Filiki Etaireia leader Alexandros Ypsilantis crossed the Prut River into Ottoman-ruled Moldavia, issuing proclamations meant to spark a wider anti-Ottoman revolt and encourage outside support. This northern front soon faltered but is commonly treated as the opening move of the revolution.
Greek revolutionary forces seized Kalamata in the Peloponnese and organized early local administration (often cited via the formation of the Messenian Senate). The event helped consolidate the uprising in the Morea.
Revolutionary forces under Theodoros Kolokotronis defeated Ottoman troops near Valtetsi, strengthening the insurgents’ position in the central Peloponnese and tightening pressure on Ottoman Tripolitsa (Tripoli).
In Wallachia, Ottoman forces defeated Ypsilantis’ units (including the Sacred Band) at Drăgășani. The loss marked the collapse of the Danubian/Principalities phase of the revolt.
After a prolonged siege, Greek forces captured Tripolitsa, a key Ottoman administrative and military center in the Peloponnese. The fall was followed by mass killing of Muslim and Jewish inhabitants, an episode that shaped the war’s escalating cycles of violence.
The First National Assembly at Epidaurus adopted a declaration proclaiming Greek independence and began building revolutionary-era institutions by adopting a provisional constitutional framework.
Ottoman forces carried out mass killings, enslavement, and displacement on Chios after unrest on the island. The catastrophe intensified European public sympathy (philhellenism) and influenced perceptions of the conflict abroad.
Greek fireship captain Konstantinos Kanaris destroyed the Ottoman flagship off Chios in a dramatic night attack, widely treated as retaliation for the island’s recent devastation and a major morale and propaganda victory for the Greek naval war effort.
Delegates meeting at Astros revised the earlier constitutional arrangements, adjusted the balance between executive and legislative authority, and sought to improve governance amid mounting military and political strains.
After nearly a year under siege by Ottoman and Egyptian forces, Missolonghi was captured following a desperate breakout attempt (the "Exodus"). The event became a powerful symbol internationally and deepened calls for intervention.
The Third National Assembly at Troezen created the office of Governor and elected Ioannis Kapodistrias for a seven-year term, aiming to unify administration and strengthen Greece’s diplomatic position with the Great Powers.
The United Kingdom, France, and Russia signed the Treaty of London, committing to mediate an end to the fighting and laying groundwork for coordinated intervention that soon culminated in direct naval action.
A British-French-Russian fleet destroyed much of the Ottoman–Egyptian fleet at Navarino Bay. The decisive naval battle effectively shifted the strategic balance, making Greek statehood far more attainable.
Kapodistrias reached Greece and began the difficult work of building central institutions and negotiating borders and international recognition while the war’s final phase unfolded.
Greek forces defeated an Ottoman column at Petra in Boeotia. The engagement is widely cited as the last battle of the war, closing the revolutionary military campaign on land.
The Russo–Turkish War ended with the Treaty of Adrianople (Edirne). Among its consequences, the Ottoman Empire acknowledged Greece as an autonomous (though still tributary) state—an important step toward full independence.
Britain, France, and Russia signed the London Protocol formally recognizing Greece as a sovereign and independent state—an essential diplomatic milestone that ended the war in international terms.
Greek War of Independence (1821–1829)
