Swedish colonial empire
Sweden possessed overseas colonies from 1638 to 1663 and from 1784 to 1878.
Background
That Sweden possessed a colonial Empire is a less well known fact than that Spain, Great Britain, France or Holland had their extensive imperial projects. This is due to the fact that the Swedish colonies were fewer and smaller than were those of other powers. As a state that played a significant role in Europe, with a history of sea-faring, Sweden, as did other European nations, wanted trading partners, sources of raw material and outlets for its own products, just as other nations did. At times in her history, Sweden had ruled or was united with Norway and governed a land-based empire in the Baltic including Finland, Estonia and parts of Russia, Poland, Latvia and Germany. Sweden-Norway in fact was ahead of such nations as Germany and Italy in acquiring overseas colonies. Sweden-Norway was allied with Napoleon Bonaparte's enemies during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, Sweden-Norway took part in the Berlin Conference (1884) which divided Africa between the major powers.
Sweden's population doubled during the hundred years period from the mid seventeenth to the mid eighteenth centuries, when industrialization also began. Population growth and industrialization contributed to Sweden's desire to join the scramble for colonies. Another contributing factor was the result of the war fought with Russia between 1700-21, which left Sweden short of funds. Trade offered a way to replenish the Treasury. In addition to trading companies formed to pursue commerce and exploration in Africa and in the Americas, the Swedish East India Company was established in 1731. Its ships traded with China making a total of 132 expeditions, although the company encountered opposition from the British and Dutch, who regarded trading in the East as their exclusive right. The first expedition was detained by the Dutch in Indonesia on its return, who refused to recognize that it had a right to carry the Swedish flag.
African Colonies
The former Swedish colonies in Africa were:
- Swedish Gold Coast (1650-1663; lost to Denmark and the Dutch) Including Cape Coast (1649-1663) consisting following settlements:
- Apollonia, present Benin: 1655-1657.
- Fort Christiansborg/Fort Frederiksborg, which became the capital, present Osu: 1652-1658
- Fort Batenstein, present Butri: 1649-1656.
- Fort Witsen, present Takoradi: 1653-1658.
- Carolusborg: April 1650 - January/February 1658, 10 December 1660- 22 April 1663
American Colonies
The former Swedish colonies in America:
- Guadeloupe (1813-1814;returned to France)
- Saint-Barthélemy (1784-1878; sold to France)
- New Sweden (1638-1655; lost to the Dutch)
New Sweden
By the middle of the 17th century, the Swedish Empire had reached its greatest territorial extent. The Swedes sought to extend their influence by creating an agricultural (tobacco) and fur trading colony to bypass French, British and Dutch merchants. They therefore formed the New Sweden Company to promote this agenda. The charter included Swedish, Dutch and German stockholders. Once they landed in the Americas (in 1637) they established, Fort Christina (now Wilmington, Delaware), named after Queen Christina of Sweden. Many of the settlers were Finnish; since until 1809 Finland was governed as the eastern third of the kingdom of Sweden.
The settlement became known as New Sweden and was actually an invasion of New Netherland since it was Dutch territory. The first governor, Peter Minuit, died after returning from Stockholm by a hurricane while on the island of St. Christopher in the Caribbean. The colony would establish Fort Nya Elfsborg north of present-day Salem, New Jersey in 1643.
In 1643 the company expanded along the river from Fort Christina, and established Fort Nya Elfsborg on the south bank near present-day Salem, New Jersey. In 1644, New Sweden supported the Susquehannocks in their victory in a war against the English Province of Maryland.[5] In May 1654, the Dutch Fort Casimir was captured by soldiers from the New Sweden colony led by governor Johan Rising. The fort was taken without a fight because its garrison had no gunpowder, and the fort was renamed Fort Trinity.
As reprisal, the Dutch — led by governor Peter Stuyvesant — moved an army to the Delaware River in the late summer of 1655, leading to the immediate surrender of Fort Trinity and Fort Christina.
The Swedish and Finnish settlers continued to enjoy a degree of local autonomy, having their own militia, religion, court, and lands.
This status lasted officially until the English conquest of the New Netherland colony was launched on June 24, 1664 when the Duke of York sold the area that is today New Jersey to John Berkeley and George Carteret for a proprietary colony, separate from the projected New York. The actual invasion started on August 29, 1664 with the capture of New Amsterdam. The invasion continued, and was concluded with the capture of Fort Casimir (New Castle, Delaware) in October 1664[6]. The invasion was one of the things that was contested in the start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
The status continued unofficially until the area was included in William Penn's charter for Pennsylvania, on August 24, 1682. During this later period some immigration and expansion continued. The first settlement and Fort Wicaco were built on the present site of Philadelphia in 1669.
Permanent settlements
- Christina, now Wilmington, Delaware 1638
- Finland (Chamassungh), now Trainer, Pennsylvania 1641
- Upland, now Chester, Pennsylvania 1641
- Sveaborg, now Swedesboro, New Jersey 1642[1][2]
- Printztorp, now Chester, Pennsylvania 1643
- Tequirassy, now Eddystone, Pennsylvania 1643
- Tinicum Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania 1643
- Province (Manaiping) Island, in the Schuylkill River, now Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1643
- Minqua's Island, now Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1643
- Kingsessing (Nya Vasa), now Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1644
- Mölndal, now Yeadon, Pennsylvania 1645
- Torne (Aronameck), now West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1647
- The Sidoland, now Wilmington, Delaware 1654
- Timber Island, now Wilmington, Delaware 1654
- Strandviken, now Wilmington, Delaware 1654
- Ammansland, now Darby, Pennsylvania 1654
- New Stockholm, now Bridgeport, New Jersey
Rivers and creeks
- Swenskes Revier, Nya Sweriges Rivier (Delaware River)
- Schuylen Kyl (Schuylkill River)
- Minquas Kyl (Christina River)
- Fiske Kyl (Brandywine Creek)
Antillian possessions
As a result of Sweden's support of France's enemies during the Napoleonic Wars, the island of Guadeloupe was ceded to king Charles XIV John personally, not to his Swedish state.
However a year later the island was given to France by the Treaty of Paris. Sweden then forced a settlement with Great Britain because it had been guaranteed the island which was strategically close to its other Caribbean colony. This led to the Guadeloupe Fund which guaranteed Sweden 24 million francs. Because of how the money was used, Sweden was then given an additional 300,000 Riksdaler under the Riksdag of 1815 every year. The last installment was paid in 1983.
In Africa : Swedish Gold Coast
Sweden temporarily controlled several settlements on the Gold Coast (present Ghana) since 22 April 1650, but lost the last when on 20 April 1663 Fort Carlsborg and the capital Fort Chistiansborg were seized by Denmark. Another trading company with a royal charter was responsible for pursuing Sweden's interests in Africa, the Swedish Africa Company (founded in 1649). In 1650, an expedition under the command of Henrik Carloff was send to Africa. 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 the famous admiral and explorer Adam Johann von Krusenstern)[3] 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 already on his own had sold the colony in march 1659 to the Netherlands 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 to take control over the area. A new expedition was send 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 Dutch after a long defense under the Swedish commander Tönnies 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.
Cape Coast
In 1652, the Swedes took Cape Coast (in modern Ghana) which had previously been under the control of the Dutch and before that the Portuguese. Cape Coast was centered around the Carolusburg Castle which was built in 1653 and named after king Charles X Gustav of Sweden but is now known as the Cape Coast Castle.
The Swedish Atlantic slave trade
During this time the small Swedish slave trade began. However, after the fall of New Sweden to the Dutch, the slave trade ended. It would later be rejuvenated under Gustav III who would founded a Swedish colony on Saint-Barthélemy in 1785 and made the island a center for slave trading. The Swedish West India Company was established on the island in 1786.
Sources and references
(incomplete)
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- ↑ The Swedish Colonial Society website.
- ↑ Trinity Episcopal "Old Swedes" Church: History.
- ↑ (German) Baltic nobility genealogy handbook Governor Johan Filip von Krusenstierna family
