Third Siege of Messolonghi

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Third Siege of Messolonghi
partof=the Greek War of Independence


caption="Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi" (1827, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux)
date= 15 April 1825 - 10 April 1826
place= Messolonghi, Greece
result= Ottoman victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=
commander2=
strength1=5,000
strength2=20,000 Ottomans
15,000 Ottoman auxiliaries
ca. 15,000 Egyptians
casualties1=8000 soldiers and civilians
casualties2=

The Third Siege of Messolonghi ( _el. Τρίτη Πολιορκία του Μεσσολογίου, often erroneously referred to as the Second Siege) 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, but they 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 attempted a mass breakout, which however resulted in a disaster, with the larger part of the Greeks slain.

Prelude

Messolonghi was first besieged by the Ottomans in 1822. The Ottomans blockaded the city from the sea with their navy and their infantry and artillery bombarded the walls. However, the daring Admiral Andreas Miaoulis with his group of ships kept on slipping in and out of the city to bring supplies. Amongst the defenders was Lord Byron. In late 1824, the Ottomans retreated to their bases in Thessaly. In 1824, however, Lord Byron died of an illness.

iege

Shortly after Byron's death in 1824, the Turks came to besiege the Greeks again. The commander of the Turks, Reşid Mehmed Pasha was joined by Ibrahim Pasha who crossed the Gulf of Corinth. During the early part of 1826, Ibrahim had more artillery and supply brought in. However, his men were unable to storm the walls. The High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands, Sir Frederick Adam, tried to make both forces sign a treaty, but his efforts were unsuccessful. The Greek Admiral Andreas Miaoulis kept breaking through the Turkish naval blockade and bringing in supplies. However, when the Turks captured the fortress island of Anatolikon, Miaoulis was not able to bring in supplies.

Escape Plan

The situation soon became desperate for the defenders. After around a year of holding out the leaders of the Greeks, Notis Botsaris, Kitsos Tzavelas and Makris made a plan to escape the city. Georgios Karaiskakis would attack the Turks from the rear and create a diversion while the besieged Greeks would escape the city. Of the 9,000 inhabitants only 7,000 were strong enough to take part. The people that stayed behind knew they had a certain fate.

Escape

The Muslims had been made aware of the escape plan by traitors. When the refugees charged out of the city gates they were fired upon by Muslims from defensive positions. Many of the Greeks panicked and fled inside the walls. Of the 7,000 people that tried to escape only 1,000 made it to safety. The next morning Palm Sunday the Turks entered the city. Many of the Greeks killed themselves by blowing themselves up with gunpowder rather than surrender.Fact|date=February 2007 The rest of the Greeks were slaughtered or sold into slavery.Fact|date=February 2007 The Turks displayed 3,000 severed heads off the walls.Fact|date=February 2007

Aftermath

Though a military disaster, the siege and its aftermath proved a propaganda victory for the Greek cause, and the Ottomans paid dearly for their harsh treatment of Messolonghi. After this incident, many people from Western Europe felt increased sympathy for the Greek cause, as manifested for example in the famous Delacroix painting "Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi" (1827) which appears on the top of this page.

This public sympathy for the Greeks had a significant influence on the eventual decision of Britain, France and Russia to intervene militarily in the Battle of Navarino and secure Greece's independence - with the result that, among other things, within four years Missolonghi fell into Greek hands again.

ources

*Paroulakis, Peter Harold. "The Greeks: Their Struggle for Independence". Hellenic International Press, 1984. ISBN 0-9590894-0-3.