Abstract:

During the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, French policy towards the Balkans has experienced significant changes. Until that period France was in favor of preserving the status quo, i.e. the Ottoman authorities in the Balkans. Texts of French intellectuals in the period from the late 19 th century indicated that France must take decisive policy in the Balkans. Louis Léger (1843–1923), Victor Bérard , André Chéradame (1871–1948), Emile Haumant (1858–1942), Er- nest Denis (1849–1921), Henry Barby (1876–1935), René Pinon (1870– 1958), Alain de Penennrun, Alphonse Muzet and others, in their texts dedicate special attention to the end of the Ottoman Empire in the European lands, the Austro- Hungarian aspirations in the Balkans and the complicated relations between the Balkan nations. Texts of French scholars and journalists' reports from the Balkan battlefields influenced the shaping of images of the Balkans and its peoples in the French public. At the same time, the official French policy during the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) changed its attitude towards the Balkans and the survival of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. This paper aims to shed light on the connection between the interests of French intellectuals for the Balkans and the change in the official French policy in the Balkans in years 1912 and 1913

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