Map of the Balkans illustrating the proposals made to shore up the Ottoman Empire after its disastrous defeat during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-8.

The Russians and the Turks had come to an earlier agreement at the Treaty of San Stephano in March of 1878 but this Treaty had never been acknowledged by the great powers of the day and indeed had been perceived as extremely dangerous by Germany, Great Britain and France, who saw it as a blatant power grab by Russia. As a result, the Congress of Berlin was hurriedly organised from the 13th of June to the 13th of July in 1878 during which a compromise was proposed and reached, whereupon Turkey would retain at least some possessions in the Balkans to counteract Russian influence. This map illustrates the new borders after the compromise, showing the newly independent nations of Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria as well as the territory to be retained by the Ottomans. It was sent to London by Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury and Disraeli's Foreign Minister, present at the Congress. The map shows the agreement at the final stages of the summit and accurately portrays the new geo-political reality in the region. Printed colour. [CEU2214]