By the Treaty of Fez (Arabic: معاهدة فاس‎), signed March 30, 1912, Sultan Abdelhafid gave up the sovereignty of Morocco to the French, making the country a protectorate, resolving the Agadir Crisis of July 1, 1911.

Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany met with Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary, at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.

Bulgaria and Serbia form the basis of the Balkan League

Balkans at the formation of the Balkan League

March 13, 1912

The Ottoman Empire, entrenched in a war with Italy in Libya and the Dardenelles, continues to lose its power in the Balkans. Russia seeking to take advantange by creating a "Slavic block" in the Balkans, directed both against Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans, used diplomacy to bring together Serbia and Bulgaria to reach a compromise and form an alliance, later to be known as the Balkan League.

Ivan Evstratiev Geshov, prime minister for Bulgaria, and Milovan Milovanović, prime Minister for Serbia, signed the agreement, as well as the resprective Monarchs, Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. and Peter I of Serbia.

The treaty created a defensive alliance between the two countries, in which they pledged themselves to defend one another in the event of one of them being attacked as well as providing for the possibility of war against Turkey, and territorial divisions in the event of  victory. According to the agreement, northern territories were to go to Serbia, and the territory south to Bulgaria. Autonomy was to be given to the intermediate region. The Tsar of Russia would arbitrate if there was any other questions that might arise from the treaty. The territorial arrangements represent an attempt to reconcile the Serbian desire for partitions and access to the Adriatic with the Bulgarian plan for Macedonian autonomy.

Greece and Montenegro would eventually join the Balkan League, in the coming months, leading to the attack on the Ottoman Empire and the commencement of the First Balkan Wars in October 1912, precursor to World War I.


Source: The Major International Treaties of the Twentieth Century, J.A.S. Grenville (2001). "The Major International Treaties of the Twentieth Century", Routledge, London, UK

First Turkish Pilot completes flight Training

On 21 February 1912, Captain Fesa completed his flight training successfully and returned to his country upon receiving the 780th and the 1st pilot wings awarded by France and the Turkish Army respectively, while Yusuf Kenan Bey returned receiving the 797th pilot wings. Eight Turkish officers were also sent to France for flight training in the same year and the two aircraft purchased from France were delivered to Fesa and Yusuf Kenan in İstanbul on 15 March 1912. So, in early 1912, the Turkish Army had its first pilots and aircraft, and through the inauguration of the Air School (Flight School) in Yeşilköy (İstanbul) on 3 July 1912, the Turkish Army started to provide in-country training for its pilots.

German Reichstag Elections Concluded

German Reichstag Elections Completed

Voting in elections for the German Reichstag was concluded, with the Socialists having the largest number of seats—100 out of 397, and the Radical and National Liberal parties having 44 and 47, for a total of 191, still short of a majority. Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg was able to find a new government.

Turkish Chamber of Deputies Dissolved

The Turkish Chamber of Deputies was dissolved, three days after a proposed constitutional amendment would have allowed Sultan Abdul Hamid II to dissolve Parliament in time of war. The proposal failed to receive more than 125 votes out of 188 that would have been necessary in the 376 member chamber.

French Census 1911

On this date, January 12, 1912, the results of the French Census of 1911 were released, showing 39,601,509 residents, and increase of 349,264 from the 1906 census of 39,252,245. The next census, including the formally lost provinces of  Alsace and Lorraine  included the forthcoming enumeration:  the total population of France according to the 1921 census would be 41,475,523. Taking into account  the deaths directly due to the war were estimated at about 1,750,000. 
The returns of the 1921 census were expected to show a corresponding decrease. 

From the 1912 boundaries, France may have had less deaths, however these deaths included territorials. For example 12,000 deaths were from Vietnam.