Battle Of Poros, 1831

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Battle of Poros -
1st July - 1st August 1831

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Battle of Poros Site Index -

The research was too extensive to fit on one page and so this site has been prepared :-

Battle of Poros Index :
This page, introducing the site to visitors.

Setting the Scene :
Outlining the positions of all concerned at the commencement of the Battle.

July 1st-14th 1831 :
The seizure of the Fleet by MIaoulis and the immediate response.

July 24th-27th 1831 :
Land operations near Galatas and Poros, sea battle off Monastery Bay.

July 28th - 1st August 1831 :
Collapse of the rebellion on Poros, the destruction of ships and the sack of Poros.

Aftermath of the Battle of Poros :
Kapodistrias's assassination, the Roumeliot revolt and the appointment of King Otto.

Poros Harbour - old cannon overlooking where the 'Hellas' went down

Introduction :

The Battle of Poros was the first serious civil war between the newly-formed Government of Greece under I. Kapodistrias and insurgents under Admiral A. Miaoulis of Hydra. At that time, the three nations who had destroyed the Turkish fleet at Navarino Bay were seen as useful protectors, so three different parties had emerged in support of each nation as a permanent protector. Despite having its own Governor, Greece was still very much a disparate group of communities, with their main link being language and the Greek Orthodox Church. Kapodistrias had come to power with the support of the 'Russian' faction, but Miaoulis and the 'English' faction wanted to operate under a British protectorate, as the Ionian islands had done for some years. The transition from dependents of one nation or another to independence as the Greek (Hellenic) state took some time to enter the national consciousness, with the Battle of Poros as its most painful episode.

It is hoped that this site will encourage debate about the events that took place, although it is recognised that opinions may differ on the degree of heroism of one individual or another. The writer has done his best to achieve a balanced view of a terrible event. Any opinions expressed are either those of the writer or references to the following sources :-

Major Sources :

Finlay : History of the Greek Revolution. Volume 2. Published 1861. Public domain copy on Google
Excellent summary of events from the perspective of an outside observer from England. Unforgiving to Kapodistrias and other participants. Russian Admiral Richord considered as another villain of the piece. Miaoulis and others considered purely heroic. Useful, but needs to be more sympathetic to the Greeks, who were very much the victims of events others controlled.

The Life of Thomas Lord Cochrane, Tenth Earl of Dundonald GCB. Published . Public domain copy on Google
Remarkable account of the life of this visionary Admiral, the Greek portion of which involved his sponsorship of the two steamships 'Karteria' and 'Astinx', the first Greek gunboats. Admired by Admiral Miaoulis for his achievements and given his support. Remarkable details of the campaign.

Professor Kostas Kiriakopoulos : 'POROS - TRIZINA'. published 1994. Free from Poros (Hatzopoulios) Library.
Succeeds in imparting a scholarly overview of the history of the Poros and Trizina area. Suffers slightly from typographical errors in the translation into English. A good sourcebook for this website.

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