In the middle of the 19th century, most of the territory of Balkans was still part of the Ottoman Empire, with several newly established independent or autonomous entities like Serbia and Greece.

[1] Napoleon III was the champion of the idea of Balkan nationalism and fostered Serbia and Greece to build alliances and undermine Ottoman influence in the region.

The next contracts were signed in autumn of 1866 with the People's Party in Croatia-Slavonia, with the Bulgarian Revolutionary Secret Society in 1867,[1] with Greece in 1867 and with Romania in 1868.

[3] The Treaty of Alliance and Friendship (Serbian: Уговор о савезу и пријатељству) was signed between Serbia and Greece on 26 August [O.S.

[8] The talks had been made difficult by questions on division of territories: the Greeks sought to establish only the minimum based on the population, equality of origin and historical traditions, whereas Prince Mihailo Obrenović sought the minimum of territory, assuming Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Old Serbia from the Drim to the Iskar.

[6] A special act included the rights of both sides, that if they were unable to realize the minimum of annexations in Article 4 (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Epirus and Thessaly), they would seek compensation in other neighboring provinces of the Ottoman Empire, based on mutual origin of the population.