Battle of Skuleni

The Battle of Skuleni (or Battle of Sculeni) was fought on June 29, 1821 in Sculeni, Moldavia between the Ottoman forces of Sultan Mahmud II and Greek forces led by Prince George Catakouzenos.[1] When the Ottomans crossed the river in Iaşi (i.e. Bahlui) on June 25, 1821, Lieutenant Catakouzenos and his forces (first stationed on the Russian frontier) crossed the Pruth River.[2] The Turks possessed a military that outnumbered the Greeks at approximately ten to one.[3] Catacouzenos imitated the retreat of Alexander Ypsilantis to Austria after the Battle of Dragashani by fleeing to Russia. However, his forces, made up of around 500 young Greek soldiers (Edwin Emerson places the number at 400 soldiers[4]), wanted to stay and fight against the Turks. Approximately one-fourth of the Greek army during the battle fled by swimming across the Pruth. The remaining soldiers continued to fight until they were either killed by the Turks or by the stream itself. The Russians, positioned on the opposite bank of the river, applauded the bravery of the Greeks. Giorgakis Olympios, a military leader who commanded an army in Wallachia, was garrisoned in the Moldovan Secu Monastery. Giorgakis fought until the Turks stormed the monastery and forced him to light powder-kegs from which he perished in the explosion. However, Giorgakis had a Macedonian comrade by the name of Yiannis Pharmakis who continued the fight for a fortnight longer. However, Pharmakis surrendered on October 4, 1821 on the promise that his life would be spared. Unfortunately, the promise was not kept by the Ottomans and Pharmakis was ultimately decapitated in Constantinople.[5] After the battle, all Greek uprisings in the north (Danubian provinces of the Ottoman Empire) ceased.[6]


References

  1. ^ Miller, p. 69.
  2. ^ Phillips, p. 43.
  3. ^ Emerson, p. 673.
  4. ^ Emerson, p. 673.
  5. ^ Miller, p. 69.
  6. ^ Phillips, p. 43.


Sources

  • Emerson, Edwin. A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year. P. E. Collier and Son, 1901 (New York Public Library).
  • Miller, William. The Ottoman Empire and Its Successors, 1801-1927. Routledge, 1966.
  • Phillips, Walter Alison. The War of Greek Independence, 1821 to 1833. Smith, Elder and Company, 1897 (University of Michigan).



Battle of Sculeni
Date June 29, 1821
Location Sculeni, Moldavia
Result Ottoman Victory
Combatants
Greek rebels Ottoman Empire
Commanders
Prince George Catakouzenos, Giorgakis Olympios Sultan Mahmud II
Strength
500 soldiers 5000 soldiers
Casualties
375 soldiers

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