Four years after the outbreak of the Greek Revolution, the Peloponnese was controlled by Greek forces except for the forts of Patra, Methoni and Koroni. At the beginning of 1825 the civil war was over, the political and military leadership of the Peloponnesians had been defeated and imprisoned while the armed men of Rumeli who had offered armed support for the Greek Revolutionary Administration wandered over the Peloponnese carrying out acts of violence and provoking the locals. In addition, despite the fact that the money of the first instalment of the loan had almost been spent, no systematic preparations had been made for the expulsion of the Ottomans from the forts of the west Peloponnese nor for the prevention of a new Ottoman expedition. In these conditions Ibrahim pasha landed on the coast of Messenia in February 1825.

Ibrahim was the adopted son of Mehmed Ali Pasha of Egypt, a powerful regional chief subjugated to the Sultan, to whom the Sublime Porte had turned to win help in repressing the uprising in the Peloponnese. Very soon Ibrahim's army, which was organized by French officials, began military operations. Before the end of spring Ibrahim conquered Neokastro and Palaiokastro without apparent difficulty, while he crushed the Greek forces when they tried to check his advance in Messenia. This happened on 7 April at Kremmydi and on 20 May at Maniaki, where Papaflessas was killed. Moreover, Kolokotronis, Deligiannis and the other Peloponnesian leaders had been granted an amnesty and had returned to their country to organize its defence. Nevertheless, despite their efforts Ibrahim moved rapidly to the centre of the Peloponnese provoking destruction and frightening the inhabitants who fled to the mountains panic-stricken. On 11 June 1825 Ibrahim entered Tripolitza conquering a town deserted by all its inhabitants. Two days later, heading toward Nauplion, his advance was checked by D. Ypsilantis, K. Mavromichalis, Makrygiannis and several hundreds of armed men at Myloi, an area in the plain of Argos, obliging him to return to the centre of the Peloponnese. After this defeat he moved westwards and until November, when he rushed to Missolonghi, he subjugated the west and central Peloponnese, and in each case plundered and pillaged. In addition, the Egyptian fleet supplied the army regularly with provisions and landed new forces despite the sporadic obstruction by the Greek side.