An attempt was made to settle the question by arbitration, but King Ferdinand refused, whereupon, in July, 1913, the Second Balkan War began.  Bulgaria was attacked by Greece and Serbia, and Turkey took a chance and regained Adrianople, and even Roumania, which had been neutral in the First Baltic War, mobilized her armies and marched toward Sofia.  Bulgaria surrendered, and on the 10th of August the Treaty of Bucharest was signed by the Balkan States.

As a result of this Bulgaria was left in a thoroughly dissatisfied state of mind.  She had been the leader in the war against Turkey, she had suffered heavy losses, and she had gained almost nothing.  Moreover she had lost to Roumania, a territory containing a quarter of a million Bulgarians, and a splendid harbor on the Black Sea.  Serbia and Greece were the big winners.  Such a treaty could not be a final settlement.  The Balkans were left seething with unrest.  Serbia, though she had gained much, was still dissatisfied.  Her ambitions, however, now turned in the direction of the Jugoslavs under the rule of Austria, and it was her agitation in this matter which directly brought on the Great War.  But Bulgaria was sullen and ready for revenge.  When the Great War began, therefore, Roumania, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece were strongly in sympathy with Russia, who had been their backer and friend.  Bulgaria, in spite of all she owed to Russia in the early days, was now ready to find protection from an alliance with the Central Powers.  Her feeling was well known to the Allies, and every effort was made to obtain her friendship and, if possible, her aid.

Viviani, then Premier of France, in an address before the French Chamber of Deputies, said: 

The Balkan question was raised at the outset of the war, even before it came to the attention of the world.  The Bucharest Treaty had left in Bulgaria profound heartburnings.  Neither King nor people were resigned to the loss of the fruits of their efforts and sacrifices, and to the consequences of the unjustifiable war they had waged upon their former allies.  From the first day, the Allied governments took into account the dangers of such a situation, and sought a means to remedy it.  Their policy has proceeded in a spirit of justice and generosity which has characterized the attitude of Great Britain, Russia and Italy as well as France.  We have attempted to re-establish the union of the Baltic peoples, and in accord with them seek the realization of their principal national aspirations.  The equilibrium thus obtained by mutual sacrifices really made by each would have been the best guarantee of future peace.  Despite constant efforts in which Roumania, Greece and Serbia lent their assistance, we have been unable to obtain the sincere collaboration of the Bulgarian Government.  The difficulties respecting the negotiations were always at Sofia.

At the beginning of the war it appears, therefore,