List of colonial governors of the Danish Gold Coast

Last updated

The Danish Gold Coast was established on the eastern Gold Coast (present-day Ghana):

(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

TenureIncumbentNotes
Danish Suzerainty
1657–8Danish Gold Coast Settlements established on the eastern Gold Coast
1658 Heinrich Carloff , Opperhoved [1]  
1659Samuel Schmidt, Opperhoved 
1659 to 1662 Jost Cramer , Opperhoved 
1662 to 1668Henning Albrecht, Opperhoved 
1668 to 1674 Bartholomaus von Gronstein , Governor—1st to be designated as governor 
1674 to 1677 Conrad Crull , Governor [2]  
1677 to 1681 Peter With , Opperhoved 
1681 Magnus Prang , Governor [3]  
to 1698 Erik Tylleman , Opperhoved 
10 June 1698 to 23 December 1698 Erik Oehlsen , Opperhoved 
23 December 1698 to 31 August 1703 John Trawne , Opperhoved 
11 September 1703 to 23 April 1704 Hartvig Meyer , Opperhoved 
23 April 1704 to 5 May 1705 Peter Sverdrup , acting Opperhoved 
5 May 1705 to 25 May 1705Peter Petersen, acting Opperhoved 
25 May 1705 to 17 August 1711 Erik Olsen Lygaard , Opperhoved2nd Term
17 August 1711 to 26 November 1717 Bfantz Boye , Opperhoved 
26 November 1717 to 6 August 1720 Knud Røst , Opperhoved 
6 August 1720 to 24 January 1722 Peter Østrup , Opperhoved 
25 January 1722 to 22 January 1723 Niels Jensen Østrup , Opperhoved 
22 January 1723 to 27 April 1724 Christian Andreas Syndermann , Opperhoved 
27 April 1724 to 1 March 1727 Hendrik von Suhm , Opperhoved 
4 March 1727 to 18 September 1727 Fred Pahl , Opperhoved 
18 September 1727 to 24 December 1728 Andreas Willumsen , Opperhoved 
24 December 1728 to 12 August 1735 Anders Pedersen Waerøe , Opperhoved 
12 August 1735 to 14 June 1736 Severin Schilderup , Opperhoved 
14 June 1736 to 20 June 1740 Enevold Nielson Boris , Opperhoved 
20 June 1740 to 26 May 1743 Peter Nikolaj Jørgensen , Opperhoved 
26 May 1743 to 3 February 1744 Christian Glob Dorph , Opperhoved 
3 February 1744 to 11 March 1745 Jørgen Billsen , Opperhoved 
11 March 1745 to 23 March 1745 Thomas Brock , Opperhoved 
23 March 1745 to 23 April 1745 Johan Wilder , Opperhoved 
23 April 1745 to 21 June 1746 August Frederik Hackenburg , Opperhoved 
21 June 1746 to 1750 Joost Platfusz , Opperhoved 
Danish crown colony
1750 to 6 March 1751 Joost Platfusz , Opperhoved 
6 March 1751 to 8 March 1751 Magnus Christopher Lützow , Opperhoved 
8 March 1751 to 21 July 1752 Magnus Hacksen , acting Opperhoved 
21 July 1752 to 11 March 1757 Carl Engman , Opperhoved 
11 March 1757 to 14 February 1762 Christian Jessen , Opperhoved 
14 February 1762 to 20 October 1766 Carl Gottleb Resch , Opperhoved 
20 October 1766 to 11 January 1768 Christian Tychsen , Governor 
11 January 1768 to 2 July 1769 Frantz Joachim Kuhberg , Governor 
2 July 1769 to 11 June 1770 Joachim Christian Otto , acting Governor 
11 June 1770 to 15 June 1772 Johan Daniel Frøhlich , acting Governor 
15 June 1772 to 24 June 1777 Niels Urban Aarestrup , acting Governor 
24 June 1777 to 2 December 1780 Johan Conrad von Hemsen , Governor 
2 December 1780 to 21 April 1788 Jens Adolph Kjoge , acting Governor 
21 April 1788 to 23 October 1789 Johan Friedrich Kipnasse , acting Governor 
23 October 1789 to July 1792 Andreas Rieselsen Bjørn , Governor 
July 1792 to 25 January 1793 Andreas Hammer , acting Governor 
25 January 1793 to 30 June 1793 Andreas Hammer , Governor 
30 June 1793 to 3 August 1793 Bendt Olrich , Governor 
3 August 1793 to 17 August 1795 Baron Christian Friedrich von Hager , Governor 
October 1795 to 31 December 1799 Johan Peter David Wrisberg , Governor1st Term
31 December 1799 to 3 December 1802 Johan David Ahnholm , acting Governor 
3 December 1802 to 15 April 1807 Johan Peter David Wrisberg , Governor2nd Term
15 April 1807 to 1 March 1817 Christian Schiønning , Governor 
3 March 1817 to 5 October 1817 Johan Emanuel Rechter , Governor 
5 October 1817 to 6 May 1819 Jens Nikolas Cornelius Reiersen , acting Governor 
6 May 1819 to 1 January 1821 Christian Svanekjaer , acting Governor 
1 January 1821 to 5 September 1821 Peter Svane Steffens , Governor 
5 September 1821 to 23 December 1823 Matthias Thønning , acting Governor 
23 December 1823 to 7 May 1825 Johan Christopher von Richelieu , Governor 
7 May 1825 to 30 September 1827 Niels Brøch , acting Governor1st Term
30 September 1827 to 1 August 1828 Jens Peter Flindt , Governor 
1 August 1828 to 20 January 1831 Heinrich Gerhard Lind , acting Governor1st Term
29 January 1831 to 21 October 1831 Ludwig Vincent von Hein , Governor 
21 October 1831 to 4 December 1831 Helmut von Arenstorff , Governor 
4 December 1831 to 1 March 1833 Niels Brøch , Governor2nd Term
1 March 1833 to 21 July 1833 Heinrich Gerhard Lind , acting Governor2nd Term
21 July 1833 to 26 December 1834 Edvard von Gandil , acting Governor 
26 December 1834 to 19 August 1837 Frederik Segfried Mørch , acting Governor 
19 August 1837 to 18 March 1839 Frederik Segfried Mørch , Governor 
19 March 1839 to 18 August 1839 Hans Angel Giede , acting Governor 
18 August 1839 to 24 May 1842 Lucas Dall , acting Governor 
24 May 1842 to 26 August 1842 Bernhard Johan Christian Wilkens , acting Governor 
26 August 1842 to 15 March 1844 Edvard James Arnold Carstensen , acting Governor [4] 1st Term
18 March 1844 to 5 July 1844 Edvard Ericksen , acting Governor 
5 July 1844 to 9 October 1844 George Lutterodt , acting Governor 
9 August 1844 to 10 April 1847 Edvard James Arnold Carstensen , Governor2nd Term
10 April 1847 to 20 February 1850 Rasmus Eric Schmidt , acting Governor 
30 March 1850Gold Coast Settlements sold to Britain and incorporated into the Gold Coast Colony

Related Research Articles

Gold Coast may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Coast Castle</span> Castle in Ghana

Cape Coast Castle is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, established in 1555, which they named Cabo Corso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British West Africa</span> 1821–1888 colonial entity of Britain in West Africa

British West Africa was the collective name for British colonies in West Africa during the colonial period, either in the general geographical sense or the formal colonial administrative entity. British West Africa as a colonial entity was originally officially known as Colony of Sierra Leone and its Dependencies, then British West African Territories and finally British West African Settlements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish overseas colonies</span> Colonies controlled by Sweden

Swedish overseas colonies consisted of the overseas colonies controlled by Sweden. Sweden possessed overseas colonies from 1638 to 1663, in 1733 and from 1784 to 1878. Sweden possessed five colonies, four of which were short lived. The colonies spanned three continents: Africa, Asia and North America.

John Canoe, also known as January Conny, was the European name given to an Akan warrior from Axim, Ghana. He was a chief of the Ahanta people in the early 18th century, who established a stronghold in the defunct Fort Fredericksburg and fought multiple wars with European traders for twenty years. The stronghold finally fell in 1725, though Canoe's fate is unknown. He is commemorated in the Junkanoo festival held in the Caribbean each December.

Opperhoofd is a Dutch word that literally translates to "upper-head", meaning "supreme headman". The Danish equivalent overhoved, which is derived from a Danish pronunciation of the Dutch or Low German word, is also treated here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Gold Coast</span> Dutch possession in Western Africa between 1598-1872

The Dutch Gold Coast or Dutch Guinea, officially Dutch possessions on the Coast of Guinea was a portion of contemporary Ghana that was gradually colonized by the Dutch, beginning in 1612. The Dutch began trading in the area around 1598, joining the Portuguese which had a trading post there since the late 1400s. Eventually, the Dutch Gold Coast became the most important Dutch colony in West Africa after Fort Elmina was captured from the Portuguese in 1637, but fell into disarray after the abolition of the slave trade in the early 19th century. On 6 April 1872, the Dutch Gold Coast was, in accordance with the Anglo-Dutch Treaties of 1870–71, ceded to the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish Gold Coast</span> Danish colony in Africa from 1658 to 1850

The Danish Gold Coast comprised the colonies that Denmark–Norway controlled in Africa as a part of the Gold Coast, which is on the Gulf of Guinea. It was colonized by the Dano-Norwegian fleet, first under indirect rule by the Danish West India Company, later as a crown colony of the kingdom of Denmark-Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandenburger Gold Coast</span> Prussian colony located in modern Ghana, 1683–1721

The Brandenburger Gold Coast, later Prussian Gold Coast, was a part of the Gold Coast. The Brandenburg colony existed from 1682 to 1721, when King Frederick William I of Prussia sold it for 7,200 ducats and 12 Black slaves to the Dutch West India Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish Gold Coast</span> Swedish colony in present-day Ghana

The Swedish Gold Coast 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osu Castle</span> Colonial fort in Ghana

Osu Castle is a castle located in Osu, Ghana on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Coast (region)</span> Coastal region of West Africa known for its natural resources

The Gold Coast was the name for a region on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa that was rich in gold, petroleum, sweet crude oil and natural gas. This former region is now known as the country Ghana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treaty of Axim</span> 1642 treaty between the Netherlands and the chiefs of Axim

The Treaty of Axim was concluded between the Netherlands and the chiefs of Axim in the western region of the Gold Coast and signed at Fort St. Anthony near Axim on 17 February 1642. The treaty regulated the jurisdiction of the Netherlands and the Dutch West India Company in the town and polity of Axim after the Dutch West India Company had successfully attacked the Portuguese who were the occupants of Fort St. Anthony in the town. Over time, the agreement was in part superseded and replaced by new contracts and agreements. The treaty did remain the basis for Dutch jurisdiction and political relations between Axim and the Dutch until the latter left the Gold Coast in 1872.

Conrad Crull was the second governor of the Danish Gold Coast from 1674 to 1677. He governed the Danish Gold Coast from Fort Friedensburg (Frederiksborg).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendrik Carloff</span> 17th century European adventurer

Hendrik Carloff, Caerloff or Caarlof was an adventurer and slave trader active in the 17th century. Carloff began his career as a cabin boy but rose to become a commander and governor appointed by the Dutch West India Company and Danish or the Swedish Africa Company on the Gold Coast. Between 1676 and 1677, he was Governor of Tobago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Metal Cross</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Western Region, Ghana

Fort Metal Cross, originally Fort Dixcove, is a military structure located on a promontory at the fishing community of Infuma in Dixcove, in the Western Region of Ghana. Because of its history in the Atlantic slave trade and its testimony to European-African trade, the Fort was included as one of the Forts and Castles of Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions that became a World Heritage Site in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Apollonia</span>

Fort Apollonia is a fort in Beyin, Ghana. The name Apollonia was given to the area by a Portuguese explorer who sighted the place on the Feast of Saint Apollonia, 9 February. Because of its importance during the European colonial period and its testimony to the Atlantic slave trade, Fort Apollonia was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with several other forts and castles in Ghana in 1979.

Erik Tylleman was an Opperhoved of the Danish Gold Coast, a Danish Crown Colony. He governed from the colony's capital, Fort Christiansborg. Tylleman was the first Danish Governor who reigned in the United Gold Coast in 1698. The Danish Gold Coast was established on the eastern Gold Coast.

References

  1. Danish: means Factor (agent); Factor, also rendered as Station Chief
  2. Ole Justesen, ed. Danish Sources for the History of Ghana 1657–1754 Vol. 1 (1657–1735). Copenhagen: The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, 2005. p. 48 ISBN   87-7304-312-5
  3. The title of Governor was bestowed on three individuals before 1766: von Gronstein; Crull; and Prang.
  4. Closing the Books: Governor Edward Carstensen on Danish Guinea, 1842–50. Translated from the Danish by Tove Storsveen. Accra, Ghana: Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2010.

See also