The Greco-Turkish War of 1897, also called the Thirty Days' War, was a war between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, under its ruler Sultan Abdul Hamid. Its immediate cause was Greek concern over the situation in Crete, where the Greek population was still under Ottoman control.

In late 1896 a rebellion broke out on Crete, and on January 21, 1897 a Greek army landed in Crete to unite the island with Greece. The European powers, however, intervened, and proclaimed Crete an international protectorate.

The Greek army retreated to the mainland, where it next attempted to advance northwards into Thessaly and Epirus. In Thessaly the Turks had concentrated six divisions of about 60,000 men under Ethem Pasha, with a seventh division joining a little later. The Greeks numbered just under 46,000, led by Crown Prince Constantine. The Greeks controlled the sea, outnumbering and outgunning the Turkish navy.

In early April Greek troops crossed the border, hoping to encourage an uprising in Macedonia. The armies met at Mati. The Greeks were outnumbered, and retreated past Larissa, which was evacuated. Near Pharsala the Greeks re-established order, and a counter-attack was planned. However, Greek morale failed, and they were only saved because the Ottoman Sultan ordered a cease-fire on May 20.

In Epirus, the Greeks numbered 15,000, against 30,000 Turks under Ahmet H