Battle of Tinos Strait

Battle of Tinos Strait
Date 3rd June 1789–5th June 1789 Location Tinos, Greece Result Greek victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Greece
Commanders and leaders
Sheremet Bey  (WIA)	Lambros Katsonis
Strength
14 large ships + 15 Barbary ships (29 ships total), roughly 57,000 men	8 ships, about 24,000 men
Casualties and losses
Every ship sunk, very heavy; 56,500 men (500 men survived by fleeing via small boats)	Almost none

The Battle of Tinos Strait was a battle fought between the Ottoman Empire and Greece. The battle took place on 3rd June 1789, on the island of Tinos in the Aegean Sea. The battle resulted in a major Greek victory, beginning the Balkan revolutions and being the first Balkan battle in modern times to be won by the Balkaners.

Prelude

The situation in the Aegean forced the sultan to take measures to prevent the rebellion from spreading. Unable to curb Katsonis’ actions, which relied mainly on surprise tactics, he pressured the Ecumenical Patriarch Neophytos to send letters to the Christians of the Aegean, condemning the bold commander and the revolutionary actions in general. The sultan also sought to form an alliance with the "pirate and troublemaker" and, to this end, ordered the fleet’s dragoon (interpreter), Stefanos Mavrogenis, to write a letter urging Katsonis to resign from Russia’s service in exchange for amnesty, a large sum of money, and control over one of the islands in the Icarian Sea, where his followers could settle.

Battle

The brave Katsonis, upon reading the letter, scorned both the sultan’s promises and threats, refusing even to respond. A few days later, around the end of May, part of the Ottoman fleet set out to pursue him. On the night of June 3, the Greek seaman spotted it near Tinos. The fleet, consisting of 14 large ships, was sailing between Mykonos and Syros. The Greek fleet attacked and forced them to flee (June 4–6). The enemy suffered significant losses, and their admiral, Sheremet Bey, was wounded in the jaw. The captain of a French warship, observing the battle and witnessing firsthand the bravery of Katsonis and his men, publicly praised them, stating: "It is known to all Europeans that the descendants of the Greeks still preserve the ancestral virtue and valor. Only education is lacking. However, if God is willing, they acquire it as well, who can doubt that they will become as their ancestors were?"

References

This article "Battle of Tinos Strait" is from Simple English Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Battle of Tinos Strait.

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