Swedish Gold Coast
Encyclopedia
The Swedish Gold Coast was a Swedish
colony founded in 1650 on the Gulf of Guinea
in present-day Ghana
and Togo
in West Africa
. It lasted to April 1663 when the whole Swedish Gold Coast was seized by the Danes, and integrated in the Danish Gold Coast
.
) along the coast on the Gulf of Guinea
in what later would become the British Gold Coast
.
The colony consisted of fortifications
and trading post
s (factories):
In 1656 Johan Filip von Krusenstierna (brother of the greatgrandfather of Adam Johann von Krusenstern
) was appointed the new Governor
. This enraged Carloff. He left Cabo Corso only to return on 27 January 1658 on the Danish
Privateer
"Glückstadt". Fort Carlsborg was seized and made part of the Danish Gold Coast
colony.
King Charles X Gustav of Sweden
made this one of his reasons to go to war with Denmark. After the Treaty of Copenhagen in 1660 Cabo Corso was to be returned to Swedish administration: However it then was revealed that Carloff's associate Schmidt had already sold the colony in March 1659 to the Netherlands
on his own, and had disappeared with the money.
Later on the local population started a successful uprising against their new masters and in December 1660 the King of Futu again offered Sweden control over the area. A new expedition was sent to the colony which remained under Swedish administration only for a short period. von Krusenstierna was reappointed as administrator.
On 20 April 1663 Fort Carlsborg and the capital Fort Christiansborg again were seized by the Danes
after a long defense
under the Swedish commander Anton Voss.
On 9 May 1664 the area again was seized, this time by the British
who made it part of the British Gold Coast
colony.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
colony founded in 1650 on the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
in present-day Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. It lasted to April 1663 when the whole Swedish Gold Coast was seized by the Danes, and integrated in the Danish Gold Coast
Danish Gold Coast
The Danish Gold Coast was a part of the Gold Coast , which is on the West African Gulf of Guinea...
.
Geography
The colony consisted of only a few forts and trading posts scattered around Cabo Corso (present-day Cape CoastCape Coast
Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region of Ghana and is also the capital city of the Fante people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra on the Gulf of Guinea. It has a population of 82,291 . From the 16th century the city has changed hands between the...
) along the coast on the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
in what later would become the British Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
.
The colony consisted of fortifications
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
and trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
s (factories):
- Fort Carlsborg (also Carolusborg and Cape Coast CastleCape Coast CastleCape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana built by Swedish traders. The first timber construction on the site was erected in 1653 for the Swedish Africa Company and named Carolusborg after King Charles X of Sweden. It was later rebuilt in stone....
), present day Cape CoastCape CoastCape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region of Ghana and is also the capital city of the Fante people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra on the Gulf of Guinea. It has a population of 82,291 . From the 16th century the city has changed hands between the...
, CentralregionCentral Region (Ghana)The Central Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It is bordered by the Ashanti and Eastern regions to the north, Western region to the west, Greater Accra region to the east, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean.-Districts:...
, under Swedish administration 22 April 1650 - January/February 1658, 10 December 1660 - 22 April 1663. - Fort William (also Annamabo), present day AnomabuAnomabuAnomabu , is a town on the coast of Ghana, Africa.-European colonization:Anomabu became the focus of intense European trade rivalry in the 17th and 18th centuries, partly because of its easy access to a rich hinterland and partly because the local Anomabu were themselves powerful and astute traders...
, Central regionCentral Region (Ghana)The Central Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It is bordered by the Ashanti and Eastern regions to the north, Western region to the west, Greater Accra region to the east, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean.-Districts:...
, under Swedish administration 1650 - 1657 - Fort BatensteinFort BatensteinFort Batenstein was the second trading post established by the Dutch on their Gold Coast between 1595 and 1600, after Fort Nassau was founded in Mouri around the same time. It was situated near Butre . In 1649, the trading post was upgraded into a fort...
(also Batensteyn), present day Butri near Sekondi-TakoradiSekondi-TakoradiSekondi-Takoradi, population 335,000 , comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi, is the capital of the Western Region of Ghana. It is Ghana's fourth largest city and an industrial and commercial center. The chief industries are timber, plywood, shipbuilding and railroad repair and...
, Western regionWestern Region (Ghana)The Western Region of Ghana, reaching from the Côte d'Ivoire border in the west to the Central Region in the east, includes the large twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi on the coast, coastal Axim, and a hilly inland area including Elubo. It includes Ghana's southernmost location, Cape Three Points,...
, under Swedish administration 1650 - 1656 - Fort Christiansborg (also Fort Frederiksborg and Osu CastleOsu CastleOsu Castle, also known as Fort Christiansborg or simply the Castle, is a castle located in Osu, Accra, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea. The first substantial fort was built by the Danish in the 1660s, though the castle has changed hands between Denmark, Portugal, the Akwamu, the...
), present day Osu, GhanaOsu, GhanaLocated about 3 km east of the CBD, Osu is a district in central Accra, Ghana, known for its busy commercial, restaurant and nightlife activity. It is locally known as the 'West End' of Accra. Bounded to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, Osu's western boundary is the Independence Avenue...
in AccraAccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, headquarters, under Swedish administration 1652 - 1658 - Fort Witsen (also Taccorari), present day Sekondi-TakoradiSekondi-TakoradiSekondi-Takoradi, population 335,000 , comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi, is the capital of the Western Region of Ghana. It is Ghana's fourth largest city and an industrial and commercial center. The chief industries are timber, plywood, shipbuilding and railroad repair and...
, Western regionWestern Region (Ghana)The Western Region of Ghana, reaching from the Côte d'Ivoire border in the west to the Central Region in the east, includes the large twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi on the coast, coastal Axim, and a hilly inland area including Elubo. It includes Ghana's southernmost location, Cape Three Points,...
, under Swedish administration 1653 - 1658 - Fort ApolloniaApollonia-Places:Albania:* Apollonia, IllyriaBulgaria:* Apollonia, Thrace now SozopolFrance:* Sainte-Apollonie island, Île de Sainte-Apollonie, on the Mayenne river in the French region Pays de la LoireGreece:*Apollonia , a city on Mount Athos...
, present day Benyin, Western regionWestern Region (Ghana)The Western Region of Ghana, reaching from the Côte d'Ivoire border in the west to the Central Region in the east, includes the large twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi on the coast, coastal Axim, and a hilly inland area including Elubo. It includes Ghana's southernmost location, Cape Three Points,...
, under Swedish administration 1655 - 1657 - Gemoree Factory
- Accara Factory
Colonial Heads
Each of the three Swedish administrators had a different gubernatorial title:- Director: Henrik Carloff, 22 April 1650 - 1656
- Governor: Johan Filip von Krusenstierna (son of Philipp Crusius), 1656 - February 1658, 1659 - 1660
- Commander: Tönnies Voss, 16 - 22 April 1663
History
Following the foundation of the Swedish Africa Company in 1649 an expedition under the command of Henrik Carloff was sent to Africa in 1650. Carloff made a treaty with the King of Futu (also Feta) on selling some areas of land. On 22 April 1650 the Swedish Gold Coast was founded and Carloff became its first administrator.In 1656 Johan Filip von Krusenstierna (brother of the greatgrandfather of Adam Johann von Krusenstern
Adam Johann von Krusenstern
Adam Johann Ritter von Krusenstern , was an admiral and explorer, who led the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe.- Life :...
) was appointed the new Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
. This enraged Carloff. He left Cabo Corso only to return on 27 January 1658 on the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
"Glückstadt". Fort Carlsborg was seized and made part of the Danish Gold Coast
Danish Gold Coast
The Danish Gold Coast was a part of the Gold Coast , which is on the West African Gulf of Guinea...
colony.
King Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Charles X Gustav of Sweden
Charles X Gustav also Carl Gustav, was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who...
made this one of his reasons to go to war with Denmark. After the Treaty of Copenhagen in 1660 Cabo Corso was to be returned to Swedish administration: However it then was revealed that Carloff's associate Schmidt had already sold the colony in March 1659 to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on his own, and had disappeared with the money.
Later on the local population started a successful uprising against their new masters and in December 1660 the King of Futu again offered Sweden control over the area. A new expedition was sent to the colony which remained under Swedish administration only for a short period. von Krusenstierna was reappointed as administrator.
On 20 April 1663 Fort Carlsborg and the capital Fort Christiansborg again were seized by the Danes
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
after a long defense
Defense (military)
Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...
under the Swedish commander Anton Voss.
On 9 May 1664 the area again was seized, this time by the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
who made it part of the British Gold Coast
Gold Coast (British colony)
The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa that became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.-Overview:The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial...
colony.