---
title: "Battle of Navarino"
year: 1827
country: "Greece"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1827/battle-navarino"
slug: "battle-navarino"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1827-10-20"
---

# Battle of Navarino

> Battle of Navarino

On 20 October 1827, a combined British, French, and Russian fleet destroyed the Ottoman and Egyptian naval force in Navarino Bay off the Greek coast. The decisive victory dealt a crushing blow to Ottoman efforts to suppress the Greek War of Independence, effectively sealing the fate of Ottoman rule in Greece and reshaping the Eastern Mediterranean balance of power.

## Summary

The Battle of Navarino was a naval battle fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), in Navarino Bay, on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. Allied forces from Britain, France, and Russia decisively defeated Ottoman and Egyptian forces which were trying to suppress the Greeks, thereby making Greek independence much more likely. An Ottoman armada which, in addition to Imperial warships, included squadrons from the eyalets of Egypt and Regency of Algiers and Tunis, was destroyed by an Allied force of British, French and Russian warships. It was the last major naval battle in history to be fought entirely with sailing ships, although most ships fought at anchor. The Allies' victory was achieved through superior firepower and gunnery.

## Key facts

- **Date**: 20 October 1827
- **Location**: Navarino Bay, Peloponnese, Greece
- **Allied ships engaged**: 65 (British, French, Russian)
- **Ottoman-Egyptian ships engaged**: 89
- **Ottoman-Egyptian vessels destroyed or captured**: ~60
- **Allied casualties**: ~600 killed and wounded
- **Ottoman-Egyptian casualties**: ~4,000 killed and wounded
- **British commander**: Admiral Sir Edward Codrington
- **War duration**: 1821–1829

## Timeline

- **1821-03-25** - Greek War of Independence begins
  Greek revolutionaries launch coordinated uprisings across the Ottoman-controlled Peloponnese and Aegean islands.
- **1824-01-01** - Ottoman-Egyptian intervention escalates
  Egypt's Muhammad Ali Pasha sends a powerful naval and military force under his son Ibrahim Pasha to suppress Greek rebellions.
- **1827-07-06** - Treaty of London signed
  Britain, France, and Russia agree to mediate Greek independence under the Treaty of London, with naval enforcement authorized.
- **1827-10-20** - Battle of Navarino fought
  Combined Allied fleet under Admiral Codrington engages Ottoman-Egyptian fleet in Navarino Bay. Ottoman force decisively defeated; ~60 enemy vessels destroyed or captured.
- **1828-01-01** - 1828-04-01 · Russo-Turkish War begins.
  Russo-Turkish War begins in April 1828, further weakening Ottoman position in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
- **1829-03-01** - Greek independence protocol signed.
  London Protocol establishes Greece as an independent state under Allied supervision and guarantee.
- **1829-09-14** - Treaty of Adrianople signed
  Ottoman Empire cedes territorial concessions and recognizes Greek autonomy, effectively ending Ottoman military dominance in the region.

## Consequences

- **1829 - Greek independence secured**: The Ottoman Empire formally recognized Greek independence in the Treaty of Adrianople, ending the six-year war that Navarino had turned decisively in Greek favor
- **1827 - Redefinition of European naval power**: Britain, France, and Russia demonstrated coordinated naval intervention in Ottoman affairs, establishing a precedent for Western powers shaping Eastern Mediterranean politics
- **1830 - Decline of Ottoman naval dominance**: The Ottoman fleet's near-total destruction at Navarino (roughly 60 ships sunk or captured) marked the beginning of the end of Ottoman naval supremacy in the Mediterranean
- **1828 - Egyptian expansion halted**: Muhammad Ali's Egyptian forces, which had invaded Greece as Ottoman allies, withdrew after Navarino, limiting Egyptian imperial ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean
- **1828 - Russia's influence in the Balkans expanded**: Russia's participation at Navarino strengthened its role as a Balkan power, leading to the Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829) and further Ottoman territorial losses

## Then vs now

- **Ottoman naval strength in the Mediterranean**: 1827: ~100 ships → 2024: ~12 ships - Turkey operates a modern navy; the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in 1922
- **Greece's status**: 1827: Ottoman province under rebellion → 2024: Independent EU and NATO member state
- **Navarino Bay military significance**: 1827: Major Ottoman naval base → 2024: Minor Greek naval facility

## Impact

Navarino was the last major naval victory of the age of sail and the symbolic endpoint of Ottoman naval dominance. The battle crystallized European intervention in Greek independence, accelerated the collapse of Ottoman control in the Balkans, and established the great powers as arbiters of Eastern Mediterranean affairs for the next century.

## Sources

- [Battle of Navarino](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Navarino) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1827/battle-navarino