Conmen and fantasts
Sometimes we discuss alternative European colonial powers in North America. But there's seem a broad agrement that it's almost impossible. To some degree that's right but there are some times, where the oppotunity exist, with a little wristing. For Denmark the oppotunity existed from the end of the Kalmar War and until the Danish phrase of the 30 Years War.
The Kalmar War (1611-13) had ended with Danish victory and a Danish occupation of Elfsborg/Älvsborg (the later Göteborg) until the Swedish had payed out a ransom of one million thaler. They final finished the payments in 1619. This was a quite major ransom and resulted in the kings coffins was filled until they was wasted in the 30 Year War and in unrealistic but sometimes fantastic project in Denmark (like the East Indian company and the attempts to set up a silk production in Denmark).
In the year after the victory, innovators, fantasts, fortune hunters and conmen sought out the Danish king in a attempt to make him invest in their suggestions. Some projects was realistic like setting up ”Tugt- og Børnehuset” (prison and orphanage), which was set up to learn orphans, drifters and criminals a trade, the adult and childrens was later split, thanks to the bad influence the drifters and criminals had on the children. The institution was a major textile producer while it existed. Why this institution are interesting, are because it show us some indication of the surplus population. While the numbers of criminals and drifters put here aren't well known. The number of children are. From 1621 where the prison was split off, to the 1649 around 5000 children was through it, around half died, a fifth fleed, the last 30% was split between a third which learned a trade and two third which didn't. Beside that around ten precent of the Danish population would be put in category drifters or around 80 000 people. While a significant part of this population was invalids or people to old to work. It show that there exist a significant element of the population which could be used as colonists.
In the periode we also see the king invest in a East Indian company, while it never gave a surplus in his lifetime, he kept funding it until a year before his death out of fear of losing international prestige. Of course the stop in funding just meant that the crown took over the companys possesions like the village/town of Tranquebar in India.
So what if one of the innovators which sought out the Danish king suggested the establishment of a colony in North America. Denmark did send expeditions to find the Northeast passage, two was already attempted before the Kalmar War, and a single one after the war. So the area wasn't unknown to the Danes. Of course the guy need to be something of a conman, which promiss the king rivers of gold. But at the same time believing in it himself to some degree. So we need a fantast, luckily it was one thing that age did have. Of course he will likely join the Pantheon of great exployers, whose personal life ended up badly. If he's lucky he dies before the king find out, that rivers of gold doesn't exist.
To some degree this is also a attempt to show a more European North America, one split between several first world medium powers rather than one dominated by giant which are USA. But also a contignent split between several nations with different languages and cultures.
Foreword by Valdemar II
So the POD are that some Dutch disgraced ”captain” (let us call him Jacob der Vliet) seeks out the Danish king with a suggestion for a establish a colony in North America to trade with Indians promising that they have gold, tobacco and the finest pelts to trade. While most of ”Rigsrådet” (the councel of the nobles) can smell the rat far away. Christian IV are something of a fantast on his own and the more fantastic the suggestion the better he likes it. So against Rigsrådet advice he establish the Royal Danish American Company (KDAK in Danish). But the king aren't a idiot so he tries his best to split the investment in the company.with others, while the nobles wasn't much for invest in it some did, but mostly the funding came from rich mechants, at the start the crowns part of the Company was only 20%, while the different noblemen owned 25%, while different mechants owned the last 55%. The start capital was 100 000 thaler.
In 1616 the expedition was send ahead to find a potential area for the first trading post, the expedition was lead by Jacob der Vliet and the Danish captain and nobleman Jens Munk, some joked that the expedition was attempt to get Jens Munk far away from himself. While there may have been some truth to that, there's no doubt, that Munk was quite competent too. The succeses of the expedition have by historicans been given mostly to Munk for his avoidance of conflict with the Dutch exployers in the same area, which der Vliet wanted to drive away. That Munk get this honour are quite ironic, he thought the expedition was a waste of time and was more for a new expedition to find the North West Passage.
When the expedition returned to Copenhagen. Der Vliet push for a new expedition fast to avoid Dutch takeover of the area, especially because the Dutch had shown great interest in the Hudson River which der Vliet saw as perfect for settlement.
In 1618 the second expedition of 4 ships sailed it included 121 settlers, the Danes landed on Governor Island named (whom adopted the Dutch name Noten Eylant in semitranslated form as Notenø) at the Hudson River (which the Danes named Christian River, with their well known originality) where a trading post and fort was establish and from the local indians the right to Manhattan was bougth and a few of the settlers was placed on the southen part of Manhattan. The Manhattan was named Christiansø (Christians Island) after the Danish king while the new territorium claim by the Danes was named Nova Dania by Jens Munk, and the settlement on Christiansø Christiania, at last the fort on Notenø was named Christiansborg. While the ships returned to back to Denmark, Johan Lejel from Elsinore was placed as governour of the colony while Munk and der Vliet returned to Denmark.
The settlement would run into trouble the following year, when Dutch exployers arrived, but with the growing conflicts in Germany, the Dutch didn't want conflicts with Danes, especially not over a unimportant settlement in the middle of nowhere and the Dutch accepted the Danish claim to Christian Rivers watersheed. Of course this destroyed the plan for the Dutch to settle the area, and a new area had to be found. For the Danish settlers the first winter was rather lean and almost half the population died, but the arrival of new supply and a frensh wave of 62 settlers in 1619, resulted in a much better winter the second year, few died, and the settlement was more or less stable the second year. Succesful attempt was made to trade with with the Lenape, mainly pelt for iron tool and other European trading goods. This year a distillery for brännvin was founded. Many historians say that it say something about the Danish and Christianittes national characteristics, that the first Danish industry in the new world was a distillery. Of course calling the early distillery industry are something of overstatement, and both a forge and mill had been build before the distillery.