The effect of Balkan Wars on Turkish migration from Balkans to Anatolia

The first Turkish entity on the peninsula began with the arrival of the Huns during the 4th century and followed by other Turkish tribes like Avars, Bulgars, Vardar Turks, Pechenegs, Uz Turks, Cumans-Kipchaks in subsequent centuries. After these Turkish tribes arrived in the Balkans through the North, Seljuk Turks came to the region during the 13th century and followed by the Ottoman Turks during the 14th century. The Ottoman Empire, expanding towards the Balkan lands after the conquest of Edirne in 1361, was established in the Balkans and was born and developed as a Balkan Empire. Balkans became a homeland for Turks as well as Anatolia. Massacres against the Balkan Muslims as part of the new nationalism movement during the 19th century began with the Greek uprising in 1821 and the establishment of the Greek national state constitutes an example for other Balkan nations. The Ottoman Empire struggled with several other revolts in the Balkans throughout the 19th century. The Ottoman Empire was caught unprepared for the Balkan War and suffered an unexpected defeat against the Balkan states. In the Balkan War, which was a goal of the Eastern Question and a result of this political thought, nearly all of Rumelia had been lost in a very short period of time. Migrations, which started at the end of the 17th century with the land loss by the Ottoman Empire in Europe, had been accelerated by the continued withdrawal from European lands. Muslims, who were seen as an obstacle to the creation of new national states in the Balkans, were either massacred or forced to migrate. The migrations and massacres occured during and after the Ottoman-Russian War in 1877-1878 also took place in the Balkan Wars. At the end of the Balkan Wars the Turks became minorities in the Balkans, which where a homeland land along with Anatolia and where in some regions they formed the majority. Keywords: Balkans, Rebellions, Settlement, Balkan Wars, Atrocities, Migrations.