changes. Eastern Rumelia was granted some autonomy in 1878, but then rebelled and joined Bulgaria in 1885. Thessaly was ceded to Greece in 1881, but after Greece attacked the Ottoman Empire to help the Second Cretan Uprising in 1897, Greece was defeated in Thessaly. Crete would gain autonomy in 1898 after the Cretan Revolt (1897–1898). Dissolution (1908–22) Italo-Turkish War In 1911, Italy invaded Ottoman Tripolitania (During the colonisation of Africa, Tripolitania became Libya), which was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The war ended with the Italian annexation of the Tripolitania. Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising Macedonian insurrection from 1903. See Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising. 1912–13: Balkan Wars Two Balkan Wars, in 1912 and 1913, entailed further action against the Ottoman Empire in Europe. The Balkan League first conquered Macedonia and most of Thrace from the Ottoman Empire, and then fell out over the division of the spoils. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, after several rebellions and uprisings. This reduced Turkey's possessions in Europe (Rumelia) to their present borders in Eastern Thrace. World War I World War I (1914–1918) became the ultimate cause of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which formally ended in 1922. However, during wartime operations the Empire prevented the British Royal Navy from reaching Constantinople, stopping an Entente invasion in the Battle of Gallipoli (1915–1916). Nevertheless, under the provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) the Empire ultimately fell. See also Notes Citations References Further reading Anderson M.S. The Eastern Question 1774-1923: A Study in International Relations (1966) online Crawley, C.W. The Question of Greek Independence, 1821-1833 (1930). online Gerolymatos, André. The Balkan Wars (2008). External links Ottoman Empire in the First World War 13th-century conflicts 14th-century conflicts 15th-century conflicts 16th-century conflicts 17th-century conflicts 18th-century conflicts 19th-century conflicts 20th-century conflicts Wars involving the Ottoman Empire Wars involving the Balkans Invasions of Europe