielhustea9645]

All greetings to my bulgarian brothers and sisters❤️❤️🇷🇴🇧🇬!

[@waspblakie1327]

Thank you brother

[@ПетьоПетков-в1я]

Multumim frate

[@billy-the-butcher]

7:50 not just any Armoured Cruiser. That was the Georgios Averof, easily the most legendary warship of Greece's modern history. Look it up, it has quite a fascinating story behind it

[@gbarberis7402]

It took part in 5 wars!

[@alecrazypokeyocool7676]

The Turkish Navy who have faced it many times they use to call it Devils Ship.

[@sinkrock1]

Captain of the Averoff was Pavlos Kountouriotis from the great Kountourioti family (his grandfather was one of the leaders in Greek revolution and a shipowner). They all come from the island of Hydra!

[@kalinxristov1654]

This is how you present it, as if Bulgaria attacked and Serbia and Greece decided to divide Macedonia. And the truth is that they made a secret agreement about this long before the first Balkan war ended.

[@bubachkobubachkov5519]

Exactly! Serbia and Greece planned before the start of the war - to fight mainly against Bulgaria!!!

[@christinasuozzo]

I love your channel. I’m learning so much I was never taught in school

[@OwenPhillipsMBA]

This is great. Along with your other videos, its uncovered areas of history that I sadly only had a vague awareness of. It makes the current structure of Europe more understandable. Thank you!

[@constantius4654]

Yet another completely brilliant historical analysis from Jesse Alexander and the 'The Great War.' Who would not choose to take a history degree at university. It is something which enriches one's entire life. Thank you so much. Love from England.

[@bojanbabovic111]

its not.

[@thenamescarter8279]

@@bojanbabovic111 whats wrong with the vid bruv

[@bojanbabovic111]

@@thenamescarter8279 every thing

[@thenamescarter8279]

@@bojanbabovic111 some detail and sources would be nice. This youtube channel is known for its great research of objective fact and how it finds niche or not very well known personal accounts of events to get the peoples' opinions of the time. You cant just say "blahblah dont like it".

[@bojanbabovic111]

@@thenamescarter8279 It is not objective. Why should i write anything for an hour at midnight, when all of it will be censored. If i let out key censored words, i'll be missing the point.

[@edwardmeade9439]

Thank you for covering these historical details that I never learned about in history classes here in the US.

[@justthetruth6896]

WE Muslims are humans also. One must treat us like humans. It is nothing but the truth when i tell you that thousands and thousands of Bosniak women and young girls were RAPED In Bosnia ,during that aggression. It is nothing but the truth when i tell you that even my own kind ,Bosniak girls,hurt me,many of them,by calling me ugly when that isn’t my fault,played me and lied, well,i still feel bad because many were unlucky in the aggression. And please don’t worry,i come in peace and hate injustice-i love Serbian women/girls. Other horrible war crimes were also done to Bosnian Muslims. ( Bosniaks ).

[@Kolket1389]

Unfortunately, a lot of things are wrong. Straight up stuff that didn't happen

[@branislavsaula9815]

It is shameful narrative that Balkan people took land from Ottoman empire, lands were libarated. If it was for British empire they would have preferred Ottomans to continue their occupation

[@fatbiankoislamaj319]

At this poin of history ther where only albanian and turks in ottoman empire , so u stole our land , u stole the land of albanians and turks

[@branislavsaula9815]

True

[@extrahistory8956]

Surprise! Looks like yet another incredible The Great War upload.

[@brandonmejia7050]

An excellent documentary on a conflict that is not well known due to it taking place prior to The Great War. This video tells why the balkans were such a hot spot in Europe that help star the war

[@Malfoy1594]

Bulgaria put in so much manpower not only in the First Balkan War but in WW1 too... Only to be given almost nothing after the first Balkan War when it was because of Bulgaria the Ottomans were almost pushed out of mainland Europe. The West feared a Bulgarian powerful state & sacrificed it like a lamb.

[@bigger_mibber6029]

The greatest of tragedies...

[@Accesdenied109]

Wdym? Bulgaria got most of the gains in first balkan war

[@Malfoy1594]

@@Accesdenied109 In the 1870s, The treaty of San Stefano proposed by the Russians (which won the War against the Ottomans) was declined by the Major Powers who had nothing to do with, it would have given Bulgaria its current borders, Alexandropolis & Macedonia. Instead the Treaty of Berlin divided Bulgaria into a tiny area of what the treaty proposed into Bulgaria & East Rumelia... Still under Ottoman rule. Bulgaria didn't get its independence for another few decades which lead to the First Balkan War. Bulgaria proposed a divide of Macedonia between itself & Greece, which after the First Balkan War was given to Greece & Serbia, again by international interference, giving Bulgaria only Pirin Macedonia (the smallest gain). There wouldn't be a Second Balkan War had the original treaty between Greece, Serbia & Bulgaria been interfered with by the Major powers.

[@Accesdenied109]

@@Malfoy1594 Oh ok. Thanks for educating on this topic even further

[@euphoriaggaminghd]

​@@Malfoy1594bulgarians and us albanians had also been done dirty by bigger powers and our neighbours. We lost a lot of land where our people were. In fact, albania and Bulgaria should be sharing a border today if it wasn't for one colonial state....

[@rosensaramov7336]

Two days ago we celebrated the 110 years from the start of the war in the village of Lilkovo in Rhodopes. The fire against ottomans started 32nd Srednogorski regiment of the bulgarian army.

[@mihailmarkov1266]

I wish you all peace, brothers and sisters from the Balkans! May we be friends not foes in the present and future!

[@user-yc2br2ln2r]

We in Balkans dont want war, we want peace to live with each other in peace love and respect.

[@tiusernamenabalw]

If we all Balkan people were taught about our own crimes against each other instead of only the ones committed on us by our neighbors, our peninsula would not be a synonym of mess. In Greece we use “balkan” as an insult to brutes, even though it includes all of us.

[@billy-the-butcher]

It's called "action and reaction". Hatred is born from actions. I'm not supporting the massacres of any population during the Balkan Wars, but let's not expect the balkan peoples badly enslaved for 400 years to treat their former very brutal captors with kid gloves.

[@MrNightrider981]

Yep Billy is right ...

[@joemilo2710]

It is the case with all nations around the world. Whenever I hear someone says he is proud of being part of some nation such as proud to be a Greek, A Serb, A Bulgarian, An Albanian, An Englishman, A Mexican etc, I laugh and ask them why are you proud and they start mentioning some history war or military feats of their nation, like for independence or some big battles contribution, but then I point out to their nation's crimes against humanity and invasions, occupations, dirty tactics, destruction of other's culture, torture, rape, slaughter of civilains etc... People are hypocrites and there's no bigger hypocrites than patriots, nationalists and nation proud people

[@kasadam85]

@@billy-the-butcher "enslaved" nothing like the colonization of Africa happened in Rumelia. You silly Balkan nationalists really don't know the full extent of the words you choose to use.

[@billy-the-butcher]

@@kasadam85 classic turkish argument, "but but in Africa it was worse, the Balkans had it easy trust me bro" What happened in Africa has nothing to do with the Balkans, neither does it affect that the Balkan people suffering under Ottoman dictatorship is proven and unopposed facts. Cry me a river for spreading the truth about the ottos.

[@emil_rainbow]

Superb breakdown.

[@sstarrgazerr142]

Great pronunciation of names and places all over Balkan, Jesse! Thank you!

[@VAGGOSATH]

All Aegean islands, apart from the Dodecanese, were liberated and at the hands of the greek navy by the end of the first Balkan War. This is not portrayed on your maps. Hope it is not intentional.

[@ignaciofaus70]

My great-grandfather fought in that war, he lived on the border between Greece, Albania and Serbia, they lived from invasion to invasion.

[@janeza382]

On which side ...

[@ignaciofaus70]

​@@janeza382 I don't know, honestly I don't think it was for the Turkish side, since he was a Macedonian nationalist, but after the Balkan wars, he changed his age so as not to be recruited for the First World War, he said that when he was just married the French army entered his town, they were from Shulin in Pustec

[@janeza382]

@@ignaciofaus70 I am Macedonian ,too. Yes Balkan imperil puppet kingdoms recruited Macedonians to their side whit propaganda.

[@SpartanLeonidas1821]

@@ignaciofaus70Macedonian? Do he was Greek 🇬🇷

[@bluemedusa9858]

@@ignaciofaus70 I guess he was Bulgarian from the small minority group in Albania (Pustec) in WW1 French army occupied for a short time the area of Korçë and were fighting Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian army there.

[@paulallen9150]

Great video. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@xXrandomryzeXx]

Throughout learning about Bulgarian history, I always get angry about this period of time, where the western countries decide what is going to happen in Eastern Europe. No, I don't like this country getting it's territory back because it's too big, let's make it smaller.

[@ms-jl6dl]

So you want another war to reclaim "your" territory?

[@xXrandomryzeXx]

@@ms-jl6dl literally quote me where I said that.

[@bigger_mibber6029]

The west has never been our allies, nor was the russian east. All they wanted was power and control over the region, and they did a fine job on that!

[@dakiler2028]

They have done that literally with everyone. Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey... Literally the only ones that always got handed land over by the Western powers without fighting were the Albanians...

[@vuksmiljic6772]

As a Serbian historian this part of the video that is talking about Montenegro attack first because it was a rival of Serbia was wrong because the plan was from the beging that Montenegro attacks because it was the smallest member of the Balkan league. In a way to test the water of the Englesh, French, German and Austrian. how the would react

[@bojanbabovic111]

British threatened Serbia with war if we claim seas. That's why Albania was invented in 1913

[@Gamesbozz]

@@bojanbabovic111 we were going to be created regardless

[@bojanbabovic111]

@@Gamesbozz 🍌🍌🍌

[@andrej0145]

​@Gamesbozz lol, no you wouldnt little child, you didnt have an army and you fought with the Turks, so you were losers in that war and gained independence, use your head without nationalism, think it through

[@brettmurphy1392]

Why is the only history channel that is tongue tied?

[@Otaku155]

1:33 the sheer amount of moustache in the room was palpable... XD

[@benitokiri]

I have an Albanian grandfather and know very little about the history / culture. This has been great for me to understand.

[@infucktus4899]

Grandfather and what are u ? Ethnicl

[@JosephDungee]

This was an EXCELLENT Documentary on the Origins of "The Great War"

[@vukanraznatovic2452]

How was Serbia the only ally to Russia following the Balkan wars? Montenegro and Russia had a military pact, Russia financed the military budget of Montenegro and king Nikola was the marshal of the Russian army.

[@bijelimedved2983]

Nije bio marasal nego obicni pukovnik koliko ja znam, rusi su ga koristili kao obicnu marionetu