Editing Pylos (section)

=== The Greek War of Independence of 1821 ===
{{Main|Greek War of Independence}}
[[File:I paradosi tou Neokastrou - by Hess.jpg|thumb|''Surrender of Neocastro'' during the [[Greek War of Independence]] by [[Peter von Hess]]|alt=|left]]After the outbreak of the [[Greek War of Independence]] against the Ottoman occupation in mid-March 1821, the Greeks quickly won many victories and proclaimed their independence on 1 January 1822. Navarino was besieged by the local Greeks on 29 March. The garrison, augmented by the local Muslim population of [[Kyparissia]], held out until the first week of August, when they were forced to capitulate. Despite their promise for safe conduct, the Greeks [[Navarino Massacre|massacred]] them all.<ref name="EI2" />

The Greek victories was short lived. The Sultan called for aid from his Egyptian vassal [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali]], who dispatched his son [[Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt]] to Greece with a fleet and 8,000 men, and later added 25,000 troops.<ref name=":8">''An Index of events in the military history of the Greek nation.'', Hellenic Army General Staff, Army History Directorate, Athens, 1998, pp. 51 and 54. {{ISBN|960-7897-27-7}}</ref> Ibrahim's intervention proved decisive: the region of Pylos fell on 18 May 1825 after the battles of [[Battle of Sphacteria (1825)|Sphacteria]] (8 May) and [[battle of Neokastro|Neokastro]] (11 May), much of the [[Peloponnese]] was reconquered in 1825; the gateway town of [[Siege of Messolonghi (1825)|Messolonghi]] fell in 1826; and Athens was taken in 1827. The only territory still held by Greek nationalists was in [[Nafplion]], [[Mani Peninsula|Mani]], [[Hydra, Saronic Islands|Hydra]], [[Spetses]] and [[Aegina]].<ref name=":7">C. M. Woodhouse, ''The Philhellenes'', London, Hodder et Stoughton, 1969, 192 <abbr>p.</abbr></ref>