On this day in 1912, Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki, was liberated from the Ottoman Empire after 482 years of occupation.
As the First Balkan War broke out, Greece declared war on the Ottomans and expanded its borders. When Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos was asked if his army should move towards Thessaloniki or Monastiri (modern day Bitola in North Macedonia), Venizelos replied “Salonique à tout prix!” meaning “Thessaloniki, at all costs!”
Both Greece and Bulgaria wanted Thessaloniki, which led the city’s Ottoman garrison to negotiate with both parties.
Surrounded and blockaded with little hope left, and learning of the Bulgarian troops’ approach from the northeast, Ottoman commander Hasan Pasha resolved to surrender alongside his 26,000 men to the Greeks.
The Greek army accepted the Ottoman surrender. After a few days of negotiations, a protocol was signed on October 26, the feast day of the city’s patron saint, Saint Demetrios. The Bulgarian army arrived one day later.
Tashin, considered a traitor by his Ottoman superiors, was sentenced to death by court martial. But after his release from Greek captivity, he went into exile, first in France and later in Switzerland, dying in Lausanne in 1918.
After the Second Balkan War in 1913, Thessaloniki and the rest of the Greek portion of Macedonia were officially annexed to Greece via the Treaty of Bucharest.
The history of Thessaloniki is recounted extensively in the book “Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews 1430-1950” by Mark Mazower.
Order the book on Amazon.
