1. Origins and Family Networks

The Pappoudof family comprises a typical example of a significant merchant family of the Greek diaspora which was active in international trade and other activities in all the major centres of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, mainly in the first half of the nineteenth century. The data on the origins of the family is insufficient and is restricted to their being a Koutsovlachoi family from Ioannina.¹ In all probability, they followed the usual route of the Epirian and other Greek merchants of the period between the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries, first towards Constantinople and thereafter towards the Black Sea. Thus, the Russificated name of Georgios Pappoudoglou, Pappoudof, is found among the names of merchants of the first ‘gilda’ (class) of Odessa in 1812, having already settled in the city since 1810. The quick elevation, within two years, of Georgios Pappoudof to the first gilda, the acquisition of Russian nationality and his marriage to Alexandra Varvaki, daughter of Markos Varvakis and of Sophia Alfieraki, a prominent merchant family from Taganrog, indicates that Georgios Pappoudof already possessed considerable financial power when he settled in Odessa.²

The vigorous course of the firm was continued by the son of Georgios, Konstantinos (Constantinople 1798 - Odessa 1879) who undertook the management of the business until 1819, during which time he expanded its geographical reach.³ This move was within the frame of a general tendency of Greek enterprises during the decade of the 1820s to establish branches not only in the most important centres and ports of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, but also in the north-western part of Europe. This trade network of the Greek merchants of the diaspora strove to control the transportation of goods, especially that of grain, through the creation of a network of agents comprised of individuals of trust, who was consolidated by kinship, friendship or common origins.⁴

The Pappoudof merchant house, together with the Pappoudof-Laskaridis firm,⁵ expanded to other wheat trade centres of the Black Sea, besides that of Odessa, such as Rostov⁶ and Taganrog. Apart from the Black Sea, they had established branches in major trade centres like Constantinople, Livorno and Marseilles. In Constantinople had settled the brothers Theodosios and Fotios Pappoudof.⁷ In Livorvo the branch was managed by the brothers Ioannis (Constantinople 1801-Florence 1862) and Konstantinos.⁸ In Marseilles, according to a reference made in one source, the Pappoudof brothers seem to be part of the Pappoudof network until 1846, after which date the management of the branch was taken on by Konstantinos Sotirikos and Giorgio Grimanelli, trusted persons of Ioannis Pappoudof of Livorno.⁹ From another source, we find Konstantinos, Ioannis and Alexandros Pappoudof registered in the merchant firms of Marseilles in 1860.¹⁰

Unfortunately, from the published data we cannot establish completely or at least to a satisfactory degree the family tree and the relationships of the Pappoudof family in the various trade centres. The only piece of information that emerges with reasonable certainty is that the starting-point of the spread of the family existed in Constantinople, as was attested by the cases of Georgios in Odessa and Ioannis in Livorno.

2. Strategic Alliances – The Induction into the “Chian Network ”

Within the framework of their commercial activities, the Pappoudofs were admitted into the “Chian network.”¹¹ The marriage of Constandinos Pappoudof of Odessa, in 1830, to Despoina, the daughter of Pantoleon Rodokanakis and first cousin of Theodoros Rodokanakis, the most powerful businessman in Odessa, but also his second marriage, after the death of Despoina, in 1844 to Arianni, daughter of Efstratios Sevastopoulos, an equally powerful Chian merchant of Odessa, clearly show the strategic choices of the Pappoudof family for an affilation with and induction into the “Chian network”, the most powerful unofficial business and trade network of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea during that period.¹² Similar approaches were also adopted by Ioannis Pappoudof in Livorno, also through the Sevastopoulos family, since Karolos, manager of the Sevastopoulos store in Livorno, christened the eldest and youngest children of Ioannis Pappoudof in 1847 and 1859.¹³

3. Types of business activities: The grain trade.

The grain trade constituted the most significant and most lucrative activity of the Pappoudofs, at least till the 1860s; as was also the case for most Greek businessmen of that period who had established branches in the Black Sea. Constandinos Pappoudof of Odessa is included among the city’s three most important Greek exporters of grain along with Zannis St. Rallis and Theodoros Rodokanakis. The three accounted for one-fifth of the total exports of Odessa during the period 1833-1860. In addition, these three prominent merchants, together with the firms of Zarifis and Mavros during the same period, accounted for 62% of the total external trade of the Greek merchant firms of Odessa.¹⁴

Similarly, the Pappoudofs of Marseilles ranked among the most important Greek importing firms of grain in the years 1847 and 1857, with a total amount of imports at 5.94% and 6.95% respectively. In 1847 they occupied fourth place, following the houses of Rodokanakis, Zarifis and Basily. M., whereas in 1857 they were second, coming after the firm of Rallis-Skylitsis-Argentis.¹⁵ In Livorno, the Pappoudof brothers were also included among the most important Greek merchants concerned with the import of grain from the Black Sea.¹⁶ As proof of the economic robustness of the Livorno branch can be cited the fact that it held third place, following the Mavros nephews and Rodokanakis & Sons Ltd, in the catalogue of contributions made by Greek merchant firms to the Fraternity of Agia Trias (Holy Trinity) during the period 1821-1848.¹⁷

4. Other activities: Ship-ownership - Insurance – Retailing- Banking

Apart from trade, the Pappoudofs, just as the majority of prominent merchants of the period, were involved in ship-owning, the aim of which was to better serve the needs of their commercial firms. In the possession of the Odessa firm we find two sailing vessels, the ‘Soter’ (under the Greek flag) and the ‘Konstantinos’ (under the Russian flag), of 240 and 481 tons, respectively; the former was built at Skopelos island in 1839 and the latter in Malta in 1854. The owner of the first was G. Pappoudof and the owner of the second was the Konstantinos Pappoudof Company.¹⁸ Moreover, from the newspaper Le Sémaphore de Marseille we are informed that in 1850, the Pappoudofs of Marseilles possessed six ships (probably sailing vessels) of 1,663 nrt and, in 1860, 19 ships of 4,592 nrt. Consequently, the Pappoudof family was included among the great Greek ship-owners of Marseilles together with Rallis, Rodokanakis, Dromokaitis, Zizinias, Spartalis etc.¹⁹ In addition, we know that the Pappoudofs of Marseilles possessed in 1850, three sailing vessels, the ‘Constantinos’, ‘Pandias’, and ‘Catingo’, of 347, 416 and 150 tons respectively.²⁰ Despite this, according to the available data, the Pappoudofs do not appear to have made the transition from trade and shipping to modern ship-owning in the second half of the 19th century, as occurred in other cases among the big merchants, mainly those of the Ionian Sea, such as the Vallianos family.²¹

Apart from grain trade ship-ownership, the Pappoudofs were involved in other economic activities, as were many other Greek merchant houses of that time. We know, though the details are sketchy, that they were active in Livorno either as independent insurance brokers or as shareholders in the anonymous insurance company ‘Società Anonima di Assicurazione Marittima’.²² Another domain, in which the Pappoudofs of Livorno were also active, was that of retail, as Ioannis became a shareholder in the brewery of the city of Lucca in Italy.²³

Nevertheless, despite the importance of the abovementioned activities, that of banking-finance in the 19th century was believed to have been one of the most profitable occupations of the major merchants. Virtually all of them became involved with finance and banking, to one degree or another. Thus, the Pappoudofs of Livorno participated in the ‘Società Borica Stravelese’ as shareholders in the ‘Banca Industriale’ whilst Ioannis Pappoudof served as president of the ‘Cassa di Sconto’ bank.²⁴ At the same time, Aristeidis Pappoudof, who had settled in Athens and was the son of Theodosios from Constantinople, became actively involved as shareholder and as a member of the board of directors of the General Credit Bank of Syngros, as well as with the familiar banking issue, during the period 1871-1873.²⁵

5. The Years of Change

The years 1846 and 1862 were of special importance for the Pappoudof network of firms. In 1846 took place probably the restructuring of the branches and their administration. Therefore, out of the four branches that were in operation within the network up to that time - those of Odessa, Constantinople, Marseilles and Livorno-, the branch in Constantinople was either closed down or converted, whilst the other three were retained, though new managers were appointed for the store in Marseilles (Konstantinos Sotirikos, until then Ioannis Pappoudof’s assistant in Livorno, and Giorgio Grimanelli). In 1862, on the death of Ioannis Pappoudof of Livorno, the previous structure of the company was dissolved and the new company, ‘Pappoudof Constantinos Company’ appears not to collaborate directly with the branches of Odessa and Marseilles.²⁶ Besides, at that time important changes took place in the international market, in consequence of which the Greeks lost control of the transportation of grain from the Black Sea to Western Europe, while many of them turned to other activities.

6. Signs of Recognition: Real Estate and Social Activity

The enormous wealth of the Greek diaspora grand merchant was reflected in the large number of real estate they owned in the cities where they lived and worked. In Odessa, Constantinos Pappoudof, with a total property value of 243,046 rubles, was fifth among the Greeks, coming after Stefanos Rallis, Grigorios Maraslis, Theodoros Rodokanakis and Alexandros Koumbaris.²⁷ As for Livorno, we do not know the total value of the Pappoudof real estate. However, we do know that Constantinos Pappoudof owned considerable property in the ‘Scali delle Cerere’ region. This property was used as places of residence or work.²⁸

The economic power of the Greek merchant princes of the 19th century also had a corresponding social effect that contributed to their rise in the social hierarchy through the holding of positions in the political, economic and social field. Thus, it is not by chance that Ioannis Pappoudof was president of the Merchant Chamber Board of Livorno in 1845, as many other Greek grand merchants of the city.²⁹ Neither should Constantinos Pappoudof’s involvement in the public affairs of Odessa be considered coincidental. The fact is shown by the participation of Pappoudof in a committee (1863) that submitted a plan regarding the reformation of the responsibilities and the method of electing the municipal authorities.³⁰ Nevertheless, the embodiment of difference and the integration into a superior and special class was achieved through the participation in clubs, used by grand merchants and businessmen for a variety of meetings. Thus, in 1837, Ioannis Pappoudof constituted a founding member of the ‘Casino di Commercio’ of Livorno among prominent businessmen like Rodokanakis, Tositsas, Skylitsis, Sevastopoulos and others. Similarly, Konstantinos Pappoudof, the brother of Ioannis, was one of the founding members of the ‘Circolo L’Unione’ in 1855. The evolution of these clubs into athletic and educational associations did not leave the Pappoudofs indifferent, as is indicated by the participation of Konstantinos in 1873 (Ioannis had died in 1862) in the ‘Società Livornese per le corse dei cavalli’, during a period in which horseracing, in imitation of the British upper class, was increasingly gaining prestige.³¹

The capstone of a merchant / businessman of the haute bourgeoisie in the 19th century was thought to be the bestowment of a title, an event from which he gained entrance into ‘high society’. The Pappoudofs of Livorno managed to gain this distinction as well, since they received a title on February 13, 1857 from the Grand Duke of Tuscany, a distinction which was later certified by the King of Italy by the bestowment of the title of Count.³²