On May 18, 1821, a Greek fighter named Nikitas Stamatelopoulos, known as Nikitaras and nephew of the legendary Kolokotro...

On May 18, 1821, a Greek fighter named Nikitas Stamatelopoulos, known as Nikitaras and nephew of the legendary Kolokotronis, held the village of Ano Doliana with just 80 men against a 4,000-strong Ottoman force armed with cannons. The battle lasted the entire day. When it was over, the Greeks had repelled the advance, and Nikitaras had earned a nickname that would follow him for the rest of his life: Tourkofagos, the Turk-eater. The Ottoman column was commanded by Kehaya Bey, who marched out of Tripolitsa that morning with his army split into three directions, targeting Doliana, the Vervena camp, and the nearby settlement of Dragouni simultaneously. Nikitaras had been ordered by Kolokotronis the day before to move toward Argos and Nafplio to secure war supplies, not to fight. When he discovered the Ottoman force bearing down on the village, his brother urged retreat. Nikitaras refused, comparing the moment to the ancient Greeks facing the Persian invasion. He pulled his men back into the village and fortified himself and his fighters inside 13 stone-built houses, fighting from within the settlement itself. This made Doliana one of the only battles of the entire Greek Revolution to be fought inside a built-up area rather than open ground. The Greek historian and fighter Fotakos, who served as Kolokotronis's first adjutant, wrote in his memoirs that Doliana, alongside the earlier Battle of Valtetsi, marked a turning point in Greek morale. Before these battles, Greeks fled at the news that Ottomans were approaching. After them, they were asking where the Ottomans were. Twelve of the 13 stone houses where the Greeks made their stand still exist in Ano Doliana today. The house where Nikitaras himself fought has been listed as a protected monument and operates as a museum. The battle took place 205 years ago. #GreekRevolution #1821 #Nikitaras