At a Glance
Balkans: References & Edit History
More Articles On This Topic
- AustriaInternational relations: the Balkan orientation
- AustriaForeign policy, 1878–1908
- Balkan confederation
- Balkanization
- Congress of Berlin
- Bogomil
- Byzantine EmpireThe last years of Justinian I
- Byzantine EmpireTurkish expansion
- Dreikaiserbund
- Eastern OrthodoxyMonastic and mission movements
- Eastern OrthodoxyAutocephalies in the Balkans
- Eastern OrthodoxyThe Balkans and eastern Europe
- history of EuropeThe Germans and Huns
- RobertExpansion of the duchy
- history of EuropeThe adoption of farming
- history of EuropeDiplomatic entanglements
- Ottoman EmpireMurad I
- Ottoman EmpireThe people
- history of EuropeThe mood of Versailles
- Potsdam Conference
- Reinsurance Treaty
- ancient RomeRoman expansion in the eastern Mediterranean
- RussiaForeign policy
- Treaty of San Stefano
- 20th-century international relationsGrowing tensions and German isolation
- World War IThe Balkan front, 1918
- Adolf HitlerWorld War II
- World War IICentral Europe and the Balkans, 1940–41
Additional Reading
The best single-volume English-language history of the area is Edgar Hösch, The Balkans: A Short History from Greek Times to the Present Day (1972; originally published in German, 1968); a longer version in German is also available, Geschichte der Balkanländer, rev. ed. (1988). Prehistory and antiquity of the western Balkans are covered in John Wilkes, The Illyrians (1992). Georges Castellan, History of the Balkans: From Mohammed the Conqueror to Stalin (1992; originally published in French, 1991), is also useful. John R. Lampe and Marvin R. Jackson, Balkan Economic History, 1550–1950: From Imperial Borderlands to Developing Nations (1982), provides a detailed treatment replete with many tables. Barbara Jelavich, History of the Balkans, 2 vol. (1983), an excellent introductory history, concentrates on the 18th–20th centuries and political evolution.
Byzantium and the early Slav states are described in Dimitri Obolensky, The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe, 500–1453 (1971, reissued 1982), a standard treatment of Balkan history from the arrival of the Slavs to the fall of Constantinople, including chapters on religion and on art; Francis Dvornik, The Slavs in European History and Civilization (1962, reissued 1992); A.P. Vlasto, The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs (1970); and John V.A. Fine, Jr., The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century (1983, reissued 1991), and The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest (1987, reissued 1994).
Works on the Ottoman period include Halil Inalcik and Donald Quataert (eds.), An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire: 1300–1914 (1994); Peter F. Sugar, Southeastern Europe Under Ottoman Rule, 1354–1804 (1977); L.S. Stavrianos, The Balkans Since 1453 (1958, reissued 1965); Charles Jelavich and Barbara Jelavich (eds.), The Balkans in Transition: Essays on the Development of Balkan Life and Politics Since the Eighteenth Century (1963, reprinted 1974), one of the few English sources dealing with the social structure of the Balkans in the Ottoman period; and Bruce McGowan, Economic Life in Ottoman Europe: Taxation, Trade, and the Struggle for Land, 1600–1800 (1981).
The formation of the modern states is chronicled in Charles Jelavich and Barbara Jelavich, The Establishment of the Balkan National States, 1804–1920 (1977, reissued 1986). The period between the two world wars is treated by Hugh Seton-Watson, Eastern Europe Between the Wars, 1918–1941, 3rd ed. rev. (1967); and Antony Polonsky, The Little Dictators: The History of Eastern Europe Since 1918 (1975). Robert Lee Wolff, The Balkans in Our Time, rev. ed. (1974), remains one of the best and most detailed treatments of the Balkans in the critical period from the end of World War II to the consolidation of communist power. Christopher Cviic, Remaking the Balkans (1991), is the first attempt to assess the impact of the fall of communism on the area.
Article Contributors
Primary Contributors
- John B. Allcock
- Loring Danforth
- Richard J. Crampton
-
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
Other Contributors
- Branketta Burich
Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors
Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map added. | Nov 02, 2026 | ||
| Modified link of Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - A Genetic History of the Balkans from Roman Frontier to Slavic Migrations. | Mar 02, 2026 | ||
| Questions and answers added. | Mar 19, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - A Genetic History of the Balkans from Roman Frontier to Slavic Migrations. | Apr 15, 2024 | ||
| Added cross-references. | Feb 22, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: GlobalSecurity.org - The Balkans. | Oct 19, 2022 | ||
| Media added. | Nov 10, 2020 | ||
| Rearranged media. | Nov 19, 2019 | ||
| Cross-references added. | Aug 05, 2019 | ||
| Added a description of events leading to the Republic of Macedonia changing its name to the Republic of North Macedonia in February 2019. | Feb 22, 2019 | ||
| Nomenclature changes made to reflect the adoption of the name the Republic of North Macedonia in February 2019. | Feb 22, 2019 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | Oct 24, 2018 | ||
| Add new Web site: Alpha History - The Balkans. | Jan 15, 2017 | ||
| Expanded the explanation of the varying definitions of the Balkans and introduced the terms South-East Europe and Western Balkans. |
|
Mar 25, 2015 | |
| Add new Web site: U.S. Department of State - Balkans Region. | Feb 28, 2013 | ||
| Added description of post-World War II political developments in Greece and of the situation of the Albanian minority in Yugoslavia. | Sep 19, 2012 | ||
| Description of the Balkans restated to make clear that there is not universal agreement upon the countries that comprise the region. | Mar 29, 2012 | ||
| Added the full name of the Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb Republic). | Oct 14, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Geography - Balkan States (Balkans). | Jul 17, 2008 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Feb 18, 2008 | ||
| Added new Web site: Energy Information Administration - Balkans. | Jan 19, 2007 | ||
| Article revised and updated. | Sep 29, 2006 | ||
| Article revised. | Sep 09, 2005 | ||
| Article revised. | Nov 26, 2003 | ||
| Article revised. | Jun 20, 2003 | ||
| Article revised. | May 17, 2002 | ||
| Article revised. | Apr 07, 1999 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | Aug 05, 1998 |
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