The first renowned Mavromichalis leader is the 18th descendant of the orphan boy, Georgios Mavromichalis, who was the hegemon of a rebellion that took place on the
Peloponnese sponsored by
Count Orlov during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774. Together with his sons Ilias-Pierros Mavromichalis and Ioannis "Skilogiannis" Mavromichalis, he guided Maniot soldiers to victory over the Turks and their Albanian allies. Another notable member of the family was a son of Skilogiannis Mavromichalis who is known as Şükür Mehmet Bey. As a child, Bey was captured by Turks during battle, later becoming a Muslim and a
renegade, eventually becoming an
Ottoman Fleet admiral. Although considered a traitor to his motherland and religion Şükür was vital in lobbying for the appointment of his cousin
Petros "Petrobey" Mavromichalis as the head of state of the
Beylik of Mani by the
Sublime Porte. Petrobey Mavromichalis, with the support of the leading families of the Peloponnese, strengthened the Maniot state and made the Mavromichalis family in particular powerful enough to control sizable swaths of territory in the region, protecting them from Greek rebels and Albanian raiders at the encouragement of the Sultan. However Petrobey's ultimate goal was the freedom of Greeks from Ottoman rule, and he used his local power and autonomy to build support for a large scale Greek rebellion. In 1821 this rebellion formally began in what would become the
Greek War of Independence. He was known as a dealmaker and voluntarily ceded leadership of the rebellion to
Theodoros Kolokotronis when it became politically necessary. He contributed vital contingents of troops to liberate
Kalamata and
Tripolis and participated in the expedition to help the
Souliotes. On this expedition Petrobey's young brother
Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis heroically died fighting the Turks. Under the leadership of Petrobey and his brother
Konstantinos Mavromichalis, Greek forces successfully defeated renowned Ottoman commander
Ibrahim Pasha during the
Egyptian Invasion of Mani. This military victory secured Greek control of the strategically important city of
Nafplio which, after the revolution, would become the first capital city of the modern Greek state. After the revolution, Petrobey and his brother
Ioannis Mavromichalis were arrested and imprisoned on charges of
high treason as a result of stark political disagreements with Greece's first head of state,
Ioannis Kapodistrias. In response to their imprisonment, Petrobey's brother Konstantinos and son
Georgios Mavromichalis assassinated Ioannis Kapodistrias. == Aftermath ==