Borders are often described as lines of conflict between states. The Greek—Ottoman boundary of the 19th century is no exception; history condemned it as a dangerous front of Greek state expansionism at the expense of a declining Ottoman Empire. This article uses Ottoman and Greek archival documents and British consular records to show that the Greek—Ottoman boundary was, in many ways, a well-managed institution. The central states that governed it and the two sides' border guards often cooperated and colluded to provide security and forestall conflict. Although the border eventually collapsed and moved northward at the expense of the Ottomans, this article demonstrates that the early decades of the boundary contain tremendous insight for historians and social scientists interested in contentious politics and institutions.
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