The outbreak of the Greek Revolution occurred at a time when the Great Powers were occupied with the repression of the revolts in the Italian and Iberian peninsulas. The revolutionary conflicts are associated with the so-called principle of legality which had prevailed in the diplomatic field from 1815, when the winners of the Napoleonic Wars had reimposed the old regimes in Europe. Thus, the preservation of peace was linked directly to the maintenance of the old regimes, which required the cooperation of the Great Powers. Russia, France, Austria, Prussia and Great Britain, states with different and frequently conflicting economic and geopolitical interests, had to act together in order to combat a new revolutionary uprising in Europe. It was hoped that the promotion of the particular interests of individual countries should not be put before the political stability of the European continent. This required the agreement of the five most powerful states, which was attained after exhaustive diplomatic negotiations and meetings. The decisions of the meetings came from the fine balance drawn between shared points of foreign policy and the interests of the individual Powers, each of which persisted in its aim of winning precedence over the others.

The Ottoman Empire constituted a source of tension, antagonism and conflict which made it a destabilizing factor. The once mighty competitor of European forces had entered a period of increasing decline. Secessionist trends, cultivated by the Christian populations of the Ottoman Empire's European possessions, appeared from the end of the 18th century. These trends were encouraged by the aggressive policy of Russia, which promoted tension in its relations with the Ottoman Empire with the aim of annexing those regions which would facilitate its access to ports and the sea routes of the Eastern Mediterranean. However, the other Great Powers, particularly Great Britain, were opposed to Russian policy in this region. These states considered the Ottoman Empire to be an obstacle to Russian expansion and therefore favoured its territorial integrity.

Europe was notified of the outbreak of the Greek Revolution about the middle of March 1821 when the letter of Alexander Ypsilantis to the Russian Emperor Alexander I reached Laibach. The Emperors of Austria and Russia, the King of Prussia and diplomatic delegations from Great Britain and France were in conference at Laibach from January, searching ways of combatting the revolts that had broken out in the Italian and Iberian peninsulas. The position of Alexander Ypsilantis in the Russian army and the revolts of the Christians in the south Balkans, which in the past had been incited by Russia, put the latter in a difficult position in relation to the other Powers. Thus, the disapproval of the Greek Revolution, expressed by the dismissal of Ypsilantis from the Russian officer elite and a letter written by Kapodistrias, signified Russia's agreement with the general policy of the Great Powers towards the revolutionary movements.