The role of Thessaloniki in Bulgarian Policy during the Balkan Wars

Abstract

The Bulgarians and the Greeks failed to reach a territorial accommodation in their alliance agreement of 1912. As a result, Bulgarian and Greek
pretensions clashed over the territories conquered from the Turks in the subsequent
Balkan War. The major focus of dispute was the city of Thessaloniki.
The Bulgarians unrealistically attempted to claim the city. By refusing to
yield their claims, they lost not only Thessaloniki but also the more ethnically
Bulgarian hinterland of Thessaloniki, where Bulgarian claims were more
viable.