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Siege of Missolonghi
Part of the Greek War of Independence
Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi (1827, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Bordeaux)
Date 1826 Location Missolonghi, Greece Result Ottoman Victory
Combatants
Greek rebels	Ottoman Empire
Commanders
Notis Botsaris	Ibrahim Pasha
Strength
5000 soldiers	-
Casualties
8000 soldiers and civilians	-

The Siege of Missolongi was fought in the Greek War of Independence by the Ottoman Empire and the revolting Greeks. The Ottomans failed to capture the city in 1824, but they came 1826 with a stronger force of infantry and a stronger navy supporting the infantry. The Greeks held out for several months before they attempted a mass break out. The Ottomans were informed by a traitor and once the Greeks broke out they were caught in a cross over.

Contents 1 Prelude 2 The Siege 3 The Escape Plan 4 The Escape 5 Aftermath 6 Sources

Missolonghi was first besieged by the Ottomans in 1824. 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 1825, however, Lord Byron died of an illness.

Shortly after Byron's death in 1825, the Turks came to besiege the Greeks again. The commander of the Turks, Reshid 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 Republic of the Ionian Islands, Sir Fredrick 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.

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.

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.^{[citation needed]} The rest of the Greeks were slaughtered or sold into slavery.^{[citation needed]} The Turks displayed 3,000 severed heads off the walls.^{[citation needed]}

After this incident many people from western Europe felt sympathy for the Greek cause. Within four years Missolonghi fell into Greek hands again.

• Peter Parouakis. The Greeks: Their Struggle for Independence. ISBN 0-9590894-0-3

Coordinates: 38°22′06″N, 21°25′42″E