Massacre at Dilesi
The Massacre at Dilesi was the kidnapping and murder of a group of English tourists and an Italian diplomat that occurred in 1870 at Dilesi, Boeotia.
Background
Post-independence Greece, despite the best efforts of the Bavarians and the subsequent Greek governments, had a problem with bandits who would use the mountains as their hideouts and would occasionally kidnap wealth persons for ransom.
On March 29, 1870, a group of English tourists consisting of:
- Lord and Lady Muncaster,
- Frederick Vyner - a grandson of Count de Grey,
- diplomat Edward Herbert,
- barrister Lloyd with his wife and daughter
as well as an Italians:
- diplomat Alberto de Boyl and his secretary,
went on a tour of Marathon escorted by a Greek guide - Alexandros Anemoyiannis - and four policemen.
At Pikermi, they were met and attacked by the bandit gang of Takos and Christos Arvanitakis who killed two of the policemen and wounded the other two.
The bandits then demanded initially a ransom of £32,000 - which they later raised to £50,000 - and amnesty. As a gesture of good will, they released the women and the two injured soldiers.
Negotiations
The British government urged Greece to accept the Arvanitakis gang's demands but Minister for the Military, Skarlatos Soutsos, refused to consider them. Instead, he sent the military after the bandits.
Confrontation
The Arvanitakis gang escaped from their Mt Parnitha hideaway, taking their hostages with them, first to Oropos and then to the village of Dilesi with the soldiers in hot pursuit. At Dilesi a battle ensued with the bandits fighting off the soldiers and killing 10 of them. They also killed the hostages.
Aftermath
The murder of the foreign dignitaries caused a diplomatic rift between Britain and Greece. Interior Minister Andreas Avgerinos was forced to resign on July 9, 1870.
Finally, Greece was forced to compensate each victim's family with the sum of £22,000. PM Thrasivoulos Zaimis resigned shortly afterwards.