Giovanni di Niccolò Pappaffy: identities and philanthropies of an Ottoman Greek broker in Malta

Abstract

The commercial and personal archive of Salonica-born Malta merchant Giovanni di Niccolò Pappaffy (Iωα´ννης N. Παπα´ϕης, Ioannis son of Nicolaos Pappaffy) (1792–1886) is a rich source for the political and cultural identities, commercial networks, and intellectual life of a Greek diaspora merchant in the Mediterranean and the Levant. Pappaffy's self-description reveals complex identities and loyalties as a Greek diaspora merchant-entrepreneur and Ottoman citizen prospering in British-governed Malta. Pappaffy's views on politics, economics, and social fairness derived from a broader worldview, according to which stability and peace were indispensable preconditions for economic and social progress. The present study looks at the parameters of a successful merchant's career, systems of mutual help and cooperation in the family and broader community, and mobility and coherence within a unified geographic space. An important tool for this analysis is Pappaffy's philanthropic activities for newly independent Greece, for Hellenism still under Ottoman rule, and for his host country Malta, benefactions reflecting his rich personal experience and overlapping identities.