The Swedish Africa Company ( sv, Svenska Afrikanska Kompaniet) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

trading company, founded in 1649 on the initiative of the Walloon-

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

merchant Louis De Geer and his son Laurens, for whom Sweden had become a second home. The primary interest of the company was the trade on the Swedish Gold Coast, notably the trade of human beings to be sold into slavery in the Americas.

History

In 1648 De Geer's charter on exporting Swedish copper ended. Along with his son Laurens, and with a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, b ...

Christina I of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December ( New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his deat ...

he founded the Swedish Africa Company, but moved its base from

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

Stade Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...

. The company was founded after Hendrik Carloff, a former high-ranking administrator of the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ...

, had offered his help, promoting his good relation with a local chief. Caerloff was hired for three years as commander and director at a salary of one hundred guilders and an ounce of gold per month to cover the charges. He was embarking on the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

and thence sailed to Africa. He arrived at the Gold Coast on 22 April 1650. Carloff signed a contract for the purchase of land with the chief of Efutu. There was a conflict with the Company of Merchants Trading to Guinea negotiating with Henniqua, a cousin of King of the Fetu about an English trading post. On 28 May 1650 both Sweden and the English signed a treaty with the chief. The English obtained the right to trade for only half a year. Carloff occupied

Butre Butre is a village in the Ahanta West district, district in the Western Region of Ghana. Butre contains the Fort Batenstein Fort Batenstein was a fort and trading post established by the Dutch on the Gold Coast in 1656. It was situated near Bu ...

in 1650, Annemabo in 1651 and Orsou in 1652. On his return in September 1652 Carloff and his ship ''Christina'' were seized and taken to

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

. His ship was transporting about twenty bags of gold and 6,500 elephant teeth. The gold rings, necklaces and bracelets were taken to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

. Meanwhile, his men started building Fort Carolusborg and conquered Tacorary in 1653. In Sweden Carloff was promoted to general and knighted on 3 May 1654 under the name Carloffer. It seems he occupied Jumore ( Fort Apollonia) and Cabo in 1655. In 1656

Fort Batenstein Fort Batenstein was a fort and trading post established by the Dutch on the Gold Coast in 1656. It was situated near Butre (old spelling: ''Boutry''). The fort was ceded with the entire Dutch Gold Coast to Britain in 1872. At this fort, the Trea ...

was recaptured by the Dutch. In 1656 Carloff was accused of private trade.

Johann Philipp von Krusenstjerna Johann Philipp von Krusenstjerna (1624–1659) was a German soldier who entered the service of the Swedish Africa Company. He was the second governor of Cape Coast Castle Cape Coast Castle ( sv, Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles ...

(1626–1659) took over the post of governor. Annoyed, Carloff left the colony and deserted to Denmark on 27 March 1657. He then founded the

Danish Africa Company The Danish West India Company () or Danish West IndiaGuinea Company (') was a Dano-Norwegian chartered company that operated out of the colonies in the Danish West Indies. It is estimated that 120,000 enslaved Africans were transported on the comp ...

and recaptured Carolusburg from the Swedes. Because of the Dano-Swedish War he ordered to sell Carolusborg to the Dutch if the garrison entered into trouble. The establishment of both the Swedish and Danish Africa Company should be seen in the light of the mismanagement of the

. This company went bankrupt in both 1636 and 1647, and was eventually dissolved in 1674.A more successful second Dutch West India Company was founded in 1675. Both the Swedish and the Danish company were founded by Dutchmen who tried to evade the West India Company's monopoly and used the company's mismanagement to make a private profit. The Swedish Africa Company was formally abolished in 1663, after the West India Company paid compensatory

damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...

to the Swedes.

References

{{Authority control History of Ghana Chartered companies Defunct companies of Sweden Swedish colonisation in Africa Cape Coast 17th century in Ghana 1640s in Africa 1650s in Africa 1660s in Africa 1649 establishments in Africa 1663 disestablishments in Africa 1649 establishments in Sweden 1663 disestablishments in Sweden 1649 establishments in the Swedish colonial empire 1663 disestablishments in the Swedish colonial empire Economic history of Sweden Ghana–Sweden relations Christina, Queen of Sweden