The Danish West India Company or Danish West India–Guinea Company (Det Vestindisk-Guineisk kompagni) was a Dano-Norwegian chartered company that operated out of the colonies in the Danish West Indies. It is estimated that 120,000 enslaved Africans were transported on the company's ships.[1] Founded as the Danish Africa Company (Dansk afrikanske kompagni) in 1659, it was incorporated into the Danish West India Company in 1671.
History
In March 1659, the Danish Africa Company was started in Glückstadt by the originally Finnish Hendrik Carloff; two Dutchmen, Isaac Coymans and Nicolaes Pancras; and two German merchants, Vincent Klingenberg and Jacob del Boe. Their mandate included trade with the Danish Gold Coast in present-day Ghana. In 1671 the Africa Company was incorporated in the Danish West India Company. The West India Company was organized on November 20, 1670, and formally chartered by King Christian V on March 11, 1671.[2]
The Danes settled in St. Thomas in 1668.[3]