Battle of Phaleron

Last updated
Battle of Phaleron
Part of the Greek War of Independence
Karaiskakis landing at Phaleron.jpg
Karaiskakis landing at Faliron
by Konstantinos Volanakis
Date24 April (6 May) 1827
Location
Phaleron, Sanjak of Eğriboz, Ottoman Empire (now Attica, Greece)
37°56′00″N23°42′00″E / 37.9333°N 23.7000°E / 37.9333; 23.7000
Result Ottoman victory
Belligerents

Flag of Greece (1822-1978).svg First Hellenic Republic

Flag of the Ottoman Empire (eight pointed star).svg Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Lord Cochrane
Sir Richard Church
Georgios Karaiskakis   †
Yannis Makriyannis
Ioannis Notaras   †
Tousias Botsaris   † 		Reşid Mehmed Pasha
Strength
3,000 Unknown (some cavalry)
Casualties and losses
1,500 dead [1] Unknown

The Battle of Phaleron or Battle of Analatos took place on 6 May (O.S.: 24 April [2] ) 1827, during the Greek War of Independence. The Greek rebel forces were being besieged inside the Acropolis of Athens by Ottoman forces under the command of Mehmed Reshid Pasha. Greek forces outside the city were desperately trying to break the siege. [1]

Contents

Battle

In order to break the siege of Acropolis, the British officers Admiral Lord Cochrane and General Richard Church, who were nominally commanding the Greeks, decided to make an assault against the Turkish camp under the command of Mehmed Reshid Pasha. [3]

Two days before the battle, on 22 April 1827, Georgios Karaiskakis, the general of Central Greece, was fatally wounded in a minor clash with the Ottomans. He perished one day later, and his sudden death seriously damaged Greek morale and emboldened the Turks. [1]

The battle began on 24 April, 3,000 men were ordered to advance across the plain. Their plan was to send 7,000 more men who were at Piraeus to attack the Ottomans from the flanks. Karaiskakis had proposed the day before instead of a direct attack, to cut the supply lines of the Ottomans in eastern Greece, but his proposal was not accepted. [1]

As the Greeks advanced from Phaleron, Reshid sent some cavalry to attack the Greeks. He expected the main assault to come from Piraeus. The troops from Piraeus did not arrive and the rest of the Greeks were attacked by the Ottoman cavalry. [1] The Greek army was totally destroyed and its troops scattered. All Souliotes and Cretans fell, 22 Philhellenes, 270 regular soldiers, hundreds of irregulars and the Greek chieftains Ioannis Notaras, Lampros Veikos, Georgios Drakos, Georgios Tzavelas and Tousias Botsaris were killed by the cavalry attack. [4]

In total, the Greeks lost either 1,500 [5] or 2,000 men, which was a devastating setback. The Battle of Phaleron was seen as the greatest Greek defeat in the Greek War of Independence. The men in the Acropolis surrendered on 5 June [5] and were escorted by the French army to the coast. This defeat destroyed Greek morale and the only places on mainland Greece that persevered after the battle were Mani and Nafplio, seat of the government. [1]

Aftermath

Later that year, the Great Powers (Imperial Russia, France, and Great Britain) destroyed the Egyptian and Ottoman fleets in the Battle of Navarino.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greek War of Independence</span> Greek rebellion against the Ottoman Empire (1821–1829)

The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted by the British Empire, Kingdom of France, and the Russian Empire, while the Ottomans were aided by their North African vassals. The war led to the formation of modern Greece, which would be expanded to its modern size in later years. The revolution is celebrated by Greeks around the world as independence day on 25 March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missolonghi</span> Municipality in Greece

Missolonghi or Mesolongi is a municipality of 32,048 people in western Greece. The town is the capital of Aetolia-Acarnania regional unit, and the seat of the municipality of Iera Polis Mesolongiou. Missolonghi is known as the site of a dramatic siege during the Greek War of Independence, and of the death of poet Lord Byron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman–Egyptian invasion of Mani</span> 1826 Greek military campaign during the Greek War of Independence

The Ottoman–Egyptian invasion of Mani was a campaign during the Greek War of Independence that consisted of three battles. The Maniots fought against a combined Egyptian and Ottoman army under the command of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third siege of Missolonghi</span> 1825–26 battle of the Greek War of Independence

The Third Siege of Missolonghi was fought in the Greek War of Independence, between the Ottoman Empire and the Greek rebels, from 15 April 1825 to 10 April 1826. The Ottomans had already tried and failed to capture the city in 1822 and 1823, but returned in 1825 with a stronger force of infantry and a stronger navy supporting the infantry. The Greeks held out for almost a year before they ran out of food and attempted a mass breakout, which however resulted in a disaster, with the larger part of the Greeks slain. This defeat was a key factor leading to intervention by the Great Powers who, hearing about the atrocities, felt sympathetic to the Greek cause. Their support would prove decisive in helping the Greeks win the war and gain independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgios Karaiskakis</span> Greek Revolutionary (1782–1827)

Georgios Karaiskakis, born Georgios Karaiskos, was a Greek military commander and a leader of the Greek War of Independence.

The battle of Konya (Koniah) was fought on December 21, 1832, between Egypt and the Ottoman Empire, just outside the city of Konya in modern-day Turkey. The Egyptians were led by Ibrahim Pasha, while the Ottomans were led by Reşid Mehmed Pasha. The Egyptians were victorious.

Dionysios Vourvachis, also known as Constantin Denis Bourbaki, was a Greek officer educated in France, and serving in the French military. He fought in the last phases of the Napoleonic Wars, and after 1825, joined the Greek War of Independence. He was killed in 1827 following his defeat at the Battle of Kamatero. He is the father of French General Charles Denis Bourbaki.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omer Vrioni</span> Ottoman Albanian military commander and ruler

Vizier Omer Pasha Vrioni was an Ottoman Albanian military commander and ruler, and a prominent figure in the Greek War of Independence. He succeeded Ali as Pasha of Yanina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Dervenakia</span> Ottoman expedition led by Mahmud Dramali Pasha against Greek Rebellion

The Battle of Dervenakia was the Greek victory over the Ottoman forces on 6–8 August 1822, an important event in the Greek War of Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reşid Mehmed Pasha</span> Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1829 to 1833

Reşid Mehmed Pasha, also known as Kütahı, was an Ottoman statesman and general who reached the post of Grand Vizier in the first half of the 19th century, playing an important role in the Greek War of Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Arachova</span> Battle in 1826 between Ottoman Empire and Greek rebels

The Battle of Arachova, took place between 18 and 24 November 1826 (N.S.). It was fought between an Ottoman Empire force under the command of Mustafa Bey and Greek rebels under Georgios Karaiskakis. After receiving intelligence of the Ottoman army's maneuvers, Karaiskakis prepared a surprise attack in vicinity of the village of Arachova, in central Greece. On 18 November, Mustafa Bey's 2,000 Ottoman troops were blockaded in Arachova. An 800-man force that attempted to relieve the defenders three days later failed.

The Battle of Kamatero was an armed conflict during the Greek revolution between the Greek forces under the command of the Greek ex officer of the French army, Colonel Denis Bourbaki and the Ottoman forces led by Reşid Mehmed Pasha. The battle ended with the decisive victory of the Ottomans on the night of 27 January 1827 (O.S.) in Kamatero, Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Vasilika</span> Battle during the Greek War of Independence

The Battle of Vasilika was fought between Greek revolutionaries and the Ottoman Empire during the Greek War of Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Peta</span> 1822 battle of the war of Greek independence

The Battle of Peta or Battle of Petta was fought between the Greeks led by Alexandros Mavrokordatos with Markos Botsaris and the Ottomans led by Omer Vrioni on 16 July 1822. The conflict occurred on a hillside near the village of Peta in Epirus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second siege of Missolonghi</span> 1823 siege

The Second Siege of Missolonghi was the second attempt by Ottoman forces to capture the strategically located port town of Missolonghi during the third year of the Greek War of Independence (1823). The second siege is usually ignored however, and the name is often applied to the greater siege of 1825–1826.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ohrid</span> 1464 battle between Albanian and Ottoman forces

The Battle of Ohrid took place on 14 or 15 September 1464 between Albanian ruler Skanderbeg's forces and Ottoman forces. A crusade against Sultan Mehmed II had been planned by Pope Pius II with Skanderbeg as one of its main leaders. The battle near Ohrid occurred as a result of an Albanian incursion into Ottoman territory. The Ottomans stationed in the area were assaulted by Skanderbeg's men and 1,000 Venetian soldiers under Cimarosto. The Ottomans were lured out of their protections in Ohrid and ambushed by the Albanian cavalry. Skanderbeg won the resulting battle and his men earned 40,000 ducats after captured Ottoman officers were ransomed. Pius II died before the planned crusade began, however, forcing Skanderbeg to fight his battles virtually alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of the Acropolis (1826–1827)</span>

The Second Siege of the Acropolis in 1826–1827 during the Greek War of Independence involved the siege of the Acropolis of Athens, the last fortress still held by the Greek rebels in Central Greece, by the forces of the Ottoman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Krazeisen</span>

Karl August Krazeisen was a Bavarian soldier, philhellene and portraitist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ioannis Notaras</span> Greek general

Ioannis or Giannakis Notaras was a Greek general of the Greek War of Independence. He was killed in 1827 during the Battle of Phaleron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgios Drakos</span> Souliote commander and fighter

Georgios Drakos was a Souliot chieftain of the Greek War of Independence.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Paparigopoulos, K, History of the Greek Nation (Greek edition), vol. 6, p. 176-178
  2. ↑ The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. Vol. 54. Century Company. 1897. p. 144. Retrieved 2012-02-01.
  3. ↑ David Brewer, The Greek War of Independence, p 301–303
  4. ↑ Paparigopoulos, K, History of the Greek Nation (Greek edition), vol. 6, p. 178.
  5. 1 2 Smith, William (1857). History of Greece. London: Hickling, Swan and Brewer. p. 626.
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.