The

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

colony of St. Thomas consisted of a leased part of the Danish island of St. Thomas (today part of the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

) to the Brandenburg-Prussia margraviate of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

from 1685 to 1754.

History

In the 17th century, the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...

had several African colonies, including Brandenburger Gold Coast (''Groß Friedrichsburg'') and Arguin, which were involved in the slave trade. In order to support this business, Brandenburg needed a base in the Caribbean. For this reason, the Brandenburg Navy-General Director Benjamin Raule signed a rental agreement with the

Danish West India 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 ...

on November 24, 1685. The agreement included a portion of the Danish

Antilles The Antilles is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two smaller groupings: the Greater An ...

island of St. Thomas, which had belonged to Denmark-Norway since 1666. The ownership of the island would belong to the Danish-Norwegian King, but Brandenburg was granted the right to use the land. In 1693 the Brandenburg section of Saint Thomas was seized by the Danes without any resistance or repayment. With the end of the Brandenburg African colonies (they were sold to the Dutch, Groß Friedrichsburg in 1718 and Arguin in 1721) there was no need to maintain a presence in Saint Thomas and the town completely passed from Brandenburg control.

Slave trade

The agreement between Brandenburg and the Danish West India Company included a number of sections on trade, primarily on slaves. They agreed that for 30 years a limited free trade (mostly on slaves) would apply. After the 30-year period, the price of a slave could not exceed 60 taler. For each imported slave, the Danes would receive 1% and for each exported slave 2% of the purchase price. If Brandenburg had an excess number of slaves, the Danes agreed to buy 100 slaves per year at a fixed price of 80 Taler. Finally, Brandenburg and the Danes agreed to work together on slaving expeditions to the Slave Coast. During the Brandenburg presence in Saint Thomas, some of the largest slave auctions in the world were held on the island.Facts about St. Thomas
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References

* Hermann Kellenbenz: ''Die Brandenburger auf St. Thomas'', in: Jahrbuch für Geschichte von Staat, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Lateinamerikas 2 (1965), S. 196–217 * Ulrich van der Heyden: ''Rote Adler an Afrikas Küste. Die brandenburgisch-preußische Kolonie Großfriedrichsburg in Westafrika''. berlin: Selignow-Verlag 2001, {{Caribbean topics, state=collapsed Former German colonies Danish West Indies Atlantic slave trade 17th century in the Danish West Indies Brandenburg-Prussia Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 1685 establishments in North America 1754 disestablishments in North America

History

Slave trade

See also

References