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October 20, 1827199 years ago

Battle of Navarino turns the Greek War of Independence

Battle of Navarino turns the Greek War of Independence

Key facts

Location

Navarino Bay

near modern Pylos, Greece

Participants

Britain, France and Russia; Ottoman and Egyptian forces

Outcome

Decisive allied naval victory

A combined British, French and Russian fleet defeated the Ottoman–Egyptian fleet at Navarino in one of the last major battles fought by wooden sailing warships.

Greece and the European powers

By 1827 the Greek struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire had been under way for six years. Fighting, repression and humanitarian suffering drew attention across Europe. Britain, France and Russia pursued different strategic interests, yet in July 1827 they agreed in London to seek an armistice and a political settlement. The allied squadrons entered the eastern Mediterranean to press for compliance. Ottoman and Egyptian forces, including those of Ibrahim Pasha, had meanwhile continued operations in the Peloponnese. The confrontation at Navarino grew out of this tense diplomatic and military situation.

The battle in Navarino Bay

On 20 October 1827 (8 October in the Julian calendar), allied British, French and Russian ships entered Navarino Bay in southwestern Greece. Admiral Edward Codrington commanded the allied force, alongside French commander Henri de Rigny and Russian commander Login Geiden. The Ottoman–Egyptian fleet lay at anchor inside the bay. Fighting broke out at close range after rising tensions and exchanges of fire. The battle was fierce: warships exchanged cannon fire while anchored or moving slowly in confined waters, smoke obscured the view and fires spread among vessels.

Defeat of the Ottoman–Egyptian fleet

The allied force destroyed much of the Ottoman–Egyptian fleet. The loss seriously weakened Ottoman efforts to suppress the rebellion, but Greek independence was not formally established that day. Further diplomacy and military intervention were needed before an internationally recognized Greek state emerged. Navarino is remembered as one of the last major naval battles fought entirely by sailing warships. It also demonstrates how European diplomatic pressure could unexpectedly develop into armed intervention. The fighting cannot be understood solely as a contest of gunnery; its outcome changed the balance of power in the region.

The character of the fighting

Navarino’s ships carried sails rather than steam engines, but they were armed with powerful naval guns. Combat occurred largely in a crowded anchorage, where the usual image of maneuvering fleets under full sail does not describe the entire encounter. Wooden hulls were vulnerable to fire, and damaged rigging could make it impossible to escape. The allied commanders had entered the bay to exert pressure, not necessarily to initiate a general naval battle; the situation escalated rapidly. This combination of diplomacy, constrained space and concentrated cannon fire is essential to understanding why the engagement became so destructive.

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Sources

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