| Battle of Vasilika (Thessaloniki) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theGreek War of Independence | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Stamatios Kapsas | Bayram Pasha | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2,000 | ~35,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 62 | 400–800 | ||||||
TheBattle of Vasilika was fought on 10 June 1821 in Greece, between the Ottoman and the Greek forces led by the CaptainStamatios Kapsas.
During theGreek War of Independence, the region surroundingThessaloniki revolted against theOttoman authorities of the area. The local Ottomans requested reinforcements from theSublime Porte, which arrived under the lead of Bayram Pasha. The latter arrived at Thessaloniki, pillaged and burned many villages and towns surrounding the city, and increased his army to about 35,000 soldiers, including 5,000 cavalrymen.[1]
The leader of the revolution around Thessaloniki,Emmanouel Pappas, was forced to flee inPolygyros with his contingent. Then, Bayram Pasha marched against Vasilika, where about 2,000Greeks under the command of captainStamatios Kapsas were encamped and fortified. The revolutionaries, realizing that the upcoming battle would be lost, attempted to ransom their women and children to the monastery of Hagia Anastasia, but the local Ottomans thwarted this attempt, and, during this clash, many Greeks lost their lives.[1]
On 10 June 1821, Bayram Pasha stormed the camp of Vasilika. Fierce battle ensued, in which sixty-two Greek revolutionaries and some hundreds of Turkish soldiers were killed. Stamatios Kapsas himself was also killed in action, and the Greek defense collapsed shortly after his death. Most of the Greek revolutionaries retreated in Polygyros and Babdos.[1]
After the battle, Bayram Pasha continued pillaging regions that had revolted against the Ottomans. Then, Emmanouel Pappas decided to form a camp inKassandra of Chalkidiki and started assembling many civilians and recruiting Greek soldiers. But due to ammunition and food shortages, he was unable recruit a large army and, nearly six months later, on 30 October 1821, the Ottomans attacked Kassandra. The assault was proved decisive, and theTurks destroyed the camp. Emmanuel Pappas barely managed to save his life, only to die several days after this conflict; thus, the revolution in Thessaloniki failed completely.[2]