Third Siege of Missolonghi

Significance

The third siege of Missolonghi was the Ottoman Empire's third attempt to take the city, having failed in 1822 and 1823. This time the Ottomans committed a force of 20,000 against roughly 5,000 Greek defenders, supported by a stronger naval presence. The Greeks held out for nearly a year before exhausting their food supplies and attempting a mass breakout that ended in disaster, with casualties among the Greek side reaching 8,000. The scale of the losses and the reported atrocities generated sympathy among the Great Powers, whose subsequent intervention proved decisive in the broader Greek War of Independence. The fall of Missolonghi thus marked a turning point not through Greek military success but through the political consequences of Greek defeat, drawing external support that ultimately secured independence.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (8)