The Battle of Vasilika was fought between

Greek revolutionaries Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

Battle

After the battle of Alamana, the route to Eastern

Central Greece Continental Greece ( el, Στερεά Ελλάδα, Stereá Elláda; formerly , ''Chérsos Ellás''), colloquially known as Roúmeli (Ρούμελη), is a traditional geographic region of Greece. In English, the area is usually called Central ...

and

Morea The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman ...

was clear for the Ottoman armies. During the

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

1821 Events January–March * January 21 – Peter I Island in the Antarctic is first sighted, by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. * January 28 – Alexander Island, the largest in Antarctica, is first discovered by Fabian Gottlieb von Be ...

, an Ottoman force of 5,000-8,000 men under the command of Behram Pasha campaigned south to quell the

Greek revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

and lift the

siege of Tripolitsa The siege of Tripolitsa or fall of Tripolitsa ( el, Άλωση της Τριπολιτσάς, Álosi tis Tripolitsás, ), also known as the Tripolitsa massacre ( tr, Tripoliçe katliamı), was an early victory of the revolutionary Greek forces ...

. To intercept this expedition, the revolutionaries under the command of

Yannis Gouras Yiannis Gouras ( el, Γιάννης Γκούρας; 1771 – 1826) was a Greece, Greek military leader during the Greek War of Independence. A cousin of Panourgias, he distinguished himself in the battles in eastern Continental Greece, but becam ...

and Ioannis Dyovouniotis assembled in the desolate village of Vasilika of

Phthiotis Phthiotis ( el, Φθιώτιδα, ''Fthiótida'', ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιῶτις) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is border ...

, where the road led to a long and narrow path. On

7 September Events Pre-1600 * 70 – A Roman army under Titus occupies and plunders Jerusalem. * 878 – Louis the Stammerer is crowned as king of West Francia by Pope John VIII. * 1159 – Pope Alexander III is chosen. *1191 – Third C ...

, the Turkish forces attempted to continue their march through Vasilika, but they engaged with the revolutionaries and fierce battle ensued. The Greeks, after using their firearms, they

assaulted An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

the Ottomans since they had heard a rumor that

Odysseas Androutsos Odysseas Androutsos ( el, Οδυσσέας Ανδρούτσος; 1788 – 1825; born Odysseas Verousis el, Οδυσσέας Βερούσης) was a Greek military and political commander in eastern mainland Greece and a prominent figure of the ...

, a prominent military captain of Eastern Central Greece, was approaching the battlefield to reinforce them. The Ottomans suffered heavy casualties, and eventually they retreated to

Lamia LaMia Corporation S.R.L., operating as LaMia (short for ''Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación''), was a Bolivian charter airline headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as an EcoJet subsidiary. It had its origins from the failed ...

, leaving many of their war supplies and seven cannons behind. They also knocked down the bridge of Alamana to prevent the Greeks from pursuing them. The battle of Vasilika was a significant victory for the revolutionaries since Behram Pasha’s large army were successfully repulsed. Furthermore, the Sublime Porte was unable to organize another campaign until

1822 Events January–March * January 1 – The Greek Constitution of 1822 is adopted by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus. *January 3 - The famous French explorer, Aimé Bonpland, is made prisoner in Paraguay accused of being a spy. ...

, thus the Greeks gained the opportunity to regroup. This victory prevented the Ottoman army in central Greece from entering the Peloponnese and relieving the Ottoman garrisons besieged by the Greeks.

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vasilika Battles involving Greece Battles involving the Ottoman Empire Conflicts in 1821 Battles of the Greek War of Independence 1821 in Greece August 1821 events Central Greece in the Greek War of Independence History of Phthiotis