Greek War of Independence
- Date
- 1821–1832 (independence recognised 1832)
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- Greece and the eastern Mediterranean
- Era
- Modern
- Significance
The Greek War of Independence (1821–1832) was the first successful nationalist revolt to break a European people away from the Ottoman Empire, making the Greeks the first Ottoman subject nation to win recognition as an independent sovereign state.
Beginning with revolts in the Peloponnese in March 1821, the insurgents declared independence in January 1822 but faced near-collapse as Ottoman and Egyptian forces reconquered much of the country. The cause attracted intense European sympathy — the philhellenic movement, embodied by figures such as Lord Byron, drew on Romantic nationalism and admiration for classical Greece. Great-power intervention proved decisive: a combined British, French and Russian fleet destroyed the Ottoman-Egyptian navy at Navarino in 1827. The London Protocol of February 1830 declared Greece an independent monarchical state, and the Treaty of Constantinople of July 1832 confirmed Ottoman recognition, with the Bavarian prince Otto installed as king. The Greek revolution demonstrated that nationalist movements could succeed against the conservative Vienna order when backed by great-power interests, and it inspired later struggles among the Balkan and other subject peoples of the Ottoman Empire. It marked an early crack in the principle of legitimacy and signalled the rising force of national self-determination.
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Empires active in 1821–1832 (independence recognised 1832)
- Russian Empire1721 CE – 1917 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Qing Dynasty1636 CE – 1912 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Mughal Empire1526 CE – 1857 CE
Related military & conflict events
- Battle of Waterloo18 June 1815
- Napoleon's invasion of RussiaJune–December 1812
- Haiti declares independence after a successful slave revolution1 January 1804
- First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanking1839–1842 (Treaty of Nanking, 29 August 1842)
- The Taiping Rebellion1850–1864
- American Civil War and the abolition of slavery1861–1865 (Emancipation Proclamation 1 January 1863; 13th Amendment ratified 6 December 1865)
Also relevant
Further reading
The wider story
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
Fast-paced narrative of Portugal's seaborne empire.
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