The Morean revolt in 1821 and the independence of Greece

The Greeks of the Ottoman Empire who enjoyed a semi-autonomous life under Ottoman rule, were entitled to have their own religions and to speak their own languages thanks to which they managed to maintain their own national identity. In the course of time they rose into prominence among other minority groups within the Empire and held important administrative posts. Until the 18m century the Ottoman Greeks preferred the Ottoman administration to a Christian administration. Yet, starting from the second half of the 18*" century, they to the contrary path. Following the French Revolution until which they remained in contact with western culture and civilization, they considered themselves as the representatives of the heritage of European civilization. This consideration, together with several other factors constituted the basis of the Greek national consciousness which was developed by the Greek bourgeoisie of the late 18m century and was spread over large segments of society. France and Russia who looked with favour towards a movement of independence on the part of the Greeks, for their own interests found it adventageous to support the Greeks in their first insurrection of 1821, in Wallachia and Moldavia. Next rose the Greeks in Morea. At that time the Ottoman Goverment was busy in suppressing rebellious Tepedelenli Ali Paşa and therefore failed to suppress the rising in Morea although it had succeeded in Wallachia and Moldavia before that. First, the Ottoman Government made preperations for military intervention. As the next step, by taking all the necessary measures it attempted to prevent the rising from spreading over the Aegean Islands. These attempts proved to be unsuccessful. As he realized that he could not suppress the rebell himself, the Sultan asked help from the governor of Egypt, Mehmed Ali Paşa and thanks to Ali Paşa' s help the rising was suppressed to a great extent. Morea was almostV conquered for the second time. In the meantime, the Ottoman Government faced an other difficulty. This was a European interference on the part of the European states, who reacted against any settlement to the detriment of their common interests in the region. The Ottoman Government held out against Russian and English pressures demanding an autonomous life for the Greeks living in Morea, but once its navy was destroyed in Navarin and the war against Russia was lost next, it had to accept the existenceof a seperate vassal Greek state, which had to pay duty to the Ottoman Empire, as it was laid down in the Treaty of Edirne. Not content with these stipulations, later an England set out to assure the establishment of an independent Greek Kingdom, whose establishment accorded with the English interests in the region. In the end, the Ottoman Empire had to accept the establishment of this kingdom. So the Greeks were the first nation to be seperated from the Ottoman Empire and to establish a seperate independent state, which was to become the first independent Christian state ever founded over Ottoman territories.