The Letter from Porto Novo: Three Insights into the Danish Slave Trade in India

In the spring of 1696, a letter arrived at the Danish colony of Tranquebar on the Coromandel Coast. The Secret Council of the colony gathered at the fort to discuss a proposition from slave traders in the north to transport enslaved individuals across the Indian Ocean on Danish ships. The Danish East India Company’s involvement in the Asian slave trade, particularly in the 17th century, is known. However, the poor condition of the company archives has hindered in-depth research. Recent preservation and transcription efforts have made previously inaccessible archival material available to historians, providing new insights into the trade and transportation of enslaved people. This article uses the letter from Porto Novo as a focal point to re-examine Danish colonial activities in Asia and their connections in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.