- 1912-10-08 —
The start of the the First Balkan War when Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia constituting the Balkan League and having large parts of their ethnic populations under
Ottoman sovereignty, attacked the Ottoman Empire, terminating its five centuries of rule in the Balkans. The seven-month campaign ended in the Treaty of London (30 May 1913) brokered and mediated by the great powers of Europe, including the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. They sought to prevent further conflicts in the Balkans and to maintain stability in the region.
The main provisions included the following:
- Serbia expanded its territory, gaining control of Kosovo, parts of Macedonia, and northern Albania.
- Greece acquired southern Epirus, southern Macedonia, Crete, and the northern Aegean islands.
- Bulgaria received Thrace up to the outskirts of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) and parts of Macedonia.
- Montenegro also saw territorial gains in northern Albania and Kosovo.
- Albania was created as an independent state, with the great powers of Europe guaranteeing its sovereignty.
- The division of Macedonia: The treaty stipulated that the majority of Macedonia would be under the sovereignty of Serbia and Greece, with Bulgaria gaining a smaller portion. This division sowed the seeds of future conflicts and territorial disputes in the region.
- The deportation of people according to their "ethnical" backgrounds was stipulated in this treaty for the first time in history and was soon to lead to unprecedented atrocities and new forms of racism and racial prejudice committed later in Europe, especially by the Nazis. Unprecedented atrocities were committed by all parties involved and hundreds of thousands of Muslims, mostly Greeks, Bulgarians and Slavs now designated as "Turks", were deported eventually to the Asiatic parts of Turkey, putting an end to Ottoman rule in Southeastern Europe. [Colonialism, Nationalism and Jewish Immigration to Palestine by Kamran Ekbal p16]
See also a talk at the Japanese Independent Church. [PUP343-348] - 1928-02-28 — On her way from Zagreb to Czechoslovakia by train, Martha Root stopped in Maribor, Slovenia, and met with members of the Slovenian Esperantist Association.
[State of Governance of Religious Communities in Former Yugoslavia and the Developments of the Bahá’í Community and Jehovah’s Witnesses Status by Aleksandra Zibelnik Badii p55]
- 1930-00-00 — A telling example of how individual members of the Bahá'í community adapted to the circumstances in Yugoslavia over time, particularly during the 1980s, is the Capari family. In the 1930s, Refo (Rifat) Capari returned to his native Albania from the United States to share his newfound faith. Known for his hard work and integrity, he became a respected member of the local community and maintained correspondence with Shoghi Effendi, who provided him with guidance. Before World War II, Refo Capari passed away, leaving behind his wife Fiqrije and three children. By the 1980s, the Austrian Bahá’í community discovered that Refo Capari’s family had settled in Prizren, Kosovo, Fiqrije’s hometown. A Bahá’í couple, travelled to Kosovo and met Fiqrije and two of her children. During their visit, the family shared that they had remained steadfast in their faith, recounting how Shoghi Effendi had supported them during the war and later arranged for an American family to assist them materially. Today, their descendants continue to live in Kosovo, carrying forward the legacy of their ancestors.
[State of Governance of Religious Communities in Former Yugoslavia and the Developments of the Bahá’í Community and Jehovah’s Witnesses Status by Aleksandra Zibelnik Badii p73-74]
- 1941-04-06 — Germany invaded Yugoslavia, which capitulated. It was divided between Germany (North Slovenia, Banat, and Serbia south of the Danube), Italy (South of Slovenia, Dalmatia, Ljubljana, Kosovo, and west Macedonia and Montenegro), Hungary (Prekmurje and Medžimurje, a part of Vojvodina) and Bulgaria took over the rest of Macedonia. e Independent State of Croatia was established (NDH). It united Slavonia and parts of Dalmatia. Also, Bosnia and Hercegovina was established. (After Italy’s surrender in September 1943, the German occupiers took control of the region the Italians had occupied.)
Note: The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918-1929) was later renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1929-1941). As could be expected, the amalgamation of these states created a religiously pluralistic society. The legally recognized religions were the Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed Churches, the Orthodox Church, Islam and the Greek Orthodox Church. In May 1941, a new law was passed rendering it easier to change religion. People could fill in a form and simply submit it to the authorities, which then issued a certificate of religion. [State of Governance of Religious Communities in Former Yugoslavia and the Developments of the Bahá’í Community and Jehovah’s Witnesses Status by Aleksandra Zibelnik Badii p58]
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