Fortresses of the Peloponnese, Ottoman Defences and the Greek Revolution (1821–1828)

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Published: Dec 29, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/historein.24491
Keywords:
Peloponnese Greek Revolution 1821 fortress Methoni Koroni Corinth Navarino Ottoman Empire Muslims Greeks
Dilek Özkan Pantazis
MSCA postdoctoral fellow at the Cyprus Institute
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4166-5167
Abstract

During the Greek Revolution, the fortresses of the Peloponnese played a crucial role, serving as key defensive positions, sanctuaries for those seeking refuge from violence and sites for negotiations between the Ottoman forces and Greek revolutionaries. By maintaining control over a handful of fortresses in the Morea, the Ottomans were able to monitor the progress of the uprisings. However, their claim to rule persisted until they were eventually compelled to evacuate by French forces in 1828. This article seeks to address the Ottoman presence in the Peloponnese. It explores the whereabouts of Ottoman forces, their defensive strategies against the Greek revolutionaries and the factors that contributed to their successes or failures in confronting the Greek forces. Additionally, it delves into the impact of the physical characteristics of the fortresses, the geography of the region and the weather conditions during the Greek uprising. Focusing primarily on the fortresses of the Peloponnese, the article draws from Ottoman archival documents to shed light on the Ottoman perspective of the Greek revolts.

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Author Biography
Dilek Özkan Pantazis, MSCA postdoctoral fellow at the Cyprus Institute

Dilek Özkan Pantazis is currently an MSCA postdoctoral fellow at the Cyprus Institute with her project SEABORD, funded by the EU as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, 2022. She is also affiliated as an Academic Fellow with the Research Center of Humanities (RCH) in Athens. Previously, she held positions as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Macedonia in the Department of Balkan, Slavic and Oriental Studies (2019–2023). She was also a visiting scholar fellow at the University of Graz, Center for Southeast European Studies (2020–2021), and a Visiting Academic Scholar at the University of Oxford, Faculty of Oriental Studies (2016–2017). In 2016, she obtained her PhD from the University of Athens, focusing on the first Ottoman-Greek borders in the borderland of Thessaly and Ottoman modernisation. Additionally, she holds an MA in History from Boğaziçi University (2010) and a BA in History from Istanbul Bilgi University (2005). Her research interests center around Ottoman-Greek relations, borders, and migration flows in Southeast Europe.

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