The Fall of Constantinople on 29 May 1453 and the subsequent fall of the success

or states of the Byzantine Empire marked the end of Byzantine sovereignty. After
that, the Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkans and Anatolia, with some exceptions.i
[ ] Orthodox Christians were granted some political rights under Ottoman rule, but
they were considered inferior subjects.[5] The majority of Greeks were called R
ayah by the Turks, a name that referred to the large mass of non-Muslim subjects
in the Ottoman ruling class.ii[ ][6]
Meanwhile, Greek intellectuals and humanists, who had migrated west before or du
ring the Ottoman invasions, such as Demetrius Chalcocondyles and Leonardos Phila
ras, began to call for the liberation of their homeland.[7] Demetrius Chalcondyl
es called on Venice and "all of the Latins" to aid the Greeks against "the abomi
nable, monstrous, and impious barbarian Turks".[8] However, Greece was to remain
under Ottoman rule for several more centuries.
The Greek Revolution was not an isolated event; numerous failed attempts at rega
ining independence took place throughout the history of the Ottoman era. Through
out the 17th century there was great resistance to the Ottomans in the Morea and
elsewhere, as evidenced by revolts led by Dionysius the Philosopher.[9] After t
he Morean War, the Peloponnese came under Venetian rule for 30 years, and remain
ed in turmoil from then on and throughout the 17th century, as the bands of klep
hts multiplied.[10]
The first great uprising was the Russian-sponsored Orlov Revolt of the 1770s, wh
ich was crushed by the Ottomans after having limited success. After the crushing
of the uprising, Muslim Albanians ravaged many regions in mainland Greece.[11]
However, the Maniots continually resisted Ottoman rule, and defeated several Ott
oman incursions into their region, the most famous of which was the invasion of
1770.[12] During the Second Russo-Turkish War, the Greek community of Trieste fi
nanced a small fleet under Lambros Katsonis, which was a nuisance for the Ottoma
n navy; during the war klephts and armatoloi rose once again.[13]
At the same time, a number of Greeks enjoyed a privileged position in the Ottoma
n state as members of the Ottoman bureaucracy. Greeks controlled the affairs of
the Orthodox Church through the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, as th
e higher clergy of the Orthodox Church was mostly of Greek origin. Thus, as a re
sult of the Ottoman millet system, the predominantly Greek hierarchy of the Patr
iarchate enjoyed control over the Empire's Orthodox subjects (the Rum milleti[14
]).[5]
The Greek Orthodox Church played a pivotal role in the preservation of national
identity, the development of Greek society and the resurgence of Greek nationali
sm.iii[ ] From the 18th century and onwards, members of prominent Greek families i
n Constantinople, known as Phanariotes (after the Phanar district of the city) g
ained considerable control over Ottoman foreign policy and eventually over the b
ureaucracy as a whole.[15]