The

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 sq ...

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,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

) to the Brandenburg-Prussia margraviate of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

from 1685 to 1754.

History

In the 17th century, the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg (german: link=no, Markgrafschaft Brandenburg) was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that played a pivotal role in the history of Germany and Central Europe. Brandenburg developed out ...

had several African colonies, including Brandenburger Gold Coast (''Groß Friedrichsburg'') and

Arguin Arguin ( ar, أرغين, pt, Arguim) is an island off the western coast of Mauritania in the Bay of Arguin. It is approximately in size, with extensive and dangerous reefs around it. The island is now part of the Banc d'Arguin National Park. H ...

, which were involved in the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. In order to support this business, Brandenburg needed a base in the Caribbean. For this reason, the

Brandenburg Navy __NOTOC__ The Brandenburg Navy was the navy of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in Germany from the 16th century to 1701, when it became part of the Prussian Navy. The navy was originally assembled as the Hohenzollern rulers of Brandenburg began to ...

-General Director Benjamin Raule signed a rental agreement with the Danish West India Company on November 24, 1685. The agreement included a portion of the Danish

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

island of St. Thomas, which had belonged to Denmark since 1666. The ownership of the island would belong to the Danish 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 African slave trade 17th century in the Danish West Indies Brandenburg-Prussia Overseas empires

History

Slave trade

See also

References