thumb|Map of [[Danish India]]

The Danish East India Company (<!--Ostindisk" was the contemporary Danish spelling, taken from German "Ostindisch". A modern Danish spelling would be "Østindisk"-->) refers to two separate Danish-Norwegian chartered companies. The first company operated between 1616 and 1650. The second company existed between 1670 and 1729, however, in 1730 it was re-founded as the Asiatic Company ().

First company

thumb|Fort Dansborg at [[Tranquebar, built by Ove Gedde in 1620.]]

thumb|The [[Tranquebar Treaty of 1620.]]

The first Danish East India Company was chartered in 1616 under King Christian IV and focused on trade with India. The first expedition, under Admiral Gjedde, took two years to reach Ceylon, losing more than half their crew. The island had been claimed by Portugal by the time they arrived but on 10May 1620, a treaty was concluded with the Kingdom of Kandy and the foundation laid of a settlement at Trincomalee on the island's east coast. They occupied the colossal Koneswaram temple in May 1620 to begin fortification of the peninsula before being expelled by the Portuguese. After landing on the Indian mainland, a treaty was concluded with the ruler of the Tanjore Kingdom,

Raghunatha Nayak, who gave the Danes possession of the town of Tranquebar, and permission to trade in the kingdom by treaty of 19November 1620. The treaty was renewed on 30July 1621, and afterwards renewed and confirmed on the 10May 1676, by Shivaji the founder of the Maratha Empire.

Back in 1668, the naval ship HDMS Færø had already been sent to Tranquebar. In 1670, Dansborg was ceded to the company. In 1674, Sivert Adeler was installed as the new governor of Danish India. In 1682, he was replaced by Axel Juel.

  • Christianshavn (8 November 1639, Willem Leyel left Denmark for Tranquebar as commander of this ship)
  • Cron Printz Christian (Cron Printzen) and Den gyldne Løve (1730&ndash;31, the Tønder expedition that opened trade with China - Den gyldne Løve was shipwrecked in Ireland)
  • Elephant(en) (1747&ndash;1750) The ship was lost on 15 August 1750 in "Mosele Bay", near the Cape of Good Hope. There were 35 survivors; they were rescued by Onwerkirk (). Elephant was on a voyage from Tranquebar, India to Copenhagen.
  • Grev Moltke (1760, first Moravian missionaries)
  • Nicobar Sunk 1783 with load of Swedish Plate Money.
  • Disco (1778 ship), frigate built for the Danish navy and named for Disko Island, but transferred to Danish EIC before maiden voyage.
  • Hussar, purchased 1783.
  • Holsten (I), renamed from Det Store Bælt, declared unseaworthy and condemned at Mauritius in 1807
  • Holsten (II) purchased in 1806 from the French at Mauritius and renamed to replace Holsten (I). Seized by the British (HMS Modeste (1793), HMS Terpsichore (1785) and HMS Dasher) on the Hooghly in January 1808. Six other Danish ships were seized at the same time

See also

  • Danish India
  • Danish Mission College
  • Tranquebar Mission
  • Danish West India Company
  • British East India Company
  • Assada Company, English trading company, founded 1635 and ceased 1657
  • Austrian East India Company, founded 1775 and ceased 1785
  • Dutch East India Company, founded 1602 and ceased 1798
  • French East India Company, founded 1723 and ceased 1769
  • Portuguese East India Company, founded 1628 and ceased 1633
  • Swedish East India Company, founded 1731 and ceased 1813
  • List of trading companies
  • Whampoa anchorage

References

  • Article in Danish
  • Projekt Runeberg Danish biographical lexicon
  • Denmark during the Age of the French Revolution, 1790–1814
  • WorldStatesmen – India