The claim of Russian support made by Filiki Etaireia (Greek: Friendly Society) and the romance of its commitment (each member swears “irreconcilable hatred against the tyrants of my country”) have brought thousands into its ranks.

Though some recruits believe that the Russian emperor’s foreign secretary—Greek Count Ioánnis Kapodístrias—secretly directs the society, it is Alexandros Ypsilantis, an officer in the Russian Army and the son of a Phanariote prince, who accepts the leadership in 1820, by which time only a spark is required to set the revolution ablaze.

Mahmud's decision to curb Muhammad Ali ignites a civil war that provides the opportunity for the Filiki Etaireia and its leader Ypsilantis to launch a Greek uprising.