Editing Orlov Revolt

{{Short description|Greek uprising against Ottoman rule in 1770}}

{{Infobox event
| title = Orlov Revolt
| date = February – 17 June 1770
| location = [[Peloponnese]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| type = Uprising
| cause = Russian support for an uprising during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774
| participants = {{ubl|Greek insurgents|Russian forces|Ottoman forces}}
| outcome = Ottoman victory
| era = [[Stamvader Era]]
}}

The '''Orlov Revolt''', also known as the '''Orlofika''' (Greek: Ορλωφικά), was a Greek uprising against [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774. It began in February 1770 after a Russian naval expedition reached the southern [[Peloponnese]] and encouraged local Greek forces to revolt. Fighting spread through the peninsula and also reached [[Crete]]. Ottoman forces defeated the uprising by June 1770.<ref name="peloponnese-history"/>

== Background ==

The Ottoman Empire had controlled most of the Peloponnese since the fifteenth century. Venice occupied the peninsula between 1685 and 1715, after which Ottoman rule was restored.<ref name="peloponnese-history"/> Much of [[Greece]] remained under Ottoman rule during the eighteenth century.<ref name="greece-history"/>

Russia entered a new war with the Ottoman Empire in 1768 and sought to encourage revolts among Orthodox Christian populations under Ottoman rule. Before the Russian fleet reached Greece, Russian agents contacted Greek leaders and attempted to organize support for an uprising. George Papazolis, a Greek officer in Russian service, was among those who established contacts in the Peloponnese. Local support was strongest in Mani, where armed communities retained a high degree of autonomy from Ottoman administration.

Greek leaders who supported the planned revolt expected substantial Russian military assistance. The expedition sent to the Mediterranean was primarily naval, leaving only a limited number of Russian personnel available for operations on land.

== Revolt ==

Russian ships reached Mani in February 1770. Greek fighters joined Russian officers and troops and began operations against Ottoman positions in the southern Peloponnese. The uprising spread into Messenia and Laconia, while armed groups elsewhere also challenged Ottoman authority.

The rebels temporarily controlled parts of the countryside and attacked Ottoman-held towns and fortresses. Russian and Greek forces occupied Navarino, giving the Russian fleet a base on the western coast. An attempt to capture Koroni failed after its Ottoman garrison resisted a prolonged siege. Insurgent forces also failed to take Tripolitsa, an important Ottoman administrative centre in the interior.

The uprising lacked a unified command. Most Greek forces remained under local leaders, while the Russian expedition continued to concentrate on the wider naval campaign against the Ottoman Empire. The smaller Russian land force could not sustain the scale of fighting expected by the insurgents.

Related resistance developed outside the Peloponnese. In Crete, Daskalogiannis led an uprising in Sfakia after receiving assurances of Russian support. The Cretan rebels received little direct military assistance and faced a separate Ottoman campaign.

== Suppression ==

The Ottoman government sent reinforcements into the Peloponnese during the spring of 1770. Albanian troops serving the Ottoman side formed an important part of the counteroffensive. The reinforcements attacked insurgent-held territory while Ottoman garrisons continued to hold the principal fortified positions.

Greek forces lost their early territorial gains as the counteroffensive advanced. Russian personnel withdrew toward the coast and abandoned the main land campaign. Ottoman forces restored control over the Peloponnese by 17 June 1770.<ref name="peloponnese-history"/>

The suppression was followed by extensive violence in the peninsula. Albanian troops remained active after the organized revolt had collapsed and attacked settlements during the following years. Civilians were killed, property was looted and families left areas affected by the fighting. Ottoman authorities later acted against Albanian forces that had remained in the region after they became increasingly difficult to control.

The uprising in Crete was also defeated. Daskalogiannis surrendered to Ottoman authorities in 1771 after the destruction of Sfakian settlements and was subsequently executed.

== Aftermath ==

The Russo-Turkish War continued after the revolt. Russian naval operations in the Mediterranean produced a major victory over the Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Çeşme in July 1770. The wider war ended with the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in 1774, which increased Russian influence in Ottoman affairs.

The Peloponnese remained under Ottoman rule after the uprising. The revolt left parts of the peninsula economically damaged and contributed to population displacement. Armed instability continued after the main fighting because troops brought into the region during the suppression remained there.

The Orlov Revolt later formed part of the history of Greek resistance to Ottoman rule before the Greek War of Independence of 1821. The events of 1770 also affected later Greek attitudes toward Russian intervention, particularly after the military support expected by the insurgents proved insufficient to sustain the uprising.

== See also ==
* [[Peloponnese]]
* [[Greece]]
* [[Ottoman Empire]]
* [[Crete]]
* [[Stamvader Era]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="peloponnese-history">"[[Peloponnese#History|History]]". ''Peloponnese''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="greece-history">"[[Greece#History|History]]". ''Greece''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
}}

[[Category:Events]]
[[Category:Greece]]
[[Category:Stamvader Era]]