Battle of Navarino

The Battle of Navarino was a major naval engagement fought on October 20, 1827.

It took place in Navarino Bay, located on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula. This bay is part of the Ionian Sea. The battle occurred during the Greek War of Independence, which lasted from 1821 to 1829. This conflict was a struggle to liberate ethnic Greeks from Ottoman rule. The Ottoman Empire had controlled Greek lands since the 15th century.

This battle is famous because it was the last major naval battle fought entirely with sailing ships.

The conflict began when Greek nationalists revolted against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. By 1825, the war had reached a stalemate. Neither the Greeks nor the Ottomans could achieve a decisive victory. To break this deadlock, the Ottoman Sultan asked his powerful vassal, Muhammad Ali Pasha, for help. The Pasha sent his son, Ibrahim Pasha, to lead an expeditionary force. In February 1825, Ibrahim led 16,000 soldiers into the Peloponnese.

While Ibrahim overran the western part of the peninsula, he could not take the eastern section. This area was where the Greek rebel government was based at Nafplion. Despite their bravery, the Greek forces were struggling. By 1827, the Greeks had fewer than 5,000 regular troops. In contrast, the Ottomans had 25,000 soldiers in central Greece and 15,000 Egyptians in the Peloponnese. The Greek government was also nearly bankrupt.

International politics changed the course of the war. For years, Great Britain and Austria tried to keep other powers out of the fight. They wanted to prevent the Russian Empire from expanding into the Mediterranean. However, the death of Tsar Alexander in 1825 changed things. His brother, Nicholas I, took the throne and was more nationalistic. This led Britain, France, and Russia to sign the Treaty of London on July 6, 1827. The treaty demanded an armistice, or a stop to the fighting. It also required the Ottomans to grant the Greeks a degree of autonomy.

The Allied powers sent naval squadrons to enforce the treaty. The British commander was Admiral Edward Codrington. He was a famous veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar. The French were led by Rear Admiral Henri de Rigny. The Russian squadron was led by Rear Admiral Lodewijk van Heiden. The battle itself happened almost by accident. Codrington was attempting a maneuver to force the Ottoman commander to obey the treaty. This movement led to a massive clash in the bay.

The battle involved a huge number of warships. The Ottoman-Egyptian fleet was very large. Some reports suggest they had 60 warships. Other estimates say they carried as many as 1,134 guns. The Allied fleet used superior firepower and gunnery to win. Most of the ships in the battle fought while they were at anchor.

The destruction of the Ottoman Mediterranean fleet was a decisive moment. It prevented the total collapse of the fledgling Greek Republic.

Specific details about the ships show the scale of the fight. The British squadron included ships like the HMS *Asia*, which was a second-rate ship with 84 guns. The French flagship was a first-rank frigate with 60 guns. The Russian flagship was a third-rate ship with 80 guns. The Ottoman fleet included several large ships of the line. The flagship *Ghiuh Rewan* carried about 84 guns. The battle was a chaotic and intense event for the sailors involved.

Although the battle was a massive victory, it did not end the war immediately. The Greek cause still needed more support to achieve full independence. Russia had to fight the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29. France also sent an expeditionary force to the Peloponnese. These additional actions were necessary to force Ottoman troops out of southern Greece. Eventually, these efforts helped establish the modern Greek state.