Sposi a Milano. Immigrazione e mestieri nella capitale napoleonica

Was Milan an open society in Napoleon’s time? Can we measure its geographic, social and professional mobility? This article is aimed at giving a partial answer to such questions by assembling statistical data and formulating some hypotheses. The analysis is based on the records of all the weddings celebrated in Milan in the three years 1807, 1808 and 1809, a total of 3.235 marriages; special attention is given to brides and bridegrooms coming from outside the capital. The traditional mobility of workers which has always been a feature of this great city is confirmed in these years too, even though it does not relate to substantial changes in social roles: the majority of immigrants belong to the lower classes, still tied to manual or servile labour and to a poor or non existent literacy.