Sinking of the Flensborg
Six Jacobsen
Falken
1 sloop
Most men killed
42 imprisoned
- v
- t
- e
North Atlantic
- Iceland
- Jakobshavn
- Reykjavík
- East Greenland
- Faroe Islands
Africa
- Cape Verde
- Cape of Good Hope
- Canary Islands
- Carolusborg
- Cape Coast
- Fredericksborg
- Cape Corso
- 1st Osu
- 1st Christiansborg
- 2nd Christiansborg
- 3rd Christiansborg
- Gold Coast
- 2nd
- 4ht Christiansborg
- Crèvecœur
- Ningo
- 3rd Osu
- 5th Christiansborg
- Volta
- Dodowa
- Prinsensten
Asia
- Ceylon
- 1st Dansborg
- 1st Bengal
- 1st Pipli
- 1st Bay of Bengal
- 1st Balasore
- 2nd Bay of Bengal
- 3rd Bay of Bengal
- 4th Bay of Bengal
- 2nd Pipli
- 2nd Balasore
- Hooghly
- 1st India
- 3rd Dansborg
- Golconda
- Carical
- 1st Tranquebar
- 2nd Tranquebar
- 3rd Tranquebar
- 2nd Bengal
- Dannemarksnagore
- 4th Tranquebar
- Tillali
- Anandamangalam
- 4th Dansborg
- 1st Serampore
- Nicobar Islands
- 5th Tranquebar
- 2nd India
- 2nd Serampore
- 6th Tranquebar
- Nancowry
- 3rd Serampore
- 7th Tranquebar
- Porreiar
Caribbean
The Sinking of the Flensborg (Danish: Flensborgs forlis), also known as the Sinking of the Flensburg, was a minor skirmish between Danish and Portuguese vessels in 1630 off the Portuguese-controlled Cape of Good Hope. The skirmish resulted in the sinking of the Danish man-of-war Flensborg and caused great financial concerns about the Danish project in India.
Background
In 1616 the Danish East India Company was established, and in 1620 it acquired the fishing village of Tharangambadi (Tranquebar).[1] The first European cargo arrived in 1623, and another was sent in 1624.[2] However, in 1625 Christian IV of Denmark invaded the Holy Roman Empire, which meant a stop in dispatching ships to India.[3] When peace was concluded in 1629, Christian regained his interests in the Indian affairs and sent two ships, the man-of-war Flesnborg, and a two-mastered sloop, to India in late 1629. They were shortly after followed by the two-mastered vessel, Fortuna.[3]
Action
When reaching the good hope, the Flensborg came into a fight with the Portuguese.[3] The Portuguese were trying to maintain their monopoly of trade with India, which they claimed had been given to them by the Pope.[4] In the initial skirmish between the Flensborg. and multiple Portuguese ships, the Flensborg was caught on fire and exploded.[5] Most of the men on board the ship were killed in the explosion, and the men who survived were taken as hostages by the Portuguese.[5]
According to other sources, the incident with Flensborg happened off the Malabar Coast, however, this has been rejected.[6]
Aftermath and effects
When the news of the disaster of the Flensborg reached Copenhagen, it led to speculations as to whether King Christian and the company would be able to invest more capital in the East Indian Trade.[5] Some of the investors claimed it would be best to abandon the whole project, sell the Danish colonies, and bring the Danes home, others maintained that they should wait and see.[7]
See also
- Action of 19 February 1619 – Naval engagement between Danish ships and French privateers
- Roland Crappé's raids on Portuguese colonies – Danish raids in India and Sri Lanka, 1619
- Conquest of Koneswaram Temple – Colonial controntation between the Portuguese and the Danish
- Dano-Carical Conflict – 1644–1645 European conflict in India
References
- ^ Wellen 2015.
- ^ "Trankebar and the Danish East India Co (DOK)". SlideShare. 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ a b c Bredsdorff 2009, p. 22.
- ^ Bredsdorff 2009, p. 22–23.
- ^ a b c Bredsdorff 2009, p. 23.
- ^ "Flensborg 1630 Kapstaden - Vragwiki". vragwiki.dk. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ Bredsdorff 2009, p. 23–24.
Works cited
- Wellen, Kathryn (2015). The Danish East India Company's War against the Mughal Empire, 1642-1698 (PDF). Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies.
- Bredsdorff, Asta (2009). The Trials and Travels of Willem Leyel. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 9788763530231.