ABSTRACT
Geography dictated that Thrace would be the major battlefield in a war between the Balkan states and the Ottoman Empire. Thrace is an open, undulating plain with few natural obstacles. This facilitated the movement of large armies. In addition, the proximity of Constantinople to the Balkan Peninsula made imperative the locating of strong armies for its defense. Constantinople was also a natural goal for any Balkan army, a situation that had lured Avars, Bulgarians, and Serbs in Byzantine times. The Bulgarians and the Ottomans would fight the major battles of the First Balkan War in Thrace.
