Danish overseas colonies

Danish Colonial Empire Danske kolonier (Danish)
1536–1953
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Ske Herrens vilje "The Lord's will be done"
Anthem: Royal and National anthem Kong Christian stod ved højen mast "King Christian stood by the lofty mast"
Danish colonial empire at its apex in the mid-eighteenth century.
Capital	Copenhagen
Common languages	Official language: Danish Regional languages: Norwegian, German
Religion	Official religion: Lutheran Minority religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant
Government	Absolute monarchy by divine right
King
History
• Established	1536
• Disestablished	1953
Area
2,655,564.76 km2 (1,025,319.29 sq mi)
Currency	Riksdaler
ISO 3166 code	DK
Preceded by Succeeded by Norwegian Colonial Empire Kalmar Union Kingdom of Denmark
Today part of	Countries today Denmark Faroe Islands Greenland Iceland Sweden Norway Ghana United States Germany India

The Danish colonial empire (Template:Lang-da) and pre Dano-Norwegian empire (Template:Lang-no) denotes the colonies that Denmark-Norway (Denmark alone after 1814) possessed from 1536 until 1953. At its apex the colonial empire spanned four continents (Europe, South America, Africa and Asia). The period of colonial expansion marked a rise in the status and power of Danes and Norwegians in the union. Being the hegemon of Denmark-Norway or the Statsfædrelandet (lit. State Fathers' Land), Denmark is where the union's monumental palaces are now located and Copenhagen, today the capital of Denmark, was the city which both Norway and Denmark came to establish as their capital. Much of the Norwegian population moved to find work in Copenhagen, attend the University, or join the Royal Fleet. At it hegiht the empire was a area of 2655564,76 km2

In the 17th century, following territorial losses on the Scandinavian Peninsula, Denmark-Norway began to develop colonies, forts, and trading posts in Africa, the Caribbean, and India. After 1814, when Norway was granted to Sweden following the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark retained what remained of Norway's great medieval colonial holdings. Christian IV first initiated the policy of expanding Denmark-Norway's overseas trade, as part of the mercantilist wave that was sweeping Europe. Denmark-Norway's first colony was established at Tranquebar ([Trankebar] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) on India's southern coast in 1620. Admiral Ove Gjedde led the expedition that established the colony.

Today, the only remaining vestiges of this empire are two originally Norwegian colonies that are currently within the Danish Realm, the Faroe Islands and Greenland; the Faroes were a Danish county until 1948, while Greenland's colonial status ceased in 1953. They are now autonomous countries of the Kingdom of Denmark with home rule, in a relationship referred to as the "Unity of the Realm".

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Demise

The downfall of the Danish colonial empire was caused by a lack of resources. The empire was quickly eclipsed by those of France, Britain and the Netherlands. Eventually Denmark sold its colonies in India to Britain.

Legacy

Greenland and the Faroe Islands are the last vestiges of the colonial empire. Greenland's colonial status ceased in 1953, and it became an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It gained home rule in 1979 and further autonomy, including self-determination, in 2009. Likewise, the Faroes were incorporated into the Kingdom in the eighteenth century, with the status of a county, and then given home rule in 1948.

See also

• Norwegian Colonial Empire

Further reading

• Pedersen, Mikkel Venborg (2013). Luksus: forbrug og kolonier i Danmark i det 18. århundrede. Kbh.: Museum Tusculanum. ISBN 978-87-635-4076-6.

External links

• List of Danish colonial possessions