The Chian diaspora was the dispersal of most of the remaining population of the Aegean island of Chios, after the massacre of 1822. It is one part of the larger Greek diaspora.
The Chian diaspora was the dispersal of most of the remaining population of the Aegean island of Chios, after the massacre of 1822. It is one part of the larger Greek diaspora.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Chios was the home of many merchant and ship-owning families, who earned great wealth by shipping grain from Ukraine to western Europe and manufactured goods back from industrialised Europe to the Ottoman Empire, of which Greece was a province. These families, like most of the population of Chios, were of mixed Greek and Genoese descent.
This ended with the Chios Massacre of 1822, with much of the population of the island being killed or enslaved. 20,000 were exiled. [1] Many of the refugees moved to other Aegean islands, particularly Psara and Syros. [2] The wealthier were better able to move further away, to where they would be safe from further massacres. A number of influential members of the merchant and ship-owning families were, in the course of their business, absent from Chios at the time of the massacre, and remained in possession of their ships and their trade goods. They were able to settle in new homes, generally in cities where they were trading, notably Odessa, [3] Alexandria, [2] Trieste, Marseille, London and Liverpool.
Long writes "We calculate that the heart of the Chian and Phanariot community in England never numbered much more than about 600-700 at any one time with perhaps another 500 or so throughout the rest of Europe." [2] Some of those who were enslaved by the Turks later had their freedom purchased by relatives who had escaped, and were able to join their families in their new homes.
Stephanos Ralli settled in Marseille, but recognising that London provided more opportunities for trade, he sent his son John there where, with his brothers, he set up Ralli Brothers, to trade with India. The company became the world's largest merchant shipping business. [2] In 1879, one of the brothers, Eustratios Ralli, laid the foundation stone of St Sophia's Cathedral, London, which had another Ralli and a Rodocanachi on its finance committee. [4]
Michel Emmanuel Rodocanachi (1821–1901) moved to Marseille with his parents, aged one. His son Michael moved to London. Stephen Ralli and Michael Rodocanachi were the leading founding shareholders of the Baltic Exchange in London. [2]
The Vlasto and Pallis families settled in Liverpool. [2] A descendant Alexandros Pallis controversially translated the New Testament into demotic Greek, leading to the Evangelika riots.
Leonidas Argenti was killed in the Chios massacre, but many of his family (el) were able to flee to London. A descendant, Philip Argenti (de), was educated in England and moved to Greece, where he worked as a lawyer, diplomat, and historian of Chios.
Konstantinos Kanaris, also anglicised as Constantine Kanaris or Canaris, was a Greek admiral, Prime Minister, and a hero of the Greek War of Independence.
Chios is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the tenth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic gum and its nickname is "the Mastic Island". Tourist attractions include its medieval villages and the 11th-century monastery of Nea Moni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Psara is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Together with the small island of Antipsara it forms the municipality of Psara. It is part of the Chios regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The only town of the island and seat of the municipality is also called Psara.
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Fanariots were members of prominent Greek families in Phanar, the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, who traditionally occupied four important positions in the Ottoman Empire: Voivode of Moldavia, Voivode of Wallachia, Grand Dragoman of the Porte and Grand Dragoman of the Fleet. Despite their cosmopolitanism and often-Western education, the Phanariots were aware of their Greek ancestry and culture; according to Nicholas Mavrocordatos' Philotheou Parerga, "We are a race completely Hellenic".
The Chios massacre was a catastrophe that resulted in the death, enslavement, and flight of about four-fifths of the total population of Greeks on the island of Chios by Ottoman troops, during the Greek War of Independence in 1822. It is estimated that up to 100,000 people were killed or enslaved during the massacre, while up to 20,000 escaped as refugees. Greeks from neighboring islands had arrived on Chios and encouraged the Chiotes to join their revolt. In response, Ottoman troops landed on the island and killed thousands. The massacre of Christians provoked international outrage across the Western world, and led to increasing support for the Greek cause worldwide.
The Hellenic Merchant Navy refers to the merchant navy of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. As of 2020, Greece is the largest ship owner country in the world in terms of tonnage; with a total deadweight tonnage of 364 million tons and 4,901 Greek-owned vessels. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Today it is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags; however, some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.
Greeks in the United Kingdom are British residents and citizens of full or partial Greek heritage, or Greeks who emigrated to and reside in the United Kingdom.
The North Aegean islands are a number of scattered islands in the North Aegean Sea, also known as the Northeastern Aegean islands, belonging mostly to Greece and a few of them to Turkey. The islands do not form a physical chain or group, but are frequently grouped together for tourist or administrative purposes. To the south are the Dodecanese islands; and to the west are the Cyclades and Sporades islands.
There were numerous massacres during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) perpetrated by both the Ottoman forces and the Greek revolutionaries. The war was characterized by a lack of respect for civilian life, and prisoners of war on both sides of the conflict. Massacres of Greeks took place especially in Ionia, Crete, Constantinople, Macedonia and the Aegean islands. Turkish, Albanian, Greeks, and Jewish populations, who were identified with the Ottomans inhabiting the Peloponnese, suffered massacres, particularly where Greek forces were dominant. Settled Greek communities in the Aegean Sea, Crete, Central and Southern Greece were wiped out, and settled Turkish, Albanian, Greeks, and smaller Jewish communities in the Peloponnese were destroyed.
The Ralli Baronetcy, of Park Street in the City of Westminster, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 February 1912 for Lucas Ralli, head of the firm of Ralli Brothers, who were financiers, shippers, cotton and grain merchants. The Ralli Family are of Greek origin, and are ultimately descended from the Frankish-Byzantine Raoul/Ralles Family. Originally from the Greek island of Chios, due to the Chios massacre the Ralli family was forced to emigrate to the United Kingdom, where they founded the eponymous firm.
The five Ralli brothers, Zannis a.k.a. John (1785–1859), Augustus (1792–1878), Pandia a.k.a. Zeus (1793–1865), Toumazis (1799–1858), and Eustratios (1800–84), founded Ralli Brothers, perhaps the most successful expatriate Greek merchant business of the Victorian era.
Michel Emmanuel Rodocanachi, sometimes spelled Michael Emmanuel Rodocanachi, was an influential Greek trader and banker of London.
Saint Sophia Cathedral is a Greek Orthodox church on Moscow Road in the Bayswater area of London.
The Lemos family is a prominent Greek ship owning family which has been involved in shipping since the 18th century. They originated from Kardamyli in Mani as the 'Lemaki' family. During this period Turkish soldiers had violated many local villages and as a response members from the Lemaki family assassinated all of the Turkish troops stationed there. They emigrated to Chios and changed their names to Lemos during the journey to avoid detection. Having moved from Kardamyli and Langada in the Mani region they then named the areas in Chios "Kardamila" and "Lagada". From 1860 to 1914 the family owned 52 vessels.
Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and has been a key element of Greek economic activity since ancient times. Today, shipping is the country's most important industry worth $21.9 billion in 2018. If related businesses are added, the figure jumps to $23.7 billion, employs about 392,000 people, and shipping receipts are about 1/3 of the nation's trade deficit. In 2018, the Greek Merchant Navy controlled the world's largest merchant fleet, in terms of tonnage, with a total DWT of 834,649,089 tons and a fleet of 5,626 Greek-owned vessels, according to Lloyd's List. Greece is also ranked in the top for all kinds of ships, including first for tankers and bulk carriers.
The 1881 Chios earthquake occurred at 13:40 local time on 3 April. It caused severe damage on the island of Chios and also affected Çeşme and Alaçatı on the coast of Turkey. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.3 and there were an estimated 7,866 casualties. The devastation from the earthquake was the last of the three 'catastrophes' that affected the island of Chios in the 19th century.
The Chios expedition was an unsuccessful attempt of the regular Greek army
The Chian Committee was a committee of Chians, consisting of Ambrosios Skaramangas, Loukas Rallis and Georgios Psychas, which was created to ensure the inclusion of Chios in the newly established Greek state. Also undertook the financial and material support of the Chios expedition (1827-1828).
Demetrius Stefanovich Schilizzi was an Ottoman-born Greek banker in London and Paris, and later a steamship owner in Constantinople. He was also the acting Italian consul in Calcutta for some time starting in 1864, and an amateur composer.
SS Macedonia was a steamship that was built in England in 1912, renamed Pincio in 1922 and scrapped in Italy in 1932. She was built as an ocean liner for Greek owners, but within months of being completed she was converted into an armed merchant cruiser for the Royal Hellenic Navy. An Ottoman warship sank her in 1913 in the First Balkan War.