The Battle of Sculeni was fought on 29 June 1821 in

Sculeni Sculeni ( yi, סקולען, ''Skulen'') is a commune in Ungheni District, Moldova. It is composed of four villages: Blindești, Floreni, Gherman and Sculeni. It is also a border checkpoint to Romania. History The town had an important Jewis ...

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

between Ottoman forces and the Greek revolutionary forces raised by the

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends ( el, Φιλικὴ Ἑταιρεία ''or'' ) was a secret organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state. (''ret ...

led by Prince George Katakouzenos. The battle came about as the result of Ottoman reprisals for

Alexander Ypsilantis Alexandros Ypsilantis ( el, Αλέξανδρος Υψηλάντης, Aléxandros Ypsilántis, ; ro, Alexandru Ipsilanti; russian: Александр Константинович Ипсиланти, Aleksandr Konstantinovich Ipsilanti; 12 Dece ...

' expedition in the two Danubian Principalities, and followed in the aftermath of the Battle of Dragashani. When the Ottomans crossed the Bahlui River in Iaşi on 25 June 1821, Lieutenant Catakouzenos and his forces, originally stationed on the

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

frontier, crossed the Prut River.

Battle

The Ottomans possessed a military that outnumbered the Greeks at approximately ten to one. Catacouzenos imitated the retreat of Ypsilantis to the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

after Dragashani, by fleeing to Russia. However, his forces, made up of around 500 young Greek soldiers (Edwin Emerson places the number at 400 soldiers), wanted to stay and fight against the Ottoman Empire. During the battle, approximately one-fourth of the Greek army fled by swimming across the Prut. The remaining soldiers continued to fight until they were either killed by the Ottomans or drowned in the river. The Russians, positioned on the opposite bank of the river, applauded the bravery of the Greeks.

Giorgakis Olympios ro, Iordache Olimpiotul , birth_date = 1772 , death_date = , birth_place = Livadi, Larissa, Ottoman Empire , death_place = Neamț, Moldavia , image = Georgakis Olympios Greek Fighter.JPG , image_size = 180 , Nickname = , bir ...

, a military leader who commanded an army in

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

, was garrisoned in the Moldavian Secu Monastery; Giorgakis fought until the Ottomans stormed the monastery and forced him to light powder kegs from which he perished in the explosion. However, Giorgakis had a Macedonian comrade by the name of

Yiannis Pharmakis Yiannis Pharmakis or Ioannis Farmakis ( el, Ιωάννης Φαρμάκης) (1772–1821), born in Vlasti, Macedonia (Greece), was a Greek revolutionary leader of the Greek War of Independence, active in Wallachia and Moldavia. Initially a co ...

, who continued the fight for a fortnight longer. In the end, on 4 October 1821, Pharmakis surrendered on the promise that his life would be spared. The promise was not kept by the Ottomans, and Pharmakis was ultimately decapitated in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

Aftermath

After the battle, all Greek uprisings in the Danubian Principalities and other northern areas subject to the Ottoman Empire ceased. However, the primary task, which was to divert significant Ottoman military forces at all costs towards the Northern

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, that would otherwise be used to fight and crush the Greek War of Independence in the South, was accomplished.

Citations

References

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General references

* {{Ottoman battles

History of Moldavia (1711–1822) History of Wallachia (1714–1821) Bessarabia Governorate 1821 in Europe 1821 in the Ottoman Empire 19th century in Moldavia June 1821 events