Danish Empire

Though not a country often associated with colonialism, Denmark (or Denmark–Norway during the union between the two countries) had an empire. Today, the only two overseas lands that remain a part of the Kingdom of Denmark are Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both with varying degrees of autonomy.

Understand
Denmark (or Denmark–Norway during the union of the two crowns between 1524 and 1814) was not the most well-known of the colonisers, nor is it commonly associated with colonialism. For the most part, that's justified given the Danish Empire was not very large compared to other European empires. Excluding Danish Estonia, Denmark had first possessed colonies since 1536, and its last colony was granted full internal self-government in 1953.

In a sense, the Danish Empire can be said to have begun in 1380 when the Norwegian king died without an heir, resulting in the crown of Norway being passed onto King Olaf II of Denmark. Although Denmark and Norway were officially considered to be separate and equal sovereign kingdoms during the union of the crowns, in practice, Denmark was the dominant part of the union, with the king primarily based in Denmark, and a steward appointed to govern Norway in the king's absence.

Denmark–Norway's first colonial claims were first made in 1536, when Norway laid claim to Iceland and the Faroe Islands. While Norway claimed these two lands, when Norway eventually became a part of Sweden, the overseas colonies of Denmark-Norway went to Denmark, and as such, Iceland remained under Danish rule until it gained independence in 1944, while the Faroe Islands remain a part of the Danish realm to this very day.

The next major colony that Denmark possessed was in 1620, when it held the Indian city of Tranquebar (now Tharangambadi). For the most part, it was "just there", quietly sitting until it eventually was sold to the British in 1845, becoming a part of the British Raj.

Later that century, Denmark came into possession with the Danish West Indies, now the modern day US Virgin Islands, and it was the only colony that took up an entire landmass outside the Europe-Arctic region.

After the Napoleonic wars when Norway was ceded to Sweden, all of Denmark–Norway's overseas possessions remained under Danish rule, including colonies that Norway had colonised, leaving Norway with Svalbard (which was handed over to Norway after Norway was ceeded to Sweden) and the uninhabited possessions of Jan Mayen, Bouvet Island, Peter I Island and Queen Maud Land, with the last two only recognised by Australia, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (all of which recognise each other's Antarctic claims).

Denmark's empire finally came to an end after its last two remaining possessions, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, were granted autonomy. The Faroe Islands were granted self-government in 1948, while Greenland was granted self-government in 1979. After concerns by the UN's Special Committee on Decolonization in 2009, Greenland was given further autonomy. Today, both Greenland and the Faroe Islands have their own constituent parliaments, and are in practice self-governing. Denmark only manages currency, immigration, foreign affairs, defence, justice and pours a ton of money into both territories.

Danish West Indies (U.S. Virgin Islands)


The Danish West Indies was the only major colony that Denmark held outside Europe and Greenland, as its colonies in Ghana and India were no more than a few settlements. The first island of the modern-day USVI that Denmark possessed was the island of Saint Thomas, acquired in 1671. Saint John was later acquired in 1718, and Saint Croix was purchased from France in 1733.

In 1917, the Danish West Indies was sold to the United States of America for a cost of US$25 million, and is now a US organized territory.

Estonia
Estonia was ruled as the Duchy of Estonia, a dominion of the King of Denmark from 1219–1346, when it was sold to the Teutonic Order.

Faroe Islands


Though the Faroes are a collectivity of Denmark, the Faroe Islands have had a greater Norwegian influence than a Danish influence. The Faroe Islands were a part of the Kingdom of Norway between 1035 and 1814 – for almost 800 years. For much of this time period, Norway was in a union with Denmark, but after the Napoleonic wars, when Norway was ceded to Sweden, the Faroes remained a Danish colony. Still, to this day, there is a greater influence of Norwegian architecture.

One notable Danish and Norwegian influence that can be seen today is in the architecture of many churches, including of those found in tiny towns, which is indeed very Danish or Norwegian – although many have grassy roofs, giving them a Faroese twist.

Gold Coast (Ghana)
The Danish Gold Coast wasn't overly large by most means, and Denmark only possessed a few fortifications along modern-day Ghana. Many of these forts had great strategic importance, and most were used to load enslaved Africans onto ships bound for the Americas, as part of the Atlantic slave trade. They were all eventually sold to the United Kingdom in 1850 at a cost of £10,000, and became part of the larger British Gold Coast, later to become the independent Ghana. Some of these forts have now been repurposed, and are visitable, at least from the outside, while others have been victims of erosion and climate change.

Some of these forts are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, under the title Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions, enlisted in 1979.

Iceland
First settled by Norsemen in the 7th century, Iceland came under the rule of the Norwegian crown in 1262. Iceland was incorporated into the Kalmar Union with Denmark, Sweden and Norway when the Norwegian royal line was extinguished in 1380, and subsequently became part of Denmark-Norway when Sweden regained its independence as a separate kingdom in 1523. After the union between Denmark and Norway was dissolved in 1814, Iceland remained under the rule of the Danish crown, though it was granted full internal self-government in 1918. Iceland eventually gained complete independence from Denmark as a republic on 17 June 1944.

From 1602-1786, the Danish government imposed a trade monopoly on Iceland. Iceland was only allowed to trade with Denmark, and all trade in Iceland was only allowed to be conducted by Danish merchants. This led to much poverty for the Icelandic people as most of the profits from this trade were funnelled to Denmark.

India
When it comes to colonialism in India, very few associate Denmark with it, with that spotlight often going to Britain and sometimes France and Portugal. However, Denmark did have a few small colonies in India, with two on the mainland, and the third a few hundred kilometres offshore in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the primary reason why the Danes fought for these colonies was spice trade. Like the several forts that Denmark possessed in Ghana, these three colonies were eventually sold to Britain and became a part of the British Raj in the mid-19th century.

Norway
Norway came under the rule of the Danish crown in 1380 as part of the Kalmar Union, as the previous king had died without an heir, thus resulting in the Norwegian throne passing onto King Olaf II of Denmark. Norway remained under the rule of Danish crown after Sweden pulled out of the Kalmar Union in 1523, and the resulting kingdom was known as Denmark-Norway, in which Denmark was the de facto dominant part with the king primarily ruling from Copenhagen. The union between Denmark and Norway was dissolved in 1814 as Norway was ceded to Sweden under the Treaty of Kiel in the midst of the Napoleonic Wars. Norway would subsequently gain full independence from Sweden with its own separate king on 7 June 1905.

Sweden
Medieval Denmark included the provinces of Scania, Blekinge and Halland, centering the realm around Öresund, and allowing Denmark to extract a toll fee from passing ships. These provinces were ravaged by a number of wars against Sweden in the 16th and 17th century. With the 1658 Roskilde treaty, Sweden finally annexed these provinces, displacing Denmark as the dominant power of Scandinavia.

Other colonial empires

 * Austro-Hungarian Empire
 * British Empire
 * Dutch Empire
 * French Colonial Empire
 * German Empire
 * Italian Empire
 * Japanese colonial empire
 * Portuguese Empire
 * Russian Empire
 * Spanish Empire
 * Swedish Empire