18 April 1897

The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.

The Greco-Turkish War of 1897, also known as the Thirty Days’ War, was a brief conflict between Greece and the Ottoman Empire. The war was primarily fueled by the Greek desire to expand its territory and liberate Greek-speaking populations under Ottoman rule, particularly in Crete and other parts of the Ottoman-occupied Balkans.
Causes

The immediate cause of the war was the Cretan Crisis. Crete had a large Christian population that was seeking either autonomy under Ottoman rule or union with Greece. Greek nationalism and public sentiment strongly supported these aspirations, and the Greek government eventually took military action in support of the insurgents in Crete, defying the Great Powers who had their own interests and plans for the region.
Key Events

January 1897: Tensions escalated when Greek forces landed in Crete to support the local Christian insurrection against Ottoman rule.
April 1897: Full-scale hostilities began. The Greek military, poorly equipped and badly led, quickly faced defeats on the Thessalian front.
May 1897: The Ottoman forces, better organized and more numerous, advanced into Greek territory, capturing key towns including Larissa and Trikala.

Outcome and Aftermath

The war was decisively won by the Ottomans. The Treaty of Constantinople was signed in December 1897, which imposed harsh terms on Greece:

Greece had to pay a large indemnity to the Ottoman Empire.
The Greek military was restricted in its operations near the Ottoman borders.
Territorial losses were minimal, but the defeat deeply embarrassed the Greek government and military.

The Great Powers intervened to enforce the peace and oversee the terms of the settlement. Their involvement highlighted the weakness of Greece and the Ottoman Empire in the face of European power politics.

Long-term Impact

It fostered a period of military and political reform in Greece, which eventually led to the modernization of the Greek army.
The issue of Cretan independence remained unresolved until the island was formally united with Greece after the Balkan Wars in 1913.
The defeat also set the stage for future Balkan conflicts, as the unresolved nationalistic and territorial disputes continued to fester in the region.

This conflict is often seen as a precursor to the larger Balkan Wars that took place in the early 20th century, reflecting the ongoing struggle for national identity and sovereignty in the region against the backdrop of declining Ottoman power.