The Day Greece Liberated Mount Athos

Mount Athos was brought nether Greek sovereignty during the First Balkan War. Credit: Greek Reporter

Sunday marks the 113th day of a swift and decisive subject cognition that permanently brought the monastic assemblage of Mount Athos nether Greek sovereignty during the First Balkan War.

On November 2, 1912, a tiny Greek naval detachment landed connected the Holy Mountain, preempting a imaginable Bulgarian subject takeover and everlastingly altering the peninsula’s geopolitical landscape.

Greece launches a preemptive onslaught astatine Mount Athos

Some of the Greek liberators of Mount Athos. Public Domain

While the Balkan League (Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro) was allied against the Ottoman Empire, aggravated rivalries implicit recently liberated territories—particularly Macedonia—led to a contention for control. Mount Athos, a self-governed monastic authorities nether Ottoman suzerainty for centuries, became a captious prize owed to its immense spiritual and strategical value.

Under the absorption of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek subject bid was alert that Bulgarian forces were advancing toward the Athos peninsula. To forestall a rival claim, the Greek Navy was fixed the urgent task of securing the territory.

A tiny contingent of sailors from the Greek torpedo vessel Foúlla (or a akin vessel) disembarked astatine Dafni. They marched to Karyes, the administrative center, wherever the past Ottoman politician officially relinquished authorization to the typical of the Kingdom of Greece. The bulk of the monastic community, being ethnically Greek, welcomed the Greek forces arsenic liberators.

The “Zografou” origin and Bulgarian ambition

Monks and soldiers astatine Mount Athos. Public Domain

Credible reports of a nonstop Bulgarian subject menace fueled the urgency of the Greek action.

Though a afloat Bulgarian concern of Mount Athos did not occur, humanities sources bespeak that a constricted beingness of Bulgarian subject oregon paramilitary forces, apt successful coordination with the Bulgarian Zografou Monastery, whitethorn person been a origin successful the last hours earlier the Greek landing.

Zografou, the humanities Bulgarian monastery, was a earthy focal constituent for Sofia’s expansionist goals, which aimed to unafraid an exit to the Aegean Sea.

The Greek preemptive landing efficaciously neutralized this threat, ensuring that the peninsula was brought nether Greek jurisdiction alternatively than becoming a root of contention among the victorious Balkan allies.

A presumption finalized: Mount Athos joins Greece

The liberation ended centuries of continuous Ottoman control. While planetary diplomatic wrangling implicit the presumption of Athos continued for respective years aft the Balkan Wars, the peninsula’s incorporation into Greece was yet formalized by the Treaty of Lausanne successful 1923.

Today, Mount Athos retains its unsocial self-governed presumption arsenic an Autonomous Monastic State wrong the Hellenic Republic, lasting arsenic a surviving monument to the palmy subject and diplomatic efforts of November 2, 1912.

Related: Mount Athos: The Monastic Community successful Greece Where Time Stands Still