A small Greek force of ~120 men repulsed an Ottoman army of 8,000–9,000, forcing a retreat that allowed Greeks to consolidate control of the Peloponnese.
Key Facts
- Greek force size
- ~120 men
- Ottoman force size
- 8,000–9,000 men with artillery
- Greek commander
- Odysseas Androutsos
- Ottoman commander
- Omer Vrioni and Köse Mehmed
- Greek casualties
- Minimal
- Battle date
- 8 May 1821
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Alamana and the execution of Athanasios Diakos, Omer Vrioni led an army of approximately 11,000 men southward with the intention of crushing the Greek revolution by attacking the Peloponnese, where Greek forces had been making significant gains.
Odysseas Androutsos and roughly 120 Greek fighters barricaded themselves inside an old inn at Gravia and repulsed repeated Ottoman assaults. Under cover of night, while the Ottomans paused to bring up cannons, the Greeks slipped away into the mountains, having inflicted heavy Ottoman casualties while suffering very few of their own.
The defeat at the inn compelled Omer Vrioni to abandon his advance and retreat to Euboea. This allowed Greek revolutionary forces to consolidate their hold over the Peloponnese unimpeded, ultimately enabling them to capture Tripoli, the Ottoman administrative capital of the Peloponnese.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Odysseas Androutsos, Yannis Gouras, Angelis Govios.
Side B
1 belligerent
Omer Vrioni, Köse Mehmed.