Treaty of Alliance between Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria- In case it shall not be denounced by one of the high con-
tracting parties six months before the expiration of the term
named above, this treaty shall remain in force for a further
period of five years. - This present document shall be ratified by His Majesty the
German Emperor, King of Prussia, and by His Majesty the
Emperor of the Ottomans, and the ratifications shall be
exchanged within a period of one month from the date of its
signing. - The present treaty shall remain secret and can only be
made public as a result of an agreement arrived at between the
two high contracting parties. In testimony whereof, etc.
BARON v. WANGENHEIM
SAID HALIM
4.1221 Treaty of Alliance between the Ottoman
Empire and Bulgaria
Alliance Members:Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria
Signed On:August 19, 1914, in the city of Sofia (Bulgaria). In force
until September 30, 1918, when Bulgaria signed the armistice ending
its involvement in World War I.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:British and Foreign State Papers,vol. 152, p. 253.
SUMMARY
This treaty was an attempt to clarify the diplomatic positions of both
the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria immediately following several years
of open warfare in the Balkans. The latest hostilities occurred just one
year prior to the signing of the treaty, when the Ottomans and Romani-
ans, witnessing the depletion of the Bulgarian forces at the hands of the
Greeks and Serbs, entered Bulgarian-controlled territories and marched
toward Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Only a quickly formed armistice
stopped the Ottoman advance, and Bulgaria was forced to guarantee
the Ottoman recapture of Adrianople and part of Thrace, both of
which were key European territories for the mostly Asian empire.
With the outbreak of what would be World War I just days prior to the
treaty, Bulgaria immediately declared a defensive neutrality, and as
Bulgaria was uncertain of the intentions of its Balkan neighbors, this
alliance guaranteed Ottoman aid in the event of attack. Nevertheless,
Bulgaria eventually declared its support for the Central Powers with
an alliance three weeks later.
Description of Terms
If one of the parties is attacked by one or more Balkan states,
the other party, on the demand of its ally, will declare war and
attack the aggressing state immediately with all its available
forces. The two parties commit themselves not to take any
action against one or more Balkan states without prior approval
from their ally. The mobilization of the Bulgarian army will
begin when its government judges appropriate, and Bulgaria
will inform Turkey when it will start its military operations.
Should one of the parties find it necessary to declare war
against a Balkan state without prior consent from its ally, the
ally may adhere to benevolent neutrality if it does not want to
cooperate militarily.
Bulgaria stipulates that the current treaty concerning its
offensive military action based on an accord with Turkey can-
not enter into force until Bulgaria obtains a sufficient guarantee
of Romania. This could come in the form of a triple accord that
includes Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania, or a special entente
between Bulgaria and Romania promising neutrality.
The treaty will stay in force until the termination of the
European War and the demobilization of the troops. However,
it can continue in force for 5 years if not denounced by one of
the parties within 3 months of the demobilization of Turkish
and Bulgarian troops.4.1222 Treaty of Alliance between Austria-
Hungary and Bulgaria
Alliance Members:Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria
Signed On:September 6, 1914, in the city of Sofia (Bulgaria). In force
until September 30, 1918, when Bulgaria signed the armistice ending
its involvement in World War I.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:Consolidated Treaty Series,vol. 220, 1914–1915, p. 290–291.SUMMARY
Bulgaria began World War I with a declaration of strict neutrality.
However, both Russia (a member of the Triple Entente) and Ger-
many (a Central Power) began to vie for Bulgarian intervention
owing to Bulgaria’s strategic location, proximate to the Ottomans,
Serbia, and Austria-Hungary. Hampered by fighting on the part of its
smaller allies, the Triple Entente found it impossible to offer the same
type of territorial gains promised by the Central Powers. Thus, by
October of 1915, Bulgarian troops were fighting Serbia and making
large initial gains, pushing the Serbs out of Macedonia. Romania
declared its backing of the Triple Entente, but by December of 1916 a
joint German-Bulgarian force had occupied Romania’s capital,
Bucharest.
The war effort eventually collapsed when Bulgaria met with stalemate
on all its fronts. Both the failure to advance and the populist uprisings
spreading from Russia contributed to popular unrest in Bulgaria. The
defining moment for the Bulgarian government came with the territo-
rial division of Romania at the hands of the Central Powers—Bulgaria
could not secure the territorial war aims initially promised by its allies.
The Bulgarian government collapsed in June of 1918, and a joint
British-French force routed Bulgarian troops and entered Bulgaria,
which led to an armistice by September.Description of Terms
Austria-Hungary guarantees the political independence and the
territorial integrity of Bulgaria against any attack during the
lifetime of this treaty, so long as the attack is not provoked by
the Bulgarian Government. If Austria-Hungary, without provo-
cation on its part, has been attacked by another state bordering
Bulgaria, the latter agrees to intervene with military force, pro-
vided that Austria-Hungary requests such aid.