Jørgen Thormøhlen ( – 25 December 1708) was a German-born Norwegian merchant, shipowner, slave trader and industrialist.
Biography
Thormøhlen was born in the
Duchy of Holstein, at that time a hereditary possession of the
King of Denmark
The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional political system, institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous administrative division, autonomous territories of the Faroe ...
as Duke of
Holstein-Glückstadt.
He was the son of Jürgen ther Möhlen, a German wine trader from
Hamburg. In 1664, he settled in
Bergen, where he married Giertrud Magers. She was the daughter of naturalized citizen Hendrich Magers, who was regarded as the wealthiest merchant in Bergen.
Thormøhlen became the largest
ship-owner in Norway, trading fish from
Northern Norway
Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...
and being involved in a number of other businesses. He made his fortune through overseas and domestic trade (including the
Danish slave trade) and owning ships. He also developed an industrial site located at
Vestre Sydnes. The property included a salt refinery, packing sheds, a deep-water harbour, and employee homes.
Thormøhlen was the main owner of the Norwegian
slave ship ''Cornelia'', which in 1673 sailed to
West Africa transporting a cargo of
liquor
Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...
and
trinkets which it exchanged for a number of
enslaved Africans; 103 slaves were transported to the island of
Saint Thomas in the
Danish West Indies by the ''Cornelia''. In the next year, the ''Cornelia'' made another
triangular trade voyage, again delivering 103 slaves to Saint Thomas. In 1682,
King Christian V
Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699.
Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...
proclaimed him trade director. in 1695, he received royal permission to issue banknotes supported by a loan from the king. From 1685 to 1693, Thormøhlen owned the
Kronstad Hovedgård manor house, which was located in the borough of
Ã…rstad (on the southern shore of the bay of
Store Lungegårdsvannet
Store Lungegårdsvannet is a bay located in the city and municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The bay separates the city centre, located in the borough of Bergenhus, from the southern boroughs of the city, Årstad, Fana and Ytrebygd ...
) south of the city. However, heavy financial losses in overseas trade along with a major series of
structure fires at
Bryggen in 1702 created difficulties for Thormøhlen, who eventually went bankrupt.
Personal life and legacy
He was married to Giertrud Magers, daughter of Hendrich Magers and Mægtele Lorentzen; the couple were the parents of a number of children. Thormøhlen was the great-grandfather of playwright, literary critic, editor and civil servant
Claus Fasting. After his death, Thormøhlen's involvement in the
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
had come under controversy. During the 2020
George Floyd protests, there were calls to remove a statue of him in Bergen. A neighbourhood of the city,
Møhlenpris, which was named after Thormøhlen has faced calls to be renamed.
[ https://www.nrk.no/vestland/meiner-maleriet-i-bystyresalen-minner-om-drapet-pa-george-floyd-1.15045563 ]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thormohlen, Jorgen
1640 births
1708 deaths
17th-century Norwegian businesspeople
18th-century Norwegian businesspeople
Businesspeople from Schleswig-Holstein
Norwegian people of German descent
Norwegian slave traders