Who were the first european people to win self-rule

The first people to win self- rule during this period were the Greeks. For centuries, Greece had been part of the Ottoman Empire. the Ottomans controlled most of the Balkans. This region included all or part of present-day Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and the former Yugoslavia. Greeks, however, had kept alive the memory of thier ancient history and culture. Spurred on by the nationalist spirit, they demanded independence and rebelled against the Ottoman Turks in 1821.