After the Turkish defeat at the
battle of Valtetsi, the Turkish leader Kâhya Mustafa
Bey decided to attack and destroy the Greek camp of Vervena where 2,500 armed Greeks had gathered. According to
Spyridon Trikoupis, the Turks believed that the destruction of Vervena would seriously damage Greek morale. During the night of 17–18 May, an Ottoman force of six thousand men and two cannons marched from Tripoli to Vervena. The Turkish plan would only have succeeded if the Ottoman army could have passed Doliana where
Nikitaras, a Greek revolutionary leader, was positioned with approximately two hundred men. By the time the Ottomans reached Doliana, Nikitaras had established a fortified position utilizing local residences. When the Turks arrived they were surprised by the Greeks and combat ensued. Meanwhile at Vervena, when a portion of the Ottoman army arrived it was forced to quickly retreat because the Greek revolutionaries had realized the impending danger and prepared for an attack by taking positions to flank the Turks. Due to the number of casualties, Mustafa Bey and the Turks retreated. The Greeks followed the Turks as they withdrew and continued to pursue their fleeing enemy to Tripoli. According to the Greek General
Kolokotronis, the Ottomans lost seventy men and abandoned their cannons and materials on the battlefield. Nikitaras, who had up to that point lived in the shadow of General Kolokotronis, earned a reputation and nickname (). A legend of the time reported that after the battle of Doliana, Nikitaras' sword got stuck to his hand and could not be removed. ==Significance==