Balkans: A Captivating Guide to the Balkans and the Balkan Wars

Two manuscripts in one book:

The Balkans: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Balkan Peninsula, Starting from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages to the Modern Period

The Balkan Wars: A Captivating Guide to the First and Second Balkan War and Their Impact on World War I

Did you know that the Balkans is home to some of the oldest cities in the world?

Many have heard the term “Balkans” tossed about but likely don’t know a whole lot about the region. The saga of the Balkans is profound yet incredibly complicated. Bordered by both the Balkan Mountains of southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, this region holds a strong place in the history of Western civilization and is also a major crossroads of Eastern civilization as well.

The Balkans have been the stomping grounds of both Byzantine emperors and Ottoman sultans. And both Christianity and Islam call this place home. Sadly, it was this clash of culture and religion that would lead to much of the struggles in the history of the Balkans.

Similar fault lines of conflict occurred in more recent years, especially when the Balkans erupted in bloodshed in the 1990s. The Balkans had just thrown off the fetters of decades of communism to embrace an uncertain future, only to be haunted by terrible demons from its past.

This book takes a look at both the ancient past of this important part of the world, as well as more recent events.

Some of the topics covered in part 1 of this book include:

The people who first called the Balkans home;

The role and impact Alexander the Great had on the region;

What life was like for the people of the Balkans during the Roman and Byzantine Empires;

What changes did the Ottoman administration bring to the Balkans;

The interesting roles the Balkans played during the two world wars;

How communism penetrated into the Balkans and its influence today;

What the Balkan states have been up to in more recent years;

And much more!

Some of the topics covered in part 2 of this book include:

The national aspirations of the Balkan people

How Bulgaria gained independence just to lose it against its will

The creation of the Balkan League

How Bulgarians pushed the Ottomans out of Thrace and Europe

How they lost Macedonia, their ultimate goal, in the process

The role of the Greek navy in the Balkan Wars

How Greece took Thessaly and its main prize, the Port of Thessaloniki

Why the Montenegrins were tied to Serbia and what their role in the war was

Why Serbia and Greece agreed on an alliance

Why Romania and the Ottoman Empire jumped into the conflict

How it all ended with a peace treaty signed in Bucharest and Constantinople