Many of them were organized in the south into bomber and transport groups, some flew sorties in the Balkan territories.

The Bulgars (people of Turkic origin who were present in far eastern Europe since the second century) conquered the eastern Balkan territory of the Byzantine Empire in the seventh century.

Most of the children collected were from the Empire's Balkan territories, where the devşirme system was referred to as the "blood tax".

When the Byzantine Empire was unable to pay subsidies or hire Avar mercenaries, the Avars raided their Balkan territories.

It lost its Balkan territories except East Thrace and the historic Ottoman capital city of Adrianople during the war.

The ambassadors from the small Balkan territories whose fate was being decided were barely even allowed to attend the diplomatic meetings, which were mainly between the representatives of the Great Powers.

Basil II had appointed Ouranos commander of all Balkan territories of the Byzantine Empire and gave him a large army to cope with the Bulgarians.

With minimal thought on the part of the mapmakers, Kosovo was folded into Serbia, which joined five neighboring Balkan territories to form the new state of Yugoslavia.

The same year, he was appointed inspector general with responsibility over virtually all the Balkan territories of the Ottoman Empire at the time, namely the vilayets of Salonica, Kosovo and Monastir.

Over the whole scene of the Balkan territories and their troubled histories had loomed the commanding magic of the words "the Great Powers"--even more imposing in their Teutonic rendering, "Die Grossmachte."