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User:Tinkaer1991/Danish colonization of the Nicobar Islands

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The Danish colonization of the Nicobar Islands (Danish: Nikobarene or Frederiksøerne, lit. 'Frederik's Islands') was a series of Danish attempts to colonize the Nicobar Islands from 1756 to 1848, with the rights to the island being sold to the United Kingdom in 1868. The islands' tropical climate led to numerous disease outbreaks among the colonists and the vast majority died before they had been there for long.

The first colony was established by an expedition from the Danish colony of Tranquebar in September 1755. It was based on Great Nicobar Island and was built with great difficulty until the turn of the year 1756. The colony, named New Denmark (Nye-Danmark), succumbed to disease before the year was out. With reinforcements from a rescue ship, an attempt was made to establish a new settlement on the island of Camorta (renamed New Zealand, Danish: Nye-Sjælland). However, diseases continued to ravage here, and all surviving inhabitants had to be evacuated back to Tranquebar as early as 1757.

First, in 1768, colonists returned to the Nicobar Islands, this time missionaries from the Moravian Brothers, who settled on the island of Nancowry alongside several Indian laborers and soldiers, as well as some representatives from the Danish Asiatic Company. They managed to establish a colony, yet it only lasted until 1787, when it had to be abandoned.

Continuing in 1791, the scientifically knowledgeable priest Henning Munck Engelhardt arrived at the islands from Tranquebar on an exploratory mission to provide a better factual basis for future colonization. Engelhardt began surveying the land but fell ill and died the same year. In 1801, the Danish government councilor in Danish India, Frantz Theodor von Lichtenstein wrote a report on the possibilities and potential costs of colonizing the Nicobar Islands, in which some of Engelhardt's preliminary findings seem to have been included.

In the years around 1800, several publications sought to advocate for a renewed colonization, but the Napoleonic Wars and the subsequent economic crisis put a stop to Danish presence on the islands for a long time. It was not until 1831 that a new expedition was sent out under the leadership of missionary David Rosen. On Camorta, a new settlement was established, which came to be called Frederikshøj. However, due to disease, Rosen had to relocate his colony several times in search of a healthier location. The last settlement, Frederikshavn, was established in 1833. In 1834, the government decided to abandon the colonization effort, and Rosen had to return home. The rights of the islands were finally sold to the United Kingdom in 1868, despite little interest by the former.

Map of all the Danish trading posts and settlements in India. The Nicobar Islands is in the bottom right corner.

Background

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Further information: Danish East India Company and Danish India

In 1616 the Danish East India Company was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, and acquired the first Danish territory in Asia at Tranquebar in 1620. The Danish presence on the Indian subcontinent was limited to minor trading stations and motivated by trade and economic interests. Danish commercial ships visited the Nicobar Islands early on to obtain coconuts and areca nuts, with the first recorded visit being in 1723. However, there might have been trade from from an earlier time.[1]

From c. 1700 Danish ships stayed in the natural harbor between the islands of Nancowry and Kamorta during the stormy season, as the islands gave good protection and Tranquebar had no proper harbor. Additionally, it was possible to obtain lumber on the islands, which was likely used for ship repairs and occasionally brought back to Tranquebar. Despite this, the islands had a bad reputation due to their unhealthy climate, with one Danish ship, the Grev Laurvigen, losing 22 crew members and her captain due to sickness.[1]

Danish plans to occupy the island

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The first Danish official plan to occupy the Nicobar Islands was presented in 1754 at Copenhagen by a priest named Daniel Huusfeld.[2] The plan described the islands as a good place for producing pepper, cinnamon, sugarcane, coffee, and cotton, with already existing local resources of timber and nuts.[1] Huusfeld explained that his project could solve the Danes' commercial problems on the Coromandel Coast, as they needed a colony where they had control over cotton cultivation and cloth production. Additionally, the islands could be used as a staging post for Danish trade with China and Siam. According to Huusfeld, the native population was peaceful and sparse, and would not pose a problem. Instead, they could be persuaded to work in the colony and be Christianized by missionaries, while the main labor force would be slaves from East Africa or India.[3]

The project was well-written, and Huusfeld had a positive response to all objections from government officials. However, Huusfeld had never seen the islands and no one knew what could be grown there. Practically, Huusfeld suggested a cautious start: The Danes should establish a small fortress on one of the islands to show the flag and explore the land further. However, they should not occupy the islands, as Huusfeld believed that the Dutch and the French had an interest in them.[3] After minor discussions, the government in Tranquebar got orders in July 1755 to send an expedition to the islands, intending to establish a foothold on the islands.[4]

New Denmark

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In September 1755, two of the Danish Company's local ships, the Kongen af Danmark (King of Denmark) with Captain Didrik Bagge and the Ebenezer with Captain Jørgen Grønberg, sailed from Tranquebar.[4] The expedition's leader was Lieutenant Tanck, a young Danish officer in Tranquebar, and consisted of 80–90 crewmen.[5][4] The expedition's goal was to find a good natural harbor on the northern side of the biggest and southernmost islands, Great Nicobar.[4] Hereafter, Tanck and others would decide if a colony should be established. It was, however, up to them whether to give up the colonization, if they just managed to get a load of lumber home.[6] On the contrary, if they decided to colonize the island, they were to establish a small fortification and begin exploring the island's nature and resources.[7] According to the instructions to Tanck,[8] the native inhabitants of the island were to be won over with "gentle and loving treatment and by innocent interaction..." and "it would be advantageous" if they could be persuaded "of their own accord" to recognize the Danish king's supremacy.[7]

Map of the Danish colony of New Denmark and surrounding areas on the Northern side of Great Nicobar Island.

On 12 November the expedition anchored at a bay on the northeastern side of the island. Tanck was now searching for a suitable location for the colony, but Captain Bagge and Grønberg insisted that the bay they already were in, was the right place. Thereby, the placement of the colony seemed to be settled. It was evidently a good natural harbor, but there was only a narrow area of land, surrounded by high mountains, and overgrown with jungle and mangrove thickets. Tanck sent the crew ashore with tents to clear the site. However, the construction remained very modest, with the colonists gradually clearing a meadow and building a small fort. They constructed about a dozen huts and a large warehouse, all made of bamboo. But it rained incessantly, and the stay was dismal. Another problem was that Tanck and the captains soon realized that there were too few provisions, forcing the crew to reduce their rations. The Ebenezer was sent to Achin (present-day Aceh) for livestock, but most of the animals went overboard in a storm. Several colonists became ill under these conditions, seemingly suffering from dysentery, and one had already died in the first few weeks.[7] The surgeon in the colony reported that the sickness was due to “river fever” and exaggerated use of local drinks.[5]

There were very few inhabitants on the island, but the relationship with them was peaceful. They sold minor provisions to the colony, yet evidently, the Danes could not get them to work despite the promise of payment.[5] The use of local drinks also shows that there existed trade between the Nicobarese and the colonists.[9] A few inhabitants who had gathered were told that this was no longer their land, but that of the king of Denmark, after which they were presented with a glass of wine, and each of them, as they drank, had to repeat the words "To the health of our king of Denmark."[10]

Map over Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar, by Friedrich Bernhard von Wickede in 1797.

On December 30, Tanck informed the council at Tranquebar that he would continue the colonization regardless of the difficulties, and on New Year's Day 1756, Tanck took possession of the islands for King Frederick V and the company.[7] The Danish flag was raised with a heavy salute, and the colony, together with the island, was named New Denmark.[11] The archipelago was named Frederik's Islands,[5] while the channel between Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar was named St Joergen's Channel.[12]

On January 21, the two ships sailed back to Tranquebar with timber and firewood. Thanck wrote to the government that it was more difficult than anticipated to carry out the colonization. There was a need for 200–300 men as workforce as Thanch believed that the islands could be used as plantations and that the Danes could achieve results as good as the French with French Mauritius. The government now reported on the new colony to the directorate in Copenhagen and got positive reactions to the project. The directorate believed the island could be used for timber harvesting and shipbuilding, and also mentioned the possibility of trade in Malacca and other nearby areas.[10]

The Tranquebar government now prepared Ebenezer to return to New Denmark with provisions and about 50 Indian craftsmen, soldiers, and slaves. However, on March 20, before departure, a letter arrived from Tanck via an English ship that had been to the islands.[10] The letter mentioned problems with disease, internal disputes, and halting work on the colony.[10][5] Tanck had earlier in January, requested to be replaced, as he was indispensable for the construction projects in Tranquebar, and a couple of Danes advised relocating the colony to other Nicobarese islands. Subsequently, the government allowed Tanck to move the colony to a more suitable place.[10] On 30 March, the Ebenezer set sail again for the islands, and the colony was strengthened with 22 Indian soldiers and 13 slaves.

New Zealand

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Not to be confused with New Zealand.

In July 1756, the east Indiaman København (Copenhagen), captained by Rasmus Alling, arrived in Tranquebar. Despite the Perumal Naik-War, the ship was prepared to set sail for the Nicobar Islands on a new expedition with one of the government's members, the merchant Tycho Volquardts, as leader. According to Norwegian professor in social work, Hans-Jørgen Wallin Weihe, Volquardt's expedition consisted of 150 men,[9] while Holger Christensen, guided by the Danish historian Ole Feldbæk, claims c. 60 men.[13] Furthermore, Christensen asserts that more than half of the crew were Europeans.[13]

Captain Rasmus Alling's map over the Sombreiro Islands and the colony of New Zealand. Handdrawn, 4 April 1757.

København set sail from Tranquebar on 1 September and anchored at New Denmark 8 days later. Upon arriving, Volquardt learned that of the approximately 130 colonists, about 40 were alive, all of them sick.[13][9] Tanck had died on 28 March, and Captain Grønberg of the Ebenezer, who had taken command upon his arrival, died on July 9. The rest of the crew had also perished and leadership had passed to one of the company's non-commissioned officers, Constable Lorentzen. Volquardt subsequently decided to continue to the Sombreiros Islands,[a] and on 14 September, both København and Ebenezer, which had received new crews, set sail.[13]

They anchored at the island of Camorta on 20 September 1756.[9] They were kindly received by the inhabitants, who were more numerous than those on Great Nicobar and more accustomed to trading with Europeans. The leading chief, Captain John, invited the Danes to settle on the islands, and the chiefs promised to provide coconuts and assist with the construction of houses.[13] However, the situation soon deteriorated and the first Danes died a short time after arriving,[9] causing the work to progress very slowly.[13] In the reports of the settlement, it was reported that the crew was careless with drink and food and by choosing unhealthy places to sleep.[9]

While Weihe asserts that Volquardt wanted the colony to be built without any assistance from the Nicobarese,[9] Christensen claims that Volquardt tried making the Nicobarese work for payments of tobacco, but that they refused.[14] The government also sent a missionary from the Tranquebar Mission, David Poltzenhagen, to convert and research the Nicobarese.[14]

Meanwhile, København had sailed to Achin on 18 October, and on the same day, Volquardt raised the flag over the new colony, which it later named Nye-Sjælland (New Zealand).[14][9] Volquardt died in December 1756 and was succeeded by assistant Christian Frederik Lund,[b] who claimed that Volquardt had led a disorderly life.[14] Concurrent with Volquardt's death, København returned from Achin and sailed to Tranquebar with Ebenezer. Not until May 1757 did Captain Rasmus Alling have time to submit a report to the government in Tranquebar. Generally, he was optimistic about the colonization, yet suggested concentrating the efforts around New Zealand.[14] The colony had a well-functioning period until June, with only five colonists dying in the period. Additionally, the colony used local Nicobarese as a workforce.[17]

Notes

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  1. ^ The Sombreiro Islands are located north of Great Nicobar and consist of three islands: Nancowry, Camorta, and Kachtal[13]
  2. ^ Sources differentiate between the exact date of his death. Weihe claims that Volquardt died on 1 December,[9] while Christensen puts the date to be 5 December.[14] Meanwhile, the founder of modern Danish colonial historiography,[15] Kay Larsen, asserts the date to be 6 December.[16]

Works cited

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  • Weihe, Hans-Jørgen (2006). Historical encounters in the Nicobar Islands. Permafrost Press.
  • Christensen, Holger (1992). Det danske fremstoed i Indien i 1750-erne [The Danish push in India in the 1750s] (PDF) (in Danish). Copenhagen: Historisk Institut.
  • Thaarup, Frederik (1819). Udførlig Vejledning til det Danske Monarkies Statistik [Detailed Guide to the Statistics of the Danish Monarchy] (in Danish). Copenhagen: Fr. Brummer Publisher.
  • Larsen, Kay (1940). Guvernører, Residenter, Kommandanter og Chefer (PDF) (in Danish). Copenhagen: Arthur Jensens Forlag.
  • Rindom, Jan (1995). OSTINDISK KOMPAGNI 1616-50 (PDF) (in Danish). Det Kongelige Bibliotek.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Weihe 2006, p. 52.
  2. ^ Christensen 1992, p. 80.
  3. ^ a b Christensen 1992, p. 81.
  4. ^ a b c d Christensen 1992, p. 82.
  5. ^ a b c d e Weihe 2006, p. 54.
  6. ^ Christensen 1992, pp. 82–83.
  7. ^ a b c d Christensen 1992, p. 83.
  8. ^ Christensen 1992, p. 126.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Weihe 2006, p. 55.
  10. ^ a b c d e Christensen 1992, p. 84.
  11. ^ Christensen 1992, pp. 83–84.
  12. ^ Thaarup 1819, p. 717.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Christensen 1992, p. 85.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Christensen 1992, p. 86.
  15. ^ Rindom 1995, p. 5.
  16. ^ Larsen 1940, p. 117.
  17. ^ Weihe 2006, p. 56.
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