Island of chios in the XVIIIth century

In the constitution of XVIIIth Century Ottoman statecraft, Chios Island, as a center of sanjack in the Province of Cezâyir-i Bahr-ı Sefîd, was invaded by the Venetians in a short period of time at the beginning of the century, and then reoccupied by the Ottomans thanks to the Koyun Adaları Marine War that reminds us of former Ottoman Naval Force. The occupation caused Latin inhabitants of the Island to be accused of being agents, and the destruction of the temples; it also revived the cliquishness between the Greeks and Latins in the social life and this ended with increasing in the statues of the Greeks. The relation between representatives of the non-Muslim groups (Kocabaşılar and Council of Demogerondia), that appeared due to the tax policies, and Ottoman officials determined the administration of the Island.The ethnic groups of the Island were the Greeks, Latins, Turks, Jews and Armenians and, in the second half of the century, the Greek inhabitants of the Island were forced to be Catholic. The main product of the Island has been mastic. 21 mastic-producer villages that were situated in the southern part of the Island, were called as mastaki villages; the most of the mastic products were sent to the capital. The most important industrial products of it have been silk and cotton fabrics. The foreign embassies of the Island belonged to France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Russia and Spain. In the XVIIIth century, Chios Island played an important role as a crossroad in marine route between İzmir-Europe and İstanbul-North Africa.Importation of the Island depended on cereals and, silk and cotton that are textile materials. Chios Island where agriculture is inadequate owing to its mountainous characteristic, faced with famine risks in number of times in XVIIIth century. The cereal needs of the Island were met from the coastal towns such as mostly Çandarlı, Ilıca and Kuşadası.KEY WORDSOttoman Empire, Chios Island, Council of Demogerondia, Navigation, Mastic, Silk, Cereal.