GREECE PELOPONNESE MESSINIA PYLOS NAVARINO

Navarino Bay

Navarino Bay is a large natural harbour, about 5 km long and 3 km wide, on the Southwest coast of the Peloponnese. It is sheltered from the open sea by the narrow, uninhabited islet of Sphakteria (modern Sphagia), leaving only two entrances to the bay. Of these, the northern one (Sykia Straits) is just 100 m wide and very shallow. Larger boats can only use the southern entrance near modern Pylos, which was guarded since 1573 by the Turkish castle Niokastron. - Bronze Age Pylos ("the Palace of Nestor") is located at Ano Englianos, about 12 km northeast of the bay.

On the north side of Navarino Bay, a narrow spit of land cuts off the lagoon, which is a major damp biotope visited by a vast number of migratory birds. The peninsula of ancient Koryphasion on its seaward side was already settled in Mycenaean times. To the north of this is Voidokoilia, described on a separate page.

The name "Navarino" comes from the Avars, a nomadic people of Eurasia, who invaded the region in the 7th century AD. In the Middle Ages, Pylos was still named Avarino.

The area played an important role in the Peloponnesian War. In 425 BC, the Athenians under the command of Demosthenes defeated the Spartan fleet at Pylos and as a result over 400 Spartan soldiers were isolated on Sphakteria. After a siege of 72 days, the Athenian troops attacked. On the brink of annihilation, 292 surviving Spartans surrendered - 120 were men of the elite Spartiate class, a significant amount of the class on which Spartan government was based. This outcome shook the Greek world. It had been supposed that Spartans would never surrender. Now, Athens had Spartiate hostages and issued an ultimatum. Sphakteria had changed the nature of the war.

The Naval Battle of Navarino

Another naval battle at Navarino was even more decisive: it took place on 20th October 1827 and was a major step towards the independence of Greece. - The Ottoman Empire had ruled Greece for over three centuries, when an uprising of Greek nationalists in 1821 started the Greek War of Independence. In May 1827, an independent Greek State was declared, but the rebellion seemed close to failure. Since 1825, Egyptian troops supported the Turks and followed a scorched earth policy which threatened the population with starvation. At this crucial point, the Greek cause was rescued by the decision of three European great powers, Great Britain, France and Russia, to intervene.

Below left: Oil painting by Ivan Aivazovsky, "Battle of Navarino".

To make a show of force, an Allied fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Codrington, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar, entered Navarino bay where the Ottoman / Egyptian fleet anchored. At this point, 22 Allied warships with a total of 1258 cannons faced 78 Ottoman vessels with 2180 cannons. On the other hand, the Allied inferiority in numbers was compensated by their higher firepower and crew quality. When the Ottomans started hostilities, crushing broadsides were exchanged at a close range. Within 4 hours, nearly the entire Ottoman fleet had been destroyed, leaving only 8 boats seaworthy. Ottoman casualties were 3000 killed, 1109 wounded; Allied casualties were 181 killed, 480 wounded. The battle irreparably crippled Ottoman / Egyptian seapower, leaving their troops on the Peloponnese in an untenable position.

Above right: A monument for the British sailors killed in the battle is on the small islet of Chelonaki. Other monuments are on Sphakteria.