Genoese Colony of Chios and Relations with Turks

The Genoese, who settled in Chios in the XIV. century, established a unique administration here and developed relations with the Turks in Western Anatolia. The weight of these inevitable relations is mostly on the trade side. With time, these relations have expanded, increased and intensified. In this study, it is aimed to determine the effects of these relations by revealing the relations between the Genoese of Chios and the Turks. The formation of the Chios Genoese Colony and the Maona administration and the relations of the Chios Genoese Colony with the Turks were researched. The data obtained from the main sources used in this study were compared with those in modern studies and were written with the inductive method. First of all, the emergence of the city-state of Genoa, the activities of the Genoese in the seas and the acquisition of colonies were emphasized. Then, the establishment of Genoese sovereignty and administration in Chios and the Maona created were discussed. Afterwards, the establishment, development and activities of the Turkish administrations that emerged in Western Anatolia were examined. Then, the relations between the Genoese of Chios and the Turks were to study in a multi-faceted manner. The Republic of Genoa has transferred its rights on Chios to a partnership, Maona, in return for its debts. In particular, the relations between the Aydınoğulları Principality and the Genoese of Chios had developed. When the stronger Ottomans posed a threat, the Maona of Chios was also included in the Christian front that emerged in the Aegean. Towards the end of the XV. century, while the Ottoman threat on Chios increased, the importance of Chios for the Genoese increased. In this process, the island became the main outpost and commercial center for the Genoese. The focal point of the Genoese trade in the Aegean was Chios. The Maona of Chios was in full loyalty to the Ottomans in its last days, and the island looked like Ottoman territory. Unpaid tributes, various other problems and the decrease in the commercial importance of the island, the desire to have direct income from the island were the reasons that brought the Ottoman conquest.