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| The ] was fought from the Greeks' declaration of indepdence from the ] on ] (now Greek Independence Day) ] until the modern state of Greece was granted independence by the ] in July ]. | |||
| The ] had ruled all of Greece, with the exception of the ] since its conquest of the ] over the course of the ] and ] centuries (see: ]). But in the 18th and 19th century, as revolutionary nationalism grew across Europe (due, in part, to the influence of the ]), and the power of the Ottoman Empire declined, Greek ] began to assert itself and drew support from Western European "]". In ], Greek nationalists formed a secret organization called the Friendly Society (''Filiki Eteria'') was formed in ]. With the support of wealthy Greek exile communities in ] and the ], the aid of sympathisers in western Europe and covert assistance from Russia, they planned a rebellion. ], an official from the ] who had become the Russian Foreign Minister, was secured as the leader of the planned revolt. On ] ], the Orthodox Metropolitan Germanos of ] proclaimed the national uprising. Simultaneous risings were planned across Greece, including in ], Crete and Cyprus. With the advantage of surprise, and aided by Ottoman inefficiency, the Greeks succeeded in liberating the ] and some other areas. | |||
| The Ottomans soon recovered, and retaliated violently, massacring the Greek population of ] and other towns. The retribution, however, drew sympathy for the Greek cause in western Europe—although the British and French governments suspected that the uprising was a Russian plot to seize Greece and possibly Constantinople from the Ottomans. The Greeks were unable to establish a coherent government in the areas they controlled, and soon fell to fighting among themselves. Inconclusive fighting between Greeks and Ottomans continued until ], when the Sultan sent a powerful fleet and army from ] to ravage the Aegean islands and the Peloponnese. | |||
| The atrocities that accompanied this expedition, together with sympathy aroused by the tragic death of the poet and leading philhellene ] at ] in ], eventually led the western powers to intervene directly. In October ] the British and French fleets, on the initiative of local commanders but with the tacit approval of their governments, attacked and destroyed the Ottoman fleet at ]. This was the decisive moment in the war of independence. In October ] the French landed troops in the Peloponnese to stop the Ottoman atrocities. Under their protection, the Greeks were able to regroup and form a new government. They then advanced to seize as much territory as possible, including ] and ], before the western powers imposed a ceasefire. | |||
| A conference in London in March ] proposed an independent Greek state with a northern frontier running from ] to ], and including only ] and the ] among the islands. The Greeks were bitterly disappointed at these restricted frontiers, but were in no position to resist the will of Britain, France and Russia, who were largely responsible for Greek independence. By the Convention of ] ] Greece was finally recognised as a sovereign state. Capodistria, who had been Greece's unrecognised head of state since ], was assassinated in October ]. To prevent further experiments in republican government, the powers insisted the Greece be a monarchy, and the Bavarian Prince ] was chosen to be its first King. The state of affairs was formally recognized by the Turks and the European powers with the signing of the ] in July ]. | |||
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