Danish India
| Danish India | ||||||||||
| Dansk Østindien | ||||||||||
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Danish East India Company (1620–1777) Dano-Norwegian colonies (1777–1814) Danish colonies (1814–1869) |
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 Danish and other European settlements in India
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| Capital | Fort Dansborg | |||||||||
| Languages | Danish, Tamil, Hindustani, Bengali | |||||||||
| Political structure | Colonies | |||||||||
| King of Denmark (and Norway until 1814) | ||||||||||
| • | 1588–1648 | Christian IV | ||||||||
| • | 1863–1906 | Christian IX | ||||||||
| Governor | ||||||||||
| • | 1620–1621 | Ove Gjedde | ||||||||
| • | 1673–1682 | Sivert Cortsen Adeler | ||||||||
| • | 1759–1760 | Christian Frederik Høyer | ||||||||
| • | 1788–1806 | Peter Anker | ||||||||
| • | 1825–1829 | Hans de Brinck-Seidelin | ||||||||
| • | 1841–1845 | Peder Hansen | ||||||||
| Historical era | Colonial period | |||||||||
| • | Established | 1620 | ||||||||
| • | Disestablished | 1869 | ||||||||
| Currency | Danish Indian Rupee | |||||||||
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| Today part of |
 India
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Imperial entities of India
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| Dutch India | 1605–1825 |
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| Danish India | 1620–1869 |
| French India | 1769–1954 |
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| Casa da Índia | 1434–1833 |
| Portuguese East India Company | 1628–1633 |
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| East India Company | 1612–1757 |
| Company rule in India | 1757–1858 |
| British Raj | 1858–1947 |
| British rule in Burma | 1824–1948 |
| Princely states | 1721–1949 |
| Partition of India |
1947
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Danish India was the name given to the colonies of Denmark (Denmark–Norway before 1813) in India, forming part of the Danish colonial empire. Denmark-Norway held colonial possessions in India for more than 200 years, including the town of Tharangambadi in present-day Tamil Nadu state, Serampore in present-day West Bengal, and the Nicobar Islands, currently part of India's union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Danish presence in India was of little significance to the major European powers as they presented neither a military nor a mercantile threat. Dano-Norwegian ventures in India, as elsewhere, were typically undercapitalised and never able to dominate or monopolise trade routes in the same way that the companies of Portugal, the Netherlands and Britain could. Against all odds however they managed to cling to their colonial holdings, and at times, to carve out a valuable niche in international trade by taking advantage of wars between larger countries and offering foreign trade under a neutral flag. For this reason their presence was tolerated until 1845, when their alliance with a defeated France led to the colony being ceded to the British East Indian company.
The success of Dutch and English traders in the 17th century spice trade was a source of envy among Danish and Norwegian merchants. On March 17, 1616, Christian IV the King of Denmark-Norway, issued a charter creating a Danish East India Company with a monopoly on trade between Denmark-Norway and Asia for 12 years. It would take an additional two years before sufficient capital had been raised to finance the expedition, perhaps due to lack of confidence on the part of Danish investors. It took the arrival of the Dutch merchant and colonial administrator, Marchelis de Boshouwer, in 1618 to provide the impetus for the first voyage. Marcelis arrived as an envoy (or at least claimed to do so) for the emperor of Ceylon, Cenerat Adassin, seeking military assistance against the Portuguese and promising a monopoly on all trade with the island. His appeal had been rejected by his countrymen, but it convinced the Danish King.
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