During the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, Aitoliko experienced three Ottoman sieges. The Ottomans believed that they had to subdue the island before they could attempt to conquer Missolonghi, the center of revolutionary activities in western Greece. In each case, the siege pitted a few hundred defenders against an overwhelming Ottoman force consisting of more than 10,000 men. The second siege (fall 1823) caught the Greeks unprepared. There was very little food and even less water. More than 2,000 bombs landed in the town but the Ottomans suffered from fevers and the poor weather, so they were forced to lift the siege. The third siege lasted for many months, and ended in the town’s surrender in the spring of 1826, after most of its defenders died in battle.