The Chios Massacre (1822) and Chiot Emigration: A Coerced Diaspora

This chapter explores the 1822 Chios Massacre, where 100,000 Chiots were either killed, enslaved or displaced, and the coerced diaspora it produced. Scholars of the Greek War of Independence have previously acknowledged that the massacre was a pivotal moment in the war, although few have elaborated significantly on its long-term outcomes. This chapter focusses on the large Chiot diaspora that fled the massacre to the ports of Europe, particularly London. Firstly, an interrogation of the realities of the Chios Massacre will be provided, with a look at comparative cases, such as the massacres at Tripolitsa, Istanbul and Psara. The resulting Chiot diaspora will then be analysed in the context of wider migration history, to ascertain the nature, features, demographics and stories of their emigration. Comparative coerced diasporas will also be discussed, such as the earlier Huguenots and later Armenians. Discussion of Chiot settlement and community building, as well as their lasting legacies and the memory of the massacre, will place their story into the wider tapestry of emigration narratives.