The Treaty of Constantinople was a treaty between the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 and the Kingdom of Greece

Kingdom of Greece

The Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 in the Convention of London by the Great Powers...

 signed on 4 December 1897 following the Greco-Turkish War of 1897.

Background

The island of Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

 was a part of the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

, but had a majority Christian population which had rebelled several times to achieve union with Greece. During another such revolt in 1897, on 2 February 1897 Greek troops landed in Crete to annex the island. This led to the outbreak of war, the so-called 30 Days War, between the Ottoman Empire and Greece. It was fought in Thessalia and Epirus

Epirus

The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...

. In Thessaly, the superior Ottoman army commanded by Edhem Pasha, defeated the Greeks and captured much territory. Greece sued for peace and the Great Powers intervened to force the Ottomans to return the lands occupied in the war.

The treaty

Peace talks began on 21 October and the treaty was signed on 4 December. The terms were:

1. Thessaly, which had been occupied by Ottoman forces, was to be returned to Greece with minor changes in the border line.
2. Greece agreed to pay heavy reparations.
3. The Ottomans wouldn't withdraw before the reparations were paid
4. The Ottomans agreed to promote the status of Crete as an autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty
   Suzerainty
   Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
   
   .

Aftermath

Although the Ottoman army was victorious in the field, the Ottoman Empire didn't benefit from the victory. The suzerainty over Crete proved to be completely ineffective and Crete unilaterally declared union with Greece in 1908. This was formalized after the Balkan Wars

Balkan Wars

The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...

, with the island joining Greece on 1 December 1913. In the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey

Population exchange between Greece and Turkey

The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey was based upon religious identity, and involved the Greek Orthodox citizens of Turkey and the Muslim citizens of Greece...

, the Muslim population

Cretan Turks

The Cretan Turks, Turco-Cretans , or Cretan Muslims were the Muslim inhabitants of Crete and now their descendants, who settled principally in Turkey, the Levant, and Egypt as well as in the larger Turkish diaspora.After the Ottoman conquest of Crete...

 of the island was transferred to Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

.