ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Uppsala Studies in Economic History, 82 Omslagsbild: Nina Hemmingsson Karin Ågren Köpmannen i Stockholm Grosshandlares ekonomiska och sociala strategier under 1700-talet Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Hörsal 2, Ekonomi- kum, Kyrkogårdsgatan 10, Uppsala, Friday, December 14, 2007 at 10:15 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in Swedish. Abstract Ågren, K. 2007. Köpmannen i Stockholm. Grosshandlares ekonomiska och sociala strategier under 1700-talet. (The Merchant of Stockholm. Wholesalers’ economic and social strategies during the eighteenth century). Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Uppsala Studies in Economic History 82. 276 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 978-91-554-7030-2. The purpose of this thesis has been to describe and explain why wholesalers in Stockholm during the eighteenth century acted as they did. This analysis is built on the idea that peoples’ possibilities to act depends on the context in which they live and the person’s network. The starting-point for the analysis is an old discussion if the merchants made any difference in the transformation of society; were they a dynamic element or not? In this thesis wholesalers’ social and economic relations are studied from different view- points: how they married, how their credit network was built up, and what they consumed. The wholesalers are divided into groups depending on their income. The materials used are inventories, parish registers, registers of tax-payments and biographical books The research shows that the differences in behaviour were small between the income groups. Most of the wholesalers married daughters of other merchants, they lent money to their own family, and they consumed more or less in the same way. There was a big economic gap between the wealthiest wholesalers and the less wealthy. Why their behaviour was nonethless so homogenous depended on their need of a network. The importance of this made them act the same. However, the study shows one group that acted a bit differently, wholesalers who be- longed to the German congregation. In several ways they were an association in themselves. And the way they act can described as dynamic. Because they did not have an obligation to the Swedish network, they could act differently. Keywords: merchant, eighteenth century, network, Stockholm, Skeppsbro nobility, economic and social strategies, credit network, wholesalers, immigrant tradesmen, marriage strategies, conspicuous consumption, social mobility, bankruptcy, immigrant congregation, inventories, Gamla stan, trade capitalism, trading house Karin Ågren, Department of Economic History, Box 513, Uppsala University, SE-75120 Uppsala, Sweden © Karin Ågren 2007 ISSN 0346-6493 ISBN 978-91-554-7030-2 urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-8328 (http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-8328) Printed in Sweden by Universitetstryckeriet, Uppsala 2007 Distributor: Uppsala University Library, Box 510, SE-751 20 Uppsala www.uu.se, [email protected] Innehållsförteckning TABELL- OCH FIGURFÖRTECKNING .....................................................8 FÖRORD ......................................................................................................11 KAPITEL 1. Driftiga dynamiker eller privilegierade parasiter?.........................15 Handelns omdiskuterade betydelse..........................................................16 Orsak till agerande..............................................................................19 Rationalitet och strategier...................................................................22 1700-talets politiska och ekonomiska struktur ........................................25 Borgarnas privilegier..........................................................................26 Att skapa goda relationer.........................................................................29 Behovet av tillit ..................................................................................30 Nätverkens funktion ...........................................................................32 Hur förklara agerande? ............................................................................34 Hur analysera agerande?.....................................................................36 KAPITEL 2. Grosshandlarnas arena ............................................................39 Staden och den egentliga befolkningen ...................................................39 Borgerskapet.......................................................................................41 Stadens förvaltning.............................................................................43 Verksamhetens organisering....................................................................44 Gemensam organisering .....................................................................46 Världslig och andlig makt ..................................................................51 Ekonomiska förhållanden...................................................................53 Stockholms grosshandlare i fokus ...........................................................55 KAPITEL 3. Identifiering och differentiering..............................................60 Borgerskapets taxering ............................................................................61 Alla grosshandlare..............................................................................64 Grosshandlaränkor..............................................................................67 Grosshandlarna och kontributionen....................................................71 Ekonomisk slutsummering ......................................................................75 Brutto- och nettoförmögenhet ............................................................80 Sammanfattning.......................................................................................84 KAPITEL 4. Tager du denna…? ..................................................................86 Makten över äktenskapet .........................................................................86 Kärlek och krav ..................................................................................88 Äktenskapsteorier...............................................................................91 Vem tar vem?...........................................................................................93 Klassificering och gruppering ............................................................95 Källor till familjen ..............................................................................96 Grosshandlarnas giftermålsmönster .................................................100 Exempel på reproduktiv strategi..................................................107 Exempel på reduktiv strategi.......................................................109 Exempel på expansiv strategi ......................................................110 Lyckades strategierna? .....................................................................111 Barnens karriär och äktenskapsmönster ...........................................114 Sammanfattning.....................................................................................116 KAPITEL 5. Krediter, kontakter och konkurser.........................................119 Kreditsystemet.......................................................................................119 Bouppteckningar och konkursakter..................................................122 Aktiv in i det sista.............................................................................124 Grosshandlarnas debitorer .....................................................................128 Relation till gäldenären.....................................................................131 Grosshandlarnas kreditorer....................................................................135 Relation till borgenären ....................................................................138 I nöden prövas vännen? .........................................................................140 Kreditgivande släktingar ..................................................................143 Annan verksamhet, samma kontakter?.............................................146 Sammanfattning.....................................................................................149 KAPITEL 6. Strategisk konsumtion...........................................................151 Konsumtion som hot och möjlighet.......................................................152 Grosshandlarnas konsumtion.................................................................155 Husets placering ...............................................................................157 Rika och fattiga kvarter? .............................................................161 Granne med sin svärfar................................................................167 Ekonomiska investeringar ................................................................168 Bland silverskålar och linneservetter................................................170 Metaller, ädla och oädla ..............................................................171 Textilier och accessoarer .............................................................172 Möbler, glas och porslin..............................................................174 Tavlor, böcker och musikinstrument...........................................177 Tillgångar och kapital.......................................................................180