Nikolaos (or Nikolis) Tampakopoulos was born in 1778 in Vytina, Arcadia, and was the son of Theodoros Tampakopoulos, the local elder of Vytina. He was a wealthy sarafis (money changer) and, before the Revolution, served the Ottoman Empire as the tax collector of the province of Kalavryta.
He supported the activities of the Filiki Etaireia, contributing large sums of money to the preparation of the Revolution, and appears to have financed Theodoros Kolokotronis’ journey from Zakynthos to the Peloponnese. At the outbreak of the Revolution, he led an armed corps of 100 men from the Vytina region, with whom he took part in a series of battles in the wider area of Karytaina. He fought at the Pass of Agios Athanasios and, on 28 April 1821, participated in the Ephorate of the military camp of the Province of Karytaina under Kanellos Deligiannis.
In May 1821 he took part in the Assembly of Kaltezes, during which the Peloponnesian Senate was established, and in June he served on the reception committee for Dimitrios Ypsilantis, plenipotentiary of the General Leader, at Astros in Kynouria. In 1822 he confronted the Ottoman forces of Dramali Pasha and distinguished himself in the Battle of Dervenakia. During the civil conflict he sided with the Anti‑government faction led by Theodoros Kolokotronis. He was killed in the Battle of Trikorfa on 24 June 1825. He was married to Aikaterini Christakopoulou and had three daughters, who were taken captive after his death; one of them even married Soliman Pasha the Frenchman.