Bulgaria Nearly Took Constantinople in 1913.
Bulgaria’s overreach in 1913 played a major role in Russia’s Defeat in World War I
[A Bulgarian soldier (L) - and a Greek soldier in Thessalonika just before the start of the war]
Bulgaria, for a brief 10 year period from 1908 to 1918, was a major power in Europe. Bulgarians, inspired by nationalism and longed for freedom from Islamic tyranny imposed by the Ottoman Empire, fielded a huge army which conquered nearly all of Ottoman-held territory in Europe. In December of 1912, a Bulgarian army was camped less than 25 miles from the walls of Constantinople.
Then, Bulgaria lost nearly everything they had gained. The Bulgarians foolishly allied with their enemy, the Ottoman Empire in World War I and by the end of the war, their army laid down their weapons and Bulgaria was stripped of much of its territory. Bulgaria never recovered.
Directly related to Bulgaria’s failure was the collapse of Czarist Russia and the rise of the communist USSR - which was a true blight on the 20th century.
Russia’s 100 Year Effort to Take Constantinople
Russia’s unsuccessful effort to take Constantinople and so gain unfettered access to the Mediterranean Sea began in 1800 and continued through World War I. In 1878, Russia came very close to taking Constantinople but - as had happened previously - England and France threatened Russia and Russia backed down. In retrospect, this was a mistake. Russia should have pressed on regardless and taken Constantinople, because - as events proved - they never had a better chance.
One reason why no later opportunities appeared is because Russia’s destruction of Ottoman armies in 1878-79 directly led to Rumania, Serbia, and Bulgaria becoming independent states. When those nations appeared in 1880, Russia could no longer march through these Christian states on their way to Constantinople. Instead, Russia’s options were reduced to staging an amphibious assault on Ottoman lands around the capital city, which was much more difficult and perhaps impossible.
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1912 - The Apex of Bulgaria’s Power
Bulgaria emerged as a nation in 1880 because Russia defeated the Ottoman army and the major European powers forced the Ottoman Empire to accept that Bulgaria, Rumania, and Serbia were now effectively independent nations. All three nations had a majority Christian population and each had been viciously oppressed by the Islamic Ottoman army and government for more than 450 years (~1400 to 1850). Christians under Ottoman rule had been treated as kafirs, they had been treated unequally under the law, their children had been enslaved, they had to pay a special jizya tax, and their churches had been demolished and not been allowed to be repaired.
In short, all three nations held a deep and justified hate for the Ottoman Empire and they immediately set about creating huge armies so that they could not be taken over again. By 1912, Bulgaria had an army of nearly half a million men (with a population of around 4.4 million!). The Bulgarians had used their army in several wars already and it was fairly well equipped. They made a secret treaty with Serbia, Greece, and tiny Montenegro to jointly attack the Ottoman Empire in Europe, and divide up the territory between them.
The 1st Balkan War started in October of 1912. Overall, the Bulgarian army performed well and they defeated the Ottoman army in several major battles. When the fighting stopped in April of 1913, the Bulgarians had doubled the size of their country and they were nearly at the gates of Constantinople.
Bulgarian territory as of April 1913 outlined in green. Map published in France in 1913.
There were several big problems for Bulgaria at this moment in time.
The Bulgarian leaders could not see that what they accomplished was an enormous success and they should spend the next decade on solidifying their gains. Instead, the Bulgarian leadership became drunk with success and deluded themselves into thinking that their army was unstoppable and they were destined to rule all this land and more. In reality, Bulgaria had taken far more land than they could hold and they should have been conciliatory in their victory.
Their allies in the war, Serbia and Greece, were not pleased by Bulgaria’s huge territorial gains. They both felt that Bulgaria had taken too much land and that they (Serbia and Greece) deserved more.
Russia was really pissed off at Bulgaria because they did not want Bulgaria to take Constantinople. Russia believed (with some truth) that the only reason why Bulgaria was at the gates of the Ottoman capital was because they, the Russians, had paved the way at enormous cost in money spent and lives lost.
All this was true. Bulgaria needed the help of Serbia and Greece to win the war. In particular, the Greek fleet was vital in preventing the Ottomans from reinforcing their armies. In addition, Bulgaria was only in the position it was in thanks to Russia’s four previous wars against the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria needed the help of its allies just to hold the land they had taken from the Ottomans because as the end of the war, they were the only country with a border on the Ottoman Empire.
But the Bulgarian leadership were blind to their weaknesses and they ignored the demands from Serbia and Greece and they were oblivious to Russia’s sudden shift in its attitude towards them.
The Second Balkan War
In June of 1913, just two months after the previous war ended, Bulgaria attacked Serbia and Greece. Incredibly, the Bulgarians sent their entire army against their former allies, and ignored the Ottoman Empire as well as Rumania to their north.
The Bulgarians made little progress against the Serbs or the Greeks. A few weeks after the fighting started, the Ottomans attacked the poorly defended Bulgarian territory near Constantinople and made large gains, retaking the important fortress city of Adrianople - a vital strategic city for the entire region. Bulgaria’s failure to defend this land is inexcusable.
Then came the death blow: Rumania crossed the Danube river and attacked Bulgaria starting on June 10th. Bulgaria had almost no soldiers defending it’s northern border and so the Rumania cavalry advanced south, virtually unopposed. Within two weeks, the Rumanian cavalry had ridden to a spot just seven miles from Bulgaria’s capital of Sofia. Bulgaria had to surrender. Their massive army had been defeated in just one month.
Why Rumania attacked Bulgaria on June 10th is a something of a mystery and, in my opinion, a mark of shame for Rumania. Yes, there had been a dispute over the small fort town of Silistra, located on the south side of the Danube river, but Rumania had no claim to the land south of the Danube so… why did they invade Bulgaria? Were they bribed by the Russians?
Bulgaria would never again own so much land as they did in April of 1913.
See Part II for the Aftermath of the Second Balkan War