Book Description

Towards the end of the Greek War of Independence (1829-1831), the borders proposed for Greece had to change three times. The pressure for the formation of a regular army and the reestablishment of secure conditions in the border areas, as well as the precariousness of their future, put the Greek and Albanian fighters in a dire position after ten years of conflict. With their options dwindling and their prosperity jeopardized, they resorted to the same method of reaction: a tough negotiation of their position before capitulating, even if that meant defection and civil clashes. On the opposite side, Kapodistrias and Reşid Mehmed Pasha had to show decisiveness and inventiveness, not only to maintain their status, but also to secure the provinces they were in danger of losing. In the end, the formation of a border, informal though it might have been, forced both combatants and politicians to transform their tactics and reconsider their alliances.