Siege of Kastania

Map of Greece with Mani highlighted.

Date	1780
Location	Kastania, Mani
Result	Ottoman victory

Belligerents

Maniots
Klephts

Ottoman Empire

Commanders and leaders

Konstantinos Kolokotronis †
Panagiotaros Venetsakis †

Ali Bey

Strength

about 400 men and civilians

10,000 men

Casualties and losses

Unknown

The Siege of Kastania was fought in July 1780 between the Maniots and the klephts under Konstantinos Kolokotronis and Panagiotaros Venetsakis and the Ottoman Empire under Ali Bey.

The Orlov Revolt of 1770 was a disaster for the Greeks that revolted against the Ottomans and the Maniots, who were the only free Greeks in mainland Greece. The Ottomans forced the Maniots to pay tribute annually and to have a bey who came from Mani. Even though the Maniots were bottled by the fierce Turko-Albanian soldiers who ravaged the Peloponnese they still managed to cause damage to the Ottomans with their pirate ships and with raids into Laconia. Amongst the most prominent were Konstantinos Kolokotronis and Panagiotaros Venetsakis.

From their towers in Kastania they attacked Ottoman lands and caused much damage. The pasha of the Peloponnese, Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha, was preparing his invasion of Mani and decided that it was necessary to exterminate the Kastania menace. When his fleet arrived at Gytheio he sent 10,000 men under the command of his second in command, Ali Bey, to deal with them.

The Maniots had heard that Ali Bey and Panagiotaros sent a man to his father-in-law Tzanetos Grigorakis to bring a relief force. But Tzanetos was busy preparing the rest of the Maniot army with his uncle Exarchos Grigorakis near their home town of Skoutari. They resigned to the fact that they would have to fight alone.

By the time the Ottomans reached Kastania from Gytheio the defenders were ready for the siege. The Maniots had gathered ammunition and food to last for around a dozen days. They tried to evacuate the children and women but their attempt were thwarted by the fact that they refused to go. The defence was mainly concentrated around Kolokotronis', Panagiotaros' and Panagiotaros' father's tower-houses. The elder Panagiotaros was over 80 years old at the time and had been a renowned klepht when he was younger.

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