Swedish slave trade

The Swedish slave trade is from the early Swedish history until into the 17th century known as Swedish colonies in North America (1638 ) and Africa ( 1650) were founded. By 1813 slavery was legal in Sweden.

Slavery was first abolished in 1335 in Sweden by Magnus II of Sweden for serfs, who were born of Christian parents in Västergötland and Värend.

There were contractual agreements of Sweden with England and France for the slave trade, the Sweden also operated with ships in the transatlantic slave trade.

Furthermore, large parts of the time in the slave trade common iron chains in Sweden were produced.

1847 Slavery in Sweden together with colonies finally completely abolished, since the key decisions were made for 1846.

Trading posts in Africa

1650 Sweden began trading stations along the West African coast in an area of ​​the Swedish Gold Coast was called to set up. Sweden and Denmark competed in this period as regional powers in Scandinavia with each other, which is why the Swedes and the Danes followed, to Africa, began a couple of years with the construction of stations. 1663 the Swedish Gold Coast of Denmark was incorporated into the Danish Gold Coast. This area later became the British colony of the Gold Coast and is now part of Ghana. There is no known historical documentation, the evidence that it has operated in the 13 year old Swedish occupation of the African slave trade points from there, but this is assumed to be likely.

Swedish trading posts in Africa were re-established in the 18th century, when Sweden founded colonies in the Caribbean.

Caribbean colonies

Between 1784 and 1878, Sweden held small colonies in the Caribbean. The Swedish island of Saint -Barthélemy functioned as a duty free port as one of the centers of the Caribbean slave trade.

1771 Gustav III was. King of Sweden. His aim Sweden to form again a great European power, he pursued with the establishment of overseas colonies as a contemporary symbol of national strength. Denmark made ​​at this time already large profits with colonies in the West Indies. 1784 acquired Gustav the Caribbean island of Saint -Barthélemy from France.

On August 23, 1784, informed the king by the coup Gustav III. introducing a absolute monarchy weakened Swedish Imperial Council that Sweden is now the owner of an island in the West Indies, which apparently many of the council members had not expected at this time. The first report about the island came from the Swedish Consul General on the island, Simon Bérard, who had his seat in L' Orient, the only City: Saint -Barthélemy "is a very unimportant island without strategic position. She is very poor and dry and has only a small population. Only salt and cotton is produced here. A large part of the island consists of bare rock. The island has no own fresh water and the fountain on the island give only brackish ago. Water must therefore be obtained from neighboring islands. There is nowhere roads. "

From Berard's report followed that because of the poor soils there was no way larger agricultural cultivation to operate. The island had thus only as good harbor in accordance with future prospects. Bérard also made ​​the island then a free port. At this time, France had problems provide enough slaves for its colonies in the region. So Sweden could try to close this gap and to export slaves in French colonies in the region. If the project Saint -Barthélemy was successful, it was planned on the Swedish side 's own colonial territory to other islands in the region to expand. Gustav was also known that the leading slave trading nations earned much money from the slave trade, which is why he followed Berard's recommendation to try Saint Bartholome a center of the slave trade to make.

In the fall of 1786 Svenska Västindiska Kompaniet (The Swedish West India Company ) was established on the island. Gustav turned investors large profits in future prospect. Anyone who could afford it, was allowed to purchase shares of the Company, Gustav kept even 10% of the shares and so remained the largest shareholder. The king received a quarter of the profits, the other shareholders of the rest on October 31, 1786 issued to the company, a privilege that gave her the rights of slaves between Africa and the West Indies to operate slave trade. Clause 14 of the privileges letter read: " The company may operate the slave trade in Angola and on the African coast, where it is allowed there."

On March 12, 1790 a new constitution, together with the control system on the island has been introduced. Both were designed for the target -Barthélemy Saint to make it an attractive haven for slave traders. The new law gave merchants of all nationalities an amazing for its time opportunity. Slaves were there all nationalities are imported duty free from ships and were taxed low on export, where such export control again halved for slaves who were imported to Sweden by ship from Africa. The new constitution promised: " Freedom for all for all living on Saint Bartholomew and incoming ships to arm and send out and to make deliveries to Africa to buy slaves at all places at which this is all nations allowed. " This drew in the sequence the purchase of slaves alike from across the Caribbean. Slavery was managed and controlled in Saint -Barthélemy by special legislation and police for slaves and free colored people.

1813 Sweden was awarded control of Guadeloupe, a nearby French colony, which was temporarily under British occupation, which it, however, already in 1814 after the fall of Napoleon for 24 million francs back sold to France, since Sweden had temporarily banned the slave trade and the colonies under had these circumstances economically largely lost their meaning.

The last 523 located in legally owned slaves in the Swedish colony of Saint -Barthélemy were bought out on October 9, 1847 for each of 80 Riksdaler by the state.

Abolition of slavery

1788 sent the British Society for the Abolition of Slavery with Anders Sparrman a Swedish opponent of the slave trade to Gustav III. , As the Society was concerned other nations would be their slave trade expand when Britain would set the own slave trade. By brought books and letters on the subject of the Swedish king was encouraged to stop the ill-fated slave trade in his sphere of influence. In a response letter from the king, which was introduced by Sparrman, wrote the king that no one in his country in the slave trade played a part and he would do everything in his power to ensure that it would remain so.

During the early 19th century movement for the abolition of slavery became stronger, especially in Britain, where in 1807 the slave trade was banned and following 1808 in the U.S., which was for other states to model. The slave trade was banned in Sweden in 1813, slavery was allowed until 9 October 1847.

Thereafter, the British Navy patrolled the African coast to now illegal slave traders grasp. The Swedish ship Diana was intercepted at this time of Britons near the African coast, as they freshly loaded with slaves in the direction of Saint Bartholomew was driving. In this case, came to the indictment before a court to determine whether the slave trade could be traced in this way as a violation of universal human rights. The ship, however, was returned to the Swedish owners, since Sweden had the slave trade is not prohibited at that time and it practically allowed.

Finally, the slave trade was a touchy subject, since the Swedish government also banned the slave trade in the Caribbean, but initially not slavery itself, the West Indian colonies were then create a financial burden. Guadeloupe was sold back to France in 1814, the 24 million franc sales proceeds included in the Guadeloupefonden that had the promotion of the Swedish Crown Prince and Regent Charles XIV John of Sweden to the task and previously served as Jean -Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France under Napoleon I.. His house was from 300,000 Riksdaler to 1983 as compensation for his loss of prestige in France, when Sweden entered on the side of the United Kingdom against France in the third Napoleonic coalition war.

It is not yet known exactly how many Africans were taken as slaves on Swedish ships to America, but it is possible that this is still changing, as the existing documents have so far been evaluated never seriously, not directly accessible or on microfilm because of their poor condition be made. At least some data, especially concerning Saint -Barthélemy, are now available online.