Mani was one region of Greece that the Ottomans had not occupied due to the rough terrain and the rebellious spirit of Maniots.

With a large force of Muslim Albanians he penetrated into Mani and laid siege to the tower of the powerful Grigorakos of Ayeranos and Skoutari.

The Maniots were bottled up inside Mani and were forced to pay a tribute of 1,500 groschen to the Ottomans.

The Ottoman pasha of the Peloponnese, Hatzi Osman, thought it was his chance to take over Mani once and for all and to impress the sultan.

He gathered a large and seasoned group of Muslim Albanians soldiers to accompany him in his invasion of Mani.

The Ottomans then headed to Skoutari only to find it abandoned except for the Grigorakos' tower in the centre of the town which was garrisoned by fifteen men under the command of Yanis Katsanos.