Battle of Doliana

The Battle of Doliana took place during the Greek War of Independence on 18 May 1821. Due to lack of sources, the numbers and the event is still unclear.

Battle of Doliana
Part of the Greek War of Independence

The house in which Nikitaras was fort upped has been transformed into a museum
Date18 May 1821
Location
Ano Doliana, Greece
Result Greek victory
Belligerents
Greek revolutionaries  Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Nikitaras Kâhya Mustafa Bey
Mehmed Salih Agha
Sieh Necip
Strength
c.3000 4000
Casualties and losses
2 dead
12 wounded[1]		 70 dead

Battle

The Ottoman army met up with a Greek force of 200 men under Nikitas Stamatelopoulos (Greek:Νικήτας Σταματελόπουλος), better known as "Nikitaras" (Greek:Νικηταράς). A force of 2,500 Greek soldiers were also at Vervena.

The Greeks, though outnumbered, managed to knock out the Ottoman artillery and spread panic among their enemies, who left 70 dead on the battlefield and much booty. Nikitaras, who had up to that point lived in the shadow of his uncle Theodoros Kolokotronis, earned a name for himself and the nickname "Tourkofagos" (Greek: Τουρκοφάγος) (Turk-eater). Legend says that after the battle his sword got stuck to his hand and could not be removed.

Significance

The victorious Battle of Doliana was a big morale boost for the irregular Greek army. It marked the last time the besieged Ottoman army left Tripoli, and it opened the way for the fall of the city and the firm establishment of the independence movement in the Peloponnese.

References
  1. According to Spyridon Trikoupis
  • This article uses text taken from Phantis.com, a GFDL wiki.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.