From America to Africa: Sweden’s Forgotten Colonial Empire

Though smaller in scale than Britain, Spain, and other European colonial empires, Sweden had several colonies worldwide.

Sweden aimed to establish itself as a global power, similar to its Western European counterparts, with numerous assets across the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Scandinavia. The Swedish Empire steadily accumulated power from 1611 to 1718 through empirical expansion and colonial exploration. At one point, the Swedish were a force to be reckoned with in its native Baltic and Scandinavian regions and on the world scene.

The Era of Great Power

Known as the Era of Great Power, Sweden was the main powerhouse of Northern Europe and a key European power. Under the lead of King Gustav Adolphus II, Sweden solidified its power in the area for more than a century. Its rule of the region is significant as the stability provided during this period encouraged them to join the age of exploration and acquire several colonial holdings in the New World.

Key Colonies of Sweden’s Empire

Sweden had several colonies in its empire to expand its reach outside the traditional Scandinavian and Baltic regions. Here are some of the most important territories in Sweden’s global empire.

New Sweden

New Sweden was located along the Delaware River and encompassed the modern-day states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The territory was the first step of the Swedish Empire’s ambitious plans to become a major global power. Two Swedish ships, the Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel, sailed into Delaware Bay in 1638. Purchasing about 67 miles of land along the river from the native Lenape tribe, they quickly built Fort Christina in modern-day Wilmington, Delaware, thriving in the region for decades.

New Sweden’s governors had great relations with the Lenape, establishing flourishing trade and expanding their territory as time passed. However, their burgeoning colony would collapse just as quickly with the arrival of Dutch soldiers in the Delaware River. They swiftly defeated the inadequately defended Swedes, dashing their aspirations for establishing a New World empire.

The Swedish Gold Coast

The entrepreneur Louis De Geer established the Swedish Africa Company in present-day Ghana and West Africa. The Swedish arrived in Capo Corso, present-day Ghana, in 1650. Three years later, they constructed Fort Carolusborg after signing a treaty with the Bredewa people. The plan was to bypass the European slave market and sell slaves illegally in Spanish America, but that idea failed.

However, the Swedes left their mark by selling their holdings to the Dutch. They firmly established the slave trade on the Gold Coast of Africa and built Fort Carolusborg, which still stands today as the Cape Coast Castle.

The Island of Guadeloupe

Though the Swedes’ rule of the Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe was brief, only lasting a year, it was an intriguing episode in the empire that had a lasting impact. As part of the Treaty of Stockholm, which rewarded Sweden for joining the coalition against Napoleon. The Swedish Empire ruled the island for a year but didn’t do much as the British military still occupied the region.

Guadeloupe was returned to the French in 1814 as part of the Treaty of Paris. However, the Swedish saw benefits as they received financial compensation from the French for 24 million francs (about $3,750,000). The then-Crown Prince and Regent of Sweden, Charles XIV John, used it to pay off government debts and benefit the public. In recognition, the Guadeloupe Fund was established and paid the Swedish crown 300,000 Kroner (about $26,000) until 1983.