The capture of Kalamata by the Greek revolutionaries (23/3/1821) was followed by the establishment of the Messinian Senate, one of the first political–military bodies of the Greek Liberation Struggle, which later prevailed under the name ‘Messinian Parliament’. Before the formation of the Senate, P. Mavromichalis, its subsequent president, sent a proclamation “to the European courts” (23/3/1821), in which he clearly stated the circumstances leading to the Greeks’ revolt, and requested the Europeans’ moral and material support. In addition, Mavromichalis drafted a proclamation to the Americans, which, via A. Korais, was sent to philhellene professor Edward Everett, and was published in American newspapers. The establishment of the Senate constituted the first attempt to unite local forces with the goal of gaining political control of the Revolution.

Ever since the beginning of their Struggle for liberation, the primary concern of the Greek revolutionaries was the occupation of fortresses throughout Greece. The attempt to occupy the Acropolis of Athens can be understood in this context, since its capture would allow Greeks to control the entire Attica region. This pursuit constituted a constant and agonising “bras de fer” between Ottomans and Greeks, a military operation with no apparent end, full of twists and turns, as it leaned sometimes in favour of one side and sometimes of the other. In this way, Athens gradually became the centre of military operations in eastern Central Greece, a region which, ultimately, neither opposing force managed to completely and irrevocably dominate until the end of the hostilities. The first revolutionary actions in the region were carried out in late April by local chieftains, such as M. Vassiliou from Chasia, T. Skourtaniotis from Dervenochoria, and G. Davaris from Mesogaia (Liopesi), who, at the same time, with approximately 600 casually armed men, marched into Athens and occupied it. To protect themselves, the Ottomans of the city were forced to take refuge in the Acropolis. Soon, however, Ottoman troops —led by Omer Vryonis and Omer Bey— arrived in Attica, reinforced the besieged with military equipment and food, and disbanded the Greek camp.

After defeating the Greeks in Alamana (22/4/1821), Omer Vryonis decided to campaign in the Peloponnese. At Gravia, in Fokida, he came across a group of 120 men led by O. Androutsos, who had been fortified in an old inn (khan). The Ottomans surrounded the area, asking Androutsos to surrender. Following his refusal, the Ottoman forces attacked the inn several times. However, the significant casualties suffered by the enemy during the attacks —330 dead and 800 wounded— forced Omer Vryonis to order a temporary retreat. Realising that the Ottomans would soon regroup and blow up the building, the besieged fled secretly, passing through the enemy lines. Following his defeat in Gravia, Vryonis temporarily halted his campaign and set up camp in Evia, to await the forces of Köse Mehmet. The battle at Gravia had a significant effect on the outcome of the Struggle for Liberation, as it prevented the descent of the Ottoman forces to Morias, where the Revolution had not yet been established.