The 20 Events that Defined the Greek Revolution

The Greek Revolution, which marked the birth of the modern Greek nation, is a chapter full of heroic battles and incomparable feats.

The cry of “Freedom or Death” echoed throughout Greece, as a multitude of heroes rushed to confront the powerful army and navy of the Ottoman Empire. Underarmed, but with an inexhaustible will for freedom, the Greek fighters came face to face with the complacent rulers of the empire.

Today is the birthday of Theodoros Kolokotronis

The spark of The revolution was ignited By enlightened greeks living mainly In europe and Russia. They envisioned the revival of a glorious past, yearning for the Liberation of greece from the Ottoman yoke and its transformation into a free and prosperous nation.

1814: The founding of the Friendly Society sparks the Greek Revolution

The Friendly Society was founded in 1814 in Odessa, Russia, marking a pivotal moment in the path towards the Greek Revolution.

The main initiators of the organization were educated young Phanariotes, Greeks coming from Constantinople and the Russian Empire. Over time, the ranks of the Friendly Society were joined by leaders, military men, wealthy academics, and, remarkably, Orthodox Christian leaders from other nations.

March 13, 1821: Bouboulina raises the flag of revolution

Laskarina Bouboulina, an airy figure with a steely will, emerged as a leading figure, writing history with her boundless boldness and inexhaustible patriotic spirit.

On April 3, 1821, she raised the first flag of the Revolution in Spetses, marking the beginning of the struggle for freedom. Twice widowed, mother of seven children, Bouboulina commanded a fleet of eight ships, being an extremely wealthy woman with a thriving shipping business.

Her leadership left its mark at key moments of the struggle. She actively participated in the siege of Nafplio, distinguished herself in the capture of Monemvasia, while her contribution to the blockade of Pylos and the uninterrupted supply of supplies to the revolutionaries by sea proved decisive.

March 17, 1821 Mani declares war on the Ottomans

On March 17, 1821, the flame of the Revolution was lit in Mani, with the descendants of the legendary Spartans declaring war in Areopolis. 2,000 Maniats, led by Petros Mavromichalis, marched towards Kalamata, united by the vision of freedom.

In the Messinian capital, their forces joined those of Theodoros Kolokotronis, Nikitaras and Papaflessas, forming a formidable army. On March 23, Kalamata was liberated, marking a resounding victory for the Greek fighters.

Meanwhile, in Achaia, the city of Kalavryta was targeted by the revolutionaries, with its siege beginning on March 21. The heroic resistance of the Greeks brought the long-awaited freedom to Kalavryta, writing another golden page in the history of the Revolution.

March 25, 1821: The Greek Revolution is declared

April 23, 1821: The brutal murder of Athanasios Diakos

"Look at the time when fate chose to take me, now that the branches are blooming and the earth is putting out grass"

Athanasios Diakos, also known as Athanasios Grammatikos, left his indelible mark on the Revolution of 1821, leading the struggle in Eastern Central Greece.

With acumen and boundless courage, Diakos led the Greeks to successive victories, capturing cities such as Livadia, Thebes and Atalanta.

His heroic stand at the Battle of Alamana is a hymn to heroism and self-sacrifice. Faced with the mighty Köşe Mehmet and Ömer, Diakos and his men fought bravely, even though they were outnumbered.

Despite his injury and captivity, Diakos steadfastly refused to renounce his faith and submit to the Ottomans. His unwavering will and contempt for the enemy make him a symbol of courage and devotion.

His horrific punishment, hanging, sealed the atrocities of the Ottomans, while at the same time highlighting the inexhaustible power of the Greek spirit.

May 8, 1821: The Battle of Hani tis Gravia

Just a month after the heroic battle at Alamana, Omer Vryonis, at the head of a powerful army, sought to suppress the Revolution in Central Greece. Odysseas Androutsos, along with 120 men, fortified himself at Hani tis Gravia, a strategic point that controlled the road.

Faced with the Ottomans' offer of surrender, Androutsos, with impeccable strategy, responded with strong resistance. The Ottoman messenger fell dead from Greek fire, signaling the beginning of the battle.

The Ottomans' impetuous attack was heroically repelled by the men of Androutsos. Vryonis, seeing the failure of his troops, ordered the transfer of cannons to level Chania.

But before the cannons arrived, Androutsos, with acumen and boldness, led his men on a night raid, escaping the encirclement.

The heroic battle at Hani of Gravia was crowned with triumph for the Greeks. Androutsos' strategy and the bravery of the fighters brought heavy losses to the Ottomans (300 dead, 600 wounded), with minimal losses for the Greeks (6 dead).

May 13, 1821: The battle of Valtecsi

The Greek Army, led by the immortal Theodoros Kolokotronis, was approaching Tripolitsa, the strongest Ottoman stronghold in the Peloponnese. The city was the center of Ottoman administration in the region, with Kehagias Bey at its head.

On May 12, Kehagias Bey, at the head of 12,000 men, abandoned Tripolitsa with the aim of retaking Kalamata from the Greeks. Kolokotronis, alerted to the enemy's movement, rushed to confront him, having only 700 men at his disposal.

The battle at Valtetsi, which broke out on May 12, was fierce and unequal. The heroic struggle of the Greeks lasted 23 hours, without either side retreating. On the morning of May 13, Kehaya Bey, seeing the impossibility of victory, ordered a retreat.

Kolokotronis, With acumen and strategy, took advantage of the situation and forced The ottomans into a disorderly retreat, leaving their weapons on the battlefield.

The victory was marked by heavy losses for the Ottomans (300 dead, 500 wounded), while the Greeks suffered only two losses. The strategic superiority of Kolokotronis and the heroic resistance of the fighters brought triumph and boosted the self-confidence of the Greek Army.

September 23, 1821: The Greeks occupy Tripolitsa

After months of siege, Tripolitsa, the strongest Ottoman stronghold in the Morea, was surrounded by 15,000 Greek soldiers. On September 23, 1821, the two sides were negotiating the terms of surrender, while the Albanian troops, allies of the Ottomans, were preparing to abandon the city.

In the chaos, the gunner of the Nafplio gate was Left Unguarded. fifty greeks, on their own initiative, seized The opportunity. climbing on each other's shoulders, they managed to enter the city, raising the greek flag.

The entrance of the Greeks marked the beginning of a fierce battle. Kolokotronis, later describing it in his memoirs, reported that his horses did not set foot on the ground from the walls to the palace, such was the intensity of the conflict.

Thousands of Ottomans were killed, while the Greeks captured 11,000 weapons, a significant victory for the Revolution. The fall of Tripolitsa served as a moral springboard for the fighters, fueling hope for freedom.

At the same time, the victory received international recognition, with the press of the time hailing it as a turning point in the Greek War of Independence.

January 1, 1822: The Provisional Government of Greece

In the early hours of 1822, the National Assembly of Epidaurus laid the foundations of the newly formed Greek nation. By voting on the first Constitution of the Revolution, known as the “Provisional Government of Greece”, the National Assembly declared the non-negotiable will for political entity and independence.

The text of the Constitution bears the obvious influence of the French Constitutions of 1793 and 1795, as well as the American Declaration of Independence (1776) and the United States Constitution (1787).

March 30, 1822: The Chios Massacre

Greeks from neighboring islands, being ardent messengers of freedom, arrived in Chios, bringing with them the message of The Revolution. their enthusiasm slowly ignited the flame among the chians As well, resulting in several greek troops from Samos landing on the island, ready to expel the Ottomans.

Although many Chians embraced the idea of freedom and sided with the revolutionaries, the majority of the population remained hesitant, not wanting to get involved in the armed conflict.

This hesitation, however, turned the Ottomans to atrocity. Responding with unbridled fury to the murder of Ottoman soldiers, they sent thousands of men to the island. The violent invasion plunged Chios into bloodshed, with an estimated 42,000 to 52,000 Chians being slaughtered lifelessly.

The Massacre of Chios, like a bolt from the blue, sent waves of anger across the world. The Ottoman atrocities galvanised global support for the Greek cause, bringing the Revolution to the forefront of the international community.

June 6, 1822: Konstantinos Kanaris Destroys a turkish flagship

In retaliation for the savage massacre that took place on Chios, Greek forces, led by the legendary Admiral Konstantinos Kanaris, turned their weapons against the Turkish flagship.

That fateful night, while the Ottoman admiral Nasuhzade Ali Pasha (or Kara-Ali Pasha) was celebrating arrogantly, Kanaris and his men, with courage and acumen, managed to quietly approach and place a fireship next to the Turkish flagship.

The explosion that followed was terrible. The flagship's ammunition magazine burst into flames, instantly killing everyone on board.

Approximately 2,000 men, officers and sailors, died tragically, including Kara-Ali himself. The Greek victory spread mourning among the Ottomans, while at the same time acting as a moral springboard for them, fueling hope for freedom.

July 26, 1822: The battle of Dervenakia

The victory at the Battle of Dervenakia, also known as the Dramalis Massacre, marked a crucial turning point in the struggle for Greek independence. The strategic genius of Theodoros Kolokotronis and the heroic resistance of the Greeks led to the destruction of a significant part of the Ottoman forces under General Mahmud Pasha Dramalis.

Dramalis, abbot of 30,000 men, set out from Drama with the aim of retaking Tripolitsa. He captured Corinth and marched towards Argolis. Kolokotronis, however, had anticipated his movements and had placed troops at two of the four narrow passes, the Dervenakia, which led to the valley of Argos.

Trapped in the narrow passes, the Ottomans came under heavy fire from the hidden Greeks. The fierce battle lasted for hours, with the Ottomans suffering heavy losses. Approximately 2,500-3,000 men were killed or wounded, while Dramalis was forced into a disorderly retreat.

The victory at Dervenakia boosted the morale of the Greeks and demonstrated Kolokotronis' strategic intelligence. His reputation as a leader and general was established, earning him the title of "The Old Man of Morea".

July 5, 1824: The Psara disaster

May 20, 1825: The fall of Papaflessas at Maniaki

June 13, 1825: The victorious battle at the Mills of Nafplio

April 10, 1826: The heroic exit and fall of Messolonghi

In April 1825, Resit Mehmet Pasha received the following order from the Sultan: “Either Messolonghi falls or your head.” It would be the third siege of the western Greek city, after two failed attempts.

The capture of the fortified city, surrounded by lakes, was difficult. The brave chieftains Notis Botsaris and Kitsos Tzavellas led the defense of the city with a force of 3,000 men — with several philhellenes among them.

The siege lasted a full year, with Ibrahim Pasha joining the attack after the first few months. However, what the vast Egyptian army could not achieve, hunger and disease eventually achieved.

The defending captains decided to lead the starving people in a heroic exodus, while those who could not follow would stay and defend the city to the death.

When the Greeks emerged from the city gates, they were fired upon by Turks and Egyptians. Many panicked and fled within the walls, while the Ottoman-Egyptian forces had already entered the city, killing, looting and raping.

Of the 7,000 people who attempted to escape, only 1,000 reached safety. The rest were massacred or sold into slavery, with many of the surviving Greek Christian women becoming slaves to Egyptian soldiers. In one particularly gruesome act, the Turks displayed 3,000 severed heads on the city walls.

However, the Messolonghi massacre proved to be a victory for the Greek cause in the end, and the Ottomans paid dearly for their harsh treatment at Messolonghi. After this atrocity, many Western Europeans harbored increased sympathy for the Greek cause.

The horrific event influenced the final decision of Britain, France, and Russia to intervene militarily in the Battle of Navarino.

November 18-24, 1826: The Battle of Arachova

The Battle of Arachova was a pivotal point in the Greek Revolution, bringing Georgios Karaiskakis to the forefront and making him one of the most well-known heroes of the struggle.

Karaiskakis, Having received information about the plans of the ottoman army, which, led by mustafa bey, Sought To recapture a large part of roumeli, Staged a surprise attack near the village of Arachova.

On 18 November, 2,000 Ottoman soldiers under Mustafa Bey found themselves surrounded in Arachova by the Greek Army. A force of 800 men sent three days later to reinforce the besieged failed to break the siege.

The situation for the Ottomans worsened as time went on. Mustafa Bey was mortally wounded on November 22, while heavy rains, cold, and hunger began to take their toll on the defenders.

At noon on November 24, the Ottomans made a final attempt to escape, but were defeated. Many were killed in the fighting or died tragically from the cold.

The victory at Arachova bought the Greek revolutionaries valuable time, allowing them to prepare for the upcoming aid from the Great Powers, which arrived a year later.

October 20, 1827: The Battle of Navarino seals victory in the Greek War of Independence

On October 20, 1827, a fateful day for the Ottoman Empire, British, French, and Russian squadrons entered the Bay of Navarino, on the west coast of the Peloponnese. There, a massive Ottoman armada, consisting of imperial, Egyptian, and Tunisian ships, encountered the Allied forces.

The battle that followed was unequal. The Ottoman fleet, despite the heroic resistance of its crews, was decimated. The Battle of Navarino, the last major naval battle in history fought with sailing ships, put an end to Ottoman plans to recapture the lost territories in Greece.

After the devastating defeat, the casualties were countless and the morale of the Ottomans sank. The victory of the allied forces at Navarino paved the way for the establishment of the Greek state, marking a new era for Greece.

April 26, 1828: Russia declares war on Turkey

May 7, 1832: The Treaty of London establishes the state of Greece

The Treaty of London, signed by Britain, France, and Russia, established a new Greek state, making Otto of Bavaria the new king of Greece and defining Greece as an independent kingdom.

The sacrifice of 100 Haitian volunteers for the Revolution of 1821