The battle of Petra was the last of the Greek War of Independence. Demetrios Ypsilantis ended the war started by his brother, Alexandros Ypsilantis, when he crossed the Pruth River eight and a half years earlier. As George Finlay stresses:
The final confrontation in the Greek struggle for independence was the Battle of Petra. The conflict that started when Alexandros Ypsilantis crossed the Pruth River eight and a half years earlier ended with Demetrios Ypsilantis' triumph, as highlighted by George Finlay: