According to the plans of the Philiki Etaireia, the Peloponnese was to be the centre of the revolution. The reasons for this choice were numerous. The particular geography (as a peninsula) rendered its military reinforcement difficult as it was isolated from the powerful military centres and the recruitment areas of the armed men of the Ottoman Empire. The mountains prevented the generalized use of cavalry, while the narrow passes made the transport of large military units difficult and their obstruction by smaller armed groups (klepht warfare) was facilitated. The demographic and economic-social features of the region also favoured the rapid spreading of the revolution. The proportion of Muslims to Christians was over one in ten and the administrative and economic presence of the local nobility (in relation to other regions, such as Rumeli) who had their own armed forces (the so-called kapoi) was a positive asset for the revolt in the Peloponnese. Another factor in favour of the Peloponnese was the privileged regime of Mani, an area which did not belong to the pasha of the Peloponnese but was governed by the Christian bey, who was directly answerable to the kapudan-pasha (the admiral of the Ottoman fleet). For these reasons the Morea was from the beginning a region in which the Phanariotes were interested and on the eve of the uprising most of the regional leading agents had been initiated into the Philiki Etaireia.

The action of the Philiki Etaireia in the Peloponnese and the news of an imminent uprising had upset the Sublime Porte which reacted in autumn 1820 by appointing the renown Chursid Pasha as pasha, former Grand Vizier and a man experienced in dealing with revolts. This upset the local notables who were reserved toward the outbreak of the Revolution. But soon, at the beginning of January 1821, Chursid Pasha with the bulk of his military forces left for Epirus in order to quell the revolt of Ali Pasha. At the same time Papaflessas arrived in the region in order to hasten the uprising. Thus, a series of meetings took place in Vostitsa (Aigio) at the end of January but despite the efforts of Papaflessas and the decision to declare the Revolution at the end of March, the local notables were still reserved. In the meantime, Kolokotronis returned secretly to the Peloponnese and specifically to Mani while there was intense mobility among the klephts. In addition, basic military preparations such as the activation of the powder-magazine at Dimitsana had begun. These preparations and the rumours which were spreading all over the Peloponnese for an imminent uprising of the Christians alarmed the Ottomans, who began gathering in the fortified town of Tripolitza and in the castles of the other important cities.

The tension in the relations between Christians and Muslim increased until mid-March. From that period sporadic assaults of klephts against Muslims had started while the tension was reinforced by the plundering of houses abandoned by Muslim families. The constantly increasing tension, the fear of reprisals and the pressure of the klephts and the members of the Philiki Etaireia made even the most hesitant social elites of the Peloponnese declare for the Revolution in their regions and take the lead. Thus, in the last ten days of March most of the regions had declared for the Revolution, following and encouraging one another.