, conventional_long_name = Danish overseas colonies , status = Empire , status_text = , life_span = 1536–1953 (Denmark)
1536–1814 (Norway) , government_type = Constitutional monarchy , event_start = , date_start = , year_start = 1536 , event_end = , date_end = , year_end = 1953 , event1 = , date_event1 = , event2 = , date_event2 = , event3 = , date_event3 = , event4 = , date_event4 = , event5 = , date_event5 = , event6 = , date_event6 = , event_pre = , date_pre = , event_post = , date_post = , p1 = Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)Old Kingdom of Norway , flag_p1 = Kongeflagget.svg , p2 = Kalmar Union , flag_p2 = Flag of the Kalmar Union.svg , s1 = Danish RealmKingdom of Denmark , flag_s1 = Flag of Denmark (state).svg , image_flag = Flag of Denmark.svg , flag_alt = , image_flag2 = , flag_alt2 = , flag = Flag of Denmark , image_coat = Royal Arms of Denmark & Norway (1699–1819).svg , coa_size = , coat_alt = , symbol_type_article = Coat of arms of Denmark , image_map = DanishColonialEmpire(FIX).png , image_map_alt = , image_map_caption = All territories ever owned by Denmark–Norway , capital = Copenhagen , national_motto = '' Ske Herrens vilje''
, national_anthem = ''

Der er et yndigt land "" (; "There is a lovely country") is one of the two national anthems of Denmark. History The lyrics were written in 1819 by Adam Oehlenschläger and bore the motto in la, Ille terrarum mihi praeter omnes angulus ridet (Horace: "This corner o ...

''
()
(1835–1953) ---- ''

Kong Christian stod ved højen mast ''Kong Christian stod ved højen mast'' (; "King Christian stood by the lofty mast"), commonly shortened to ''Kong Christian'', is the unofficial royal anthem of the Kingdom of Denmark that officially has equal status of national anthem together ...

''
() , common_languages = Official language:

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

Regional languages:
Norwegian,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, Icelandic, Greenlandic, Faroese , religion = Evangelical Lutheranism , demonym = , currency = Rigsdaler , leader1 =

Christian III Christian III (12 August 1503 – 1 January 1559) reigned as King of Denmark from 1534 and King of Norway from 1537 until his death in 1559. During his reign, Christian formed close ties between the church and the crown. He established ...

, leader2 = Frederick IX , year_leader1 = 1535–1559 , year_leader2 = 1947–1952 , title_leader = King , deputy1 =

Adam Wilhelm Moltke Adam Wilhelm Moltke, 3rd Count of Bregentved (25 August 178515 February 1864) was a Danish nobleman, landowner, civil servant and politician, who in 1848-1852 was the first Prime Minister of Denmark under the new constitutional monarchy outlin ...

, deputy2 =

Erik Eriksen Erik Eriksen (20 November 1902 – 7 October 1972) was a Danish politician, who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1950 to 1953 and as the fourth President of the Nordic Council in 1956. Eriksen was leader of the Danish Liberal party ...

, year_deputy1 = 1848–1852 , year_deputy2 = 1950–1953 , title_deputy = Prime Minister , legislature =

Rigsdagen Rigsdagen () was the name of the national legislature of Denmark from 1849 to 1953. ''Rigsdagen'' was Denmark's first parliament, and it was incorporated in the Constitution of 1849. It was a bicameral legislature, consisting of two houses, the ...

, house1 =

Landstinget Landstinget was the upper house of the Rigsdag (the parliament of Denmark), from 1849 until 1953, when the bicameral system was abolished in favour of unicameralism. Landstinget had powers equal to the Folketing, which made the two houses of parl ...

, house2 = Folketing , stat_year1 = , stat_area1 = , stat_pop1 = , stat_year2 = , stat_area2 = , stat_pop2 = Danish overseas colonies and Dano-Norwegian colonies ( da, De danske kolonier) were the colonies that Denmark–Norway ( Denmark after 1814) possessed from 1536 until 1953. At its apex, the colonies spanned four continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. The period of colonial expansion marked a rise in the status and power of Danes and Norwegians in the Kalmar Union. Danes and Norwegians during this time increasingly saw themselves as citizens of the same "State Fatherland" (), the realm of the Oldenburg monarchs. In the 17th century, following territorial losses on the

Scandinavian Peninsula The Scandinavian Peninsula ( sv, Skandinaviska halvön; no, Den skandinaviske halvøy (Bokmål) or nn, Den skandinaviske halvøya; fi, Skandinavian niemimaa) is a peninsula located in Northern Europe, which roughly comprises the mainlands ...

, Denmark-Norway began to develop forts with trading posts in West Africa, and colonies in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...

, and the Indian subcontinent.

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian mona ...

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 () on India's southern coast in 1620. Admiral Ove Gjedde led the expedition that established the colony. After 1814, when Norway was ceded to Sweden following the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark retained what remained of Norway's great medieval colonial holdings. Today, the only remaining vestiges are two originally Norwegian dependencies that are currently within the Danish Realm, the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic archipelago, island group and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotlan ...

and Greenland; the Faroes were a Danish county until 1948, while Greenland's colonial status ceased in 1953. They are now autonomous territories* * * * within the Kingdom of Denmark with home rule, in a relationship referred to as the "

Unity of the Realm The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of metropolitan Denma ...

Overview

Africa

Denmark maintained several trading stations and four forts along the Gold Coast in West Africa, especially around modern day Ghana. Three trading stations were built:

Fort Frederiksborg Fort Frederiksborg, later Fort Royal, was a Danish and later English fort on the Gold Coast in contemporary Ghana. It was built in 1661, with the approval of the King of Fetu, a few hundred yards from Cape Coast Castle, which was at that time in ...

, Kpompo;

Osu Castle Osu Castle (also known as Fort Christiansborg or the Castle) is a castle located in Osu, Ghana on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa. A substantial fort was built by Denmark-Norway in the 1660s, thereafter the fort changed ownership ...

near

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

in 1661, which was purchased from Sweden; and Frederiksberg. The forts were

Fort Prinsensten Fort Prinzenstein ( da, Fort Prinsensten) is a fort located at Keta, Ghana which was used in the slave trade. Many such forts were built in Africa, but Prinzenstein is one of the few that lie east of the Volta River. Keta served as an open por ...

built in 1784,

Fort Augustaborg Fort Augustaborg was a Danish fort on the eastern Gold Coast in present-day Ghana, which was located about 15 km east of Fort Christiansborg near present-day Teshie. History The fort was named for Princess Louise Augusta of Denmark, the fort ...

from 1787,

Fort Fredensborg Fort Fredensborg is situated along the Gulf of Guinea, in the Greater Accra Region in Old Ningo and was built in 1734. Because of its testimony to the Atlantic slave trade and the European colonial influence on West Africa, the fort was inscribed ...

and Fort Kongensten, several of which exist as ruins today. Of these, only two are still in existence, the Osu Castle, and the Christiansborg Castle, the latter of which used to be the residence of Ghanaian presidents. Plantations were established near Frederiksborg, but they failed. Fort Christiansborg became the base for Danish power in West Africa, and the centre for the slave trade to the Danish West Indies. In 1807, Denmark's African business partners were suppressed by the

Akan people The Akan () people live primarily in present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa. The Akan language (also known as ''Twi/Fante'') are a group of dialects within the Central Tano branch of the Potou–Tano subfamily of the Niger–Congo ...

subgroup- Ashanti, which led to the abandonment of all trading stations. Denmark sold its forts to the United Kingdom in 1850.

List

(Ningo: 1734 – March 1850) *

Fort Christiansborg Osu Castle (also known as Fort Christiansborg or the Castle) is a castle located in Osu, Ghana on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa. A substantial fort was built by Denmark-Norway in the 1660s, thereafter the fort changed ownersh ...

(

/Osu: 1658 – April 1659, 1661 – Dec 1680, February 1683 – 1693, 1694–1850) *

( Teshie: 1787 – March 1850) * Fort Prinsenstein (

Keta Keta is a coastal town in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is the capital of the Keta Municipal District. Keta was an important trading post between the 14th and the late 20th centuries. The town attracted the interest of the Danish, because they f ...

: 1780 – 12 March 1850) * Fort Kongensten ( Ada: 1784 – March 1850) * Fort Carlsborg (February 1658 – 16 April 1659, 22 April 1663 – 3 May 1664) *

Cape Coast Castle Cape Coast Castle ( sv, Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, establish ...

(Cong) (

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city, fishing port, and the capital of Cape Coast Metropolitan District and Central Region of Ghana. It is one of the country's most historic cities, a World Heritage Site, home to the Cape Coast Castle, with the Gulf of Guinea ...

: 1659 – 24 April 1661) *

(Amanful or Amanfro: 1659 – 16 April 1685) * Fort William (Ghana) in

Anomabu Anomabu, also spelled Anomabo and formerly as Annamaboe, is a town on the coast of the Mfantsiman Municipal District of the Central Region of South Ghana. Anomabu has a settlement population of 14,389 people. Anomabu is located 12 km east ...

(1657–1659) * Small base near Ningo from 1784 to 1850

Asia

Denmark maintained a scattering of small colonies and trading posts throughout the Indian sub-continent from the 17th to 19th centuries, after which most were sold or ceded to Britain which had become the dominant power there. The most important economic aspect was spice trade and access to the east Asian area, including Imperial China situated farther to the east.

Tranquebar (1620–1845)

The colony at (modern day: Tharangambadi) was kept for over 200 years, with a few interruptions, until it was sold to the British in 1845.

Serampore (1755–1845)

In 1755, Denmark acquired the (now Serampore), and later the towns of Achne and Pirapur. They are located about north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). In 1818, Serampore College was established in Serampore, which still exists today. These towns were also sold to Britain in 1845.

Nicobar Islands (1756–1848/1868)

There were also colonization attempts of the Nicobar Islands, called ("Frederik Islands") or ("New Denmark") by the Danes between 1754 and 1868.

Europe

Iceland (1536/1814–1944)

As with Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Norwegian claims to Iceland were inherited by Denmark-Norway. Also like those possessions, Iceland was retained by Denmark at the Treaty of Kiel. A growing independence movement in Iceland led to Denmark granting it home rule in 1874 and expanding that home rule in 1904. In 1918, Iceland became a fully sovereign kingdom, titled the "

Kingdom of Iceland The Kingdom of Iceland ( is, Konungsríkið Ísland; da, Kongeriget Island) was a sovereign and independent country under a constitutional and hereditary monarchy that was established by the Act of Union with Denmark signed on 1 December 1918 ...

", in personal union with Denmark. During Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark from 1940 to 1945, the

Republic of Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

was declared on 17 June 1944 after the result of a referendum.

Faroe Islands (1536/1814–present)

As with Greenland, Denmark-Norway inherited the medieval Norwegian claims to the

as the successor state to Norway. The Faroes had become part of the Kingdom of Norway in 1035. After Norway was given to Sweden after the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark retained the Faroes as a condition of the Treaty of Kiel. The Faroe Islands were incorporated into Denmark in 1851 with the implementation of the Danish constitution.

North America

Danish West Indies (1666–1917)

Denmark-Norway acquired the island of St. Thomas in 1671 and St. Jan (now St. John) in 1718, and bought

St. Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...

from France in 1733. All of the islands' economies were based primarily on sugar. These islands were known as the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies ( da, Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with ; Saint John ( da, St. Jan) with ; and Saint Croix with . The i ...

and were eventually sold to the United States in 1917 for 25 million dollars. Several Danish-American succession talks had been made since 1870 due to a rising number of riots and unrest from the poorer English-speaking population. The Zahle Government (1914-1920) held a heavily boycotted election for Danish mainland constituencies, which produced a minority for the sale of the islands. The United States hoped to use them as naval bases. Since 1917, the islands have been known as the United States Virgin Islands.

Greenland (1814–present)

Greenland was settled by immigrants from Iceland and Norway in the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

after its discovery by

Erik the Red Erik Thorvaldsson (), known as Erik the Red, was a Norse explorer, described in medieval and Icelandic saga sources as having founded the first settlement in Greenland. He most likely earned the epithet "the Red" due to the color of his hair ...

in 995 or 996. Medieval Greenland was a

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

with 22 churches and 2 convents under the

archdiocese of Nidaros The Archdiocese of Nidaros (or Niðaróss) was the metropolitan see covering Norway in the later Middle Ages. The see was the Nidaros Cathedral, in the city of Nidaros (now Trondheim). The archdiocese existed from the middle of the twelfth cent ...

. In 1261, the Greenlanders became subjects of the Kingdom of Norway (872–1397). With the ratification of the Kalmar Union in 1397, Denmark-Norway inherited Greenland. After the Norse settlement in Greenland finally disappeared in the 15th century, Europeans did not settle the island again until 1721, when the Lutheran minister Hans Egede arrived and established the town now known as Nuuk. After Norway was ceded to the king of Sweden in 1814 following the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark retained the old territorial claims as a condition of the Treaty of Kiel. The development and settlement of Greenland accelerated in 1945, instigated by the region's geostrategic importance in the Cold War era, itself exemplified and manifested by the U.S. Air Base of Thule from 1943. Another reason and driving force was the emergence of fundamental technical abilities, such as aircraft and icebreakers at Greenland's disposition, giving the otherwise remote island a supply situation somewhat similar to Europe. Following a period of increasing integration in the 19th century, Greenland was incorporated into Denmark in 1953 with the implementation of the Danish constitution.

Legacy

Greenland and the

were the last vestiges of the colonial empire. Greenland's colonial status ceased in 1953, becoming 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 1816, with the status of a county, and then given home rule in 1948.

References

External links

* {{Historic administrative divisions of Denmark History of European colonialism Overseas empires Former Norwegian colonies Former empires in Europe

Overseas Overseas may refer to: * ''Overseas'' (album), a 1957 album by pianist Tommy Flanagan and his trio *Overseas (band), an American indie rock band * "Overseas" (song), a 2018 song by American rappers Desiigner and Lil Pump * "Overseas" (Tee Grizzley ...

Danish-speaking countries and territories Historical transcontinental empires