Military crimes in the Ottoman Army in the Balkan Wars (1912-1913)

Throughout the 19th century, the Ottoman State had to struggle with the rebellions of the Balkan nations as a result of the nationalist movement that was spread following the French Revolution and the Panslavism policy carried out by Russia in the Balkans. Russia-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) in 1877-1878, which became the climax point of this struggle, was the main reason why the Ottoman State lost lands and military strength in the Balkans. Particularly, after Bulgaria gained autonomy, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania declared their independence and Greece, which was already independent, gained more power, non-Muslims members of the Ottoman army became less loyal to the army and thus lost their sense of involvement to the state. In the Balkan Wars, which is the biggest indicator of this situation, the non-Muslim soldiers' unwillingness to fight for the Ottoman Empire led to various military crimes, especially desertion. Apart from the non-Muslim soldiers in the Ottoman Army, the reluctant behavior and indiscipline of the soldiers coming from Anatolia and some of the commanders in the army were experienced seriously. When other factors such as environmental conditions, epidemics, lack of food and equipment were added to all these negativities, the Ottoman Empire took some measures against the aforementioned military crimes. KEYWORDS: The Ottoman State, Balkans, Balkan Wars, Military Crimes, Desertion