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

This chapter explores the 1822 Chios Massacre, where 100, 000 Chiots were killed, enslaved or displaced, and the subsequent 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, with the London community being the central case study. To explore this topic, firstly, an interrogation of the realities of the Chios Massacre is provided, with a look at comparative cases, such as the massacres at Tripolitsa, Istanbul and Psara. The resulting Chiot diaspora is then analysed in the context of wider migration history, to ascertain the nature, features, demographics and stories of their emigration. Comparative coerced diasporas are also discussed, such as the earlier Huguenots and later Armenians. Finally, discussion of Chiot settlement and community building, as well as their lasting legacies and the memory of the massacre, places their stories into the wider tapestry of emigration narratives.