Battle of Dragashani

Battle context

The Battle of Drăgășani was fought between Ottoman forces of Sultan Mahmud II and Greek Filiki Etaireia insurgents in Wallachia on 19 June 1821, placing it among the opening engagements of the Greek War of Independence. The encounter involved commanders of the Sacred Band — Alexandros Ypsilantis, Nikolaos Ypsilantis, Giorgakis Olympios, and Athanasios Tsakalov — facing an Ottoman force of approximately 2,000 troops. As one of the early clashes of the independence movement north of the Danube, the battle reflected the Filiki Etaireia's attempt to open a northern front in Wallachia, a campaign that ultimately failed to secure the broader Romanian principalities as a base for the Greek uprising.