Greece Rose Up Against the Ottomans 51 Years Before Independence. Russia Abandoned Them

In February 1770, a Greek uprising erupted in the Peloponnese with Russian backing, 51 years before the revolution that finally broke Ottoman rule. The revolt became known as the Orlovika, named after the Russian brothers Alexios and Theodoros Orlov, who organized the intervention during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768 to 1774.

Theodoros Orlov landed in the Mani region on February 28, 1770, and the rebellion spread quickly. Greek fighters seized Mystras and set up a provisional government under Nikolaos Psaros. The uprising soon extended to Epirus, Crete, and much of the rest of the Peloponnese.

Three days after the slaughter, the remaining Russian soldiers boarded their ships and sailed away, leaving the Greeks behind to face the consequences alone.

The critical moment came in March 1770. Russian captain Barkov was ordered to take Tripolitsa, marching on the city with roughly 8,000 Greek revolutionaries and just 50 Russian soldiers. Before they reached the walls, around a thousand battle-hardened Turkish-Albanian soldiers broke through the siege line at the Isthmus of Corinth and reinforced the city's garrison.

The final battle took place at Trikorfon March 29. After just thirty minutes of fighting, a tactical maneuver by the Ottoman forces broke the Greek lines. The retreat turned into a rout, with fighters abandoning their weapons and falling back under heavy pursuit.

What followed was a massacre. Ottoman forces killed approximately 3,000 Greeks inside the city, among them Archbishop Anthimos and several other clergy. Three days after the slaughter, the remaining Russian soldiers boarded their ships and sailed away from the Peloponnese, leaving the Greeks behind to face the consequences alone.

The Orlovika was crushed. Greece would wait another 51 years before its next attempt succeeded.