Swedish Gold Coast

The Swedish Gold Coast (Swedish: Svenska Guldkusten) was a colony of the Swedish Africa Company founded in 1650 by Hendrik Carloff on the Gulf of Guinea in present-day Ghana in Africa. Under foreign occupation for much of its existence, it disappeared for good in April 1663 when it became part of the Dutch Gold Coast.

Swedish Gold Coast Cabo Corso Svenska Guldkusten
1650–1658 1660–1663
Flag of Sweden
Christiansborg Witsen William Batenstein Apollonia Carlsborg Swedish Gold Coast (Ghana)
Status	Colony of the Swedish Africa Company
Capital	Fort Christiansborg
Common languages	Swedish
Administrator
• 1650–1655	Henrik Carloff
• 1655–1658	J. F. von Krusenstierna
• 1658–1662	Occupation
• 1662–1663	Tönnies Voss
Historical era	Colonial period
• Established	22 April 1650
• Partial Danish capture	27 January 1658
• Partial Dutch occupation	Mar 1659 – Dec 1660
• Futu occupation (on Swedish behalf)	Dec 1660 – Dec 1662
• Dutch capture	22 April 1663
• Formal Swedish relinquishment	22 July 1667
Preceded by Succeeded by 1650: Futu Kingdom 1660: Dutch Gold Coast 1658: Danish Gold Coast 1663: Dutch Gold Coast
Today part of	Ghana Togo

Fort Carolusborg, built on the initiative of Carloff

History

Following the foundation of the Swedish Africa Company (1649) by Louis de Geer, an expedition under the command of Hendrik Carloff was sent to Africa in 1650. Carloff made a treaty with the Akan King of Futu (also Feta) on selling some areas of land. On 22 April 1650, the Swedish Gold Coast was founded and Carloff became its first administrator. In 1652, the foundations were laid of the Fort Carlsborg.

In 1656, Johan Filip von Krusenstierna (brother of the great-grandfather of Adam Johann von Krusenstern) was appointed the new Governor. This enraged Carloff. He left Cabo Corso only to return on 27 January 1658 on the Danish Privateer Glückstadt. Fort Carlsborg was seized and made part of the Danish Gold Coast colony.

King Charles X Gustav of Sweden made this one of his reasons to go to war with Denmark-Norway. After the Treaty of Copenhagen in 1660, Cabo Corso Castle was to be returned to Swedish administration. However, it then was revealed that Carloff's associate Samuel Schmidt (Smith, Smit) had already illegally sold the colony in April 1659 to the Dutch West India Company on his own, and had disappeared with the gold to Angola.

Later on, the local population started a successful uprising against their new masters, and in December 1660, the King of the Akan people subgroup-Futu again offered Sweden control over the area. A new expedition was sent to the colony which remained under Swedish administration only for a short period. Von Krusenstierna was reappointed as administrator.

On 20 April 1663, Fort Carlsborg and the capital Fort Christiansborg were again seized by the Dutch after a long defense under the Swedish commander Anton (Tönnies) Voss.

On 9 May 1664, the Dutch controlled area again was seized by Robert Holmes who made it part of the British Gold Coast colony. Swedish claims to the colony were later formally relinquished in the 1667 Treaty of Breda.

Geography

The colony consisted of only a few forts and trading posts scattered around Cabo Corso (present-day Cape Coast) along the coast on the Gulf of Guinea in what later would become the British Gold Coast then Ghana. The eastern section of the colony later swapped hands from the German Empire (where it had noticeably expanded northward) to France, and then later gained independence as Togo.

The colony consisted of the following fortifications and trading posts (factories).

Place in Ghana	Fort name	Founded/ Occupied	Ceded	Comments
Cape Coast, Central Region	Fort Carlsborg	1650, 1660	1658, 1663	Also known as Carolusborg and Cape Coast Castle. Under Swedish administration 22 April 1650 – January/February 1658, and again 10 December 1660 – 22 April 1663.
Anomabu, Central region	Fort William	1650	1657	Also known as Annamabo
Butri near Sekondi-Takoradi, Western region	Fort Batenstein	1650	1656	Also known as Batensteyn
Osu, Ghana in Accra	Fort Christiansborg	1652	1658	Headquarter. Also known as Fort Frederiksborg and Osu Castle. Captured by the Danes in 1658.
Sekondi-Takoradi, Western region	Fort Witsen	1653	1658	Also known as Taccorari
Beyin, Western region	Fort Apollonia	1655	1657

The following factories were also held:

• Gemoree Factory
• Accara Factory

Colonial heads

Each of the three Swedish administrators had a different gubernatorial title:

• Director: Hendrik Carloff, 22 April 1650 – 1655
• Governor: Johann Philipp von Krusenstjerna (son of Philipp Crusius), 1655 – 27 January 1658
• Danish occupation: 27 January 1658 – Mar 1659
• Dutch occupation: Mar 1659 – 10 December 1660
• Futu occupation (nominally Swedish): 10 December 1660 – 1662
• Commander: Tönnies Voss 16 March 1662 – 22 April 1663

Sources

• WorldStatesmen.org: Swedish Gold Coast
• about the forts