Chapter One
The beginning of King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway’s reign saw many changes for the tiny country. As King, the young Christian sought to reform the nation and improve its military forces, leading to a massive build-up in the Danish navy. As a part of the naval increase, Christian looked overseas, wishing to expand Denmark’s oversea trade, as well as to establish settlements in the Americas and take advantage of the vast unclaimed territories along the North American coastline. As a result, Christian sponsored first an expedition of three voyages between 1602-1605 that mapped the coastline of northeastern North America. Following the return of the third voyage, the King founded the Dansk-Amerikansk Kompagni (Danish-American Company) with a group of investors and entrusted Godske Lindenov with a fleet of five ships and 300 passengers, two-thirds of whom were indentured servants, and the task of establishing a settlement along the North American coastline.
Arriving at Christianø [1] along the Christianfloden [2], Lindenov founded Christianstad [3] in 1606. The majority of the passengers of the fleet had survived the transatlantic voyage, giving the fledgling settlement 284 souls, of whom, 77 were women and 207 were men. Of the men, 60 were soldiers and tasked with immediately building fortifications at the tip of the island, building Christiansværn and installing 8 cannons. While the fort was being built and farms were being established, Lindenov established relations with the local Metoac natives, purchasing the island for goods valued at 80 rigsdaler. After the purchase, Lindenov continued to pursue relations with the local Natives, trading goods for furs in what would be the beginning of the Danish fur trade in the North America. When the furs were brought back to Denmark proper, the sale provided for the cost of the original expedition, leading the Dansk-Amerikansk Kompagni to invest in 6 more ships and 450 passengers, mostly petty criminals given freedom in exchange for indentured servitude and prostitutes intended to serve as wives for the many men in Christianstad. Thus, Lindenov returned to the settlement with more souls and more supplies in the spring of 1608, bringing the total population of Christianstad to 715.
The first four years proved to be bountiful as farms were established and trade relations with the local natives were furthered, securing more furs to fund the colony. As news of this verdant land spread across Denmark-Norway, many began to question living in a land where several winters had seen terrible colds compounded by crop failures and subsequent famines. Consequently, Christian and the Dansk-Amerikansk Kompagni sent several more settlement expeditions to the North American coastline, leading to the founding of Kongenshavn [4] in 1609 with 84 souls, Kongensby [5] in 1610 with 92 souls, and, Frederikstad [6] in 1611 with 72 souls. While spread out, each of the three new settlements looked to Christianstad for official control, as Christian IV made it the official capital of Markland, so named after the name given to the North American coastline by Leif Erikson. While the new settlements would face some growing pains initially, they each would eventually begin to grow as crops flourished and trade with the local native tribes was established, prompting more Norwegians and Danes to make the trek across the Atlantic and join their brethren in Markland. Additionally, Christian and the Dansk-Amerikansk Kompagni allowed several German Lutheran groups to settle alongside the Danes and Norwegians in Markland, adding 247 more souls to the Danes and Norwegians in Markland and bringing the population of Markland to 1,210 by 1615, much of whom were soldiers and merchants engaged in the fur trade. However, family farms continued to be established as groups tired of struggling to make out an existence in the harsh lands of Europe sought the chance at carving out new homesteads in Markland.
1 Christian Island / Manhattan
2 Christian River / Hudson River
3 New York City
4 Boston
5 New Haven
6 Philadelphia