Danish overseas colonies
A colonial empire spanning four continents from 1537 to 1953.
Danish overseas colonies, also referred to as Dano-Norwegian colonies, were territories held by Denmark–Norway from 1537 until 1953. At their peak, these possessions spanned four continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. The colonial expansion marked a rise in the status of Danes and Norwegians within the Kalmar Union and was initiated under Christian IV as part of European mercantilism.
Quick Facts
- Status text
- Colonial empire
- Life span
- 1537–1953 (Denmark); 1537–1814 (Norway)
- Year start
- 1537
- Event end
- Greenland made integral part of Denmark
- Year end
- 1953
- Capital
- Copenhagen
- National motto
- Ske Herrens vilje; "The Lord's will be done"
- Common languages
- Official language:
- Danish
- Regional languages:
- Norwegian, German, Icelandic, Greenlandic, Faroese
Facts from the source article.
Overview
Denmark-Norway had several trading posts and four forts on the Gold Coast in what is now Ghana. The trading stations were Fort Frederiksborg at Kpompo, Fort Christiansborg near Accra bought from Sweden in 1661, and Frederiksberg. The forts were Fort Fredensborg (1734), Fort Kongenstein (1783), Fort Prinzenstein (1784), and Fort Augustaborg (1787); some are now ruins, with only Osu Castle still standing, formerly used by Ghanaian presidents. Plantations near Frederiksborg failed. Fort Christiansborg became the Danish base in West Africa and the hub for the slave trade to the Danish West Indies. In 1807, the Ashanti suppressed Denmark's African partners, leading to the abandonment of all stations. Denmark sold its forts to the United Kingdom in 1850. In India, Denmark held small colonies and trading posts from the 1600s to 1800s, mainly for spice trade and access to East Asia and China. In 1755, Denmark acquired Frederiksnagore (now Serampore) and later Achne and Pirapur, about 25 km north of Kolkata. Serampore College was founded there in 1818 and still operates. These towns were sold to Britain in 1845. Denmark also tried to colonize the Nicobar Islands, calling them Frederiksøerne or Ny Danmark, from 1754 to 1868.
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