Un imprenditore al servizio dello Stato napoleonico: Stefano Majnoni (1756-1826)
Abstract
This study contributes to the broader discourse on biographical and prosopographical research by examining the career of Stefano Majnoni, a successful tobacco merchant whose trajectory reflects both typical and distinctive features of the Napoleonic-era entrepreneurial elite. Born in the Lake Como region, Majnoni first established himself in Strasbourg before moving to Lugano, where he founded tobacco manufacturing enterprises serving the German, Swiss and Milanese markets. In 1802, he left his private enterprise to accept an appointment from the Vice President of the Italian Republic, initially managing the royal tobacco factory in Milan and later overseeing the entire state monopoly. He distinguished himself by modernizing production and distribution systems, significantly increasing state revenues. Following the fall of the Napoleonic Kingdom, he retained his position under the Habsburg administration and was entrusted with establishing a new, modern tobacco factory in Hainburg, Lower Austria – an achievement that earned him a noble title in 1819. His career exemplifies the role of the ‘state entrepreneur’ and illustrates an evolving concept of nobility that extended to members of the commercial elite.
Presentato: 30 Maggio 2025 | Accettato: 22 Luglio 2025 | Lingua: it
Keywords Commercial elite • Social mobility • State entrepreneurship • Tobacco monopoly • Napoleonic Italy
Copyright © 2025 Stefano Levati. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-941-2/006