Danish Asiatic Company

The Danish Asiatic Company, known in Danish as Asiatisk Kompagni, was a chartered Danish trading company established in Copenhagen on 20 April 1730. It emerged after the dissolution of the Danish East India Company in 1729 and was created through the merger of two merchant initiatives: one focused on trade with India and another aimed at the expanding China trade. Its purpose was to restore Danish-Norwegian participation in long-distance Asian commerce under a new organizational and financial structure. The company initially concentrated on maritime trade with Qing China, especially Canton, while also maintaining connections with Danish possessions and commercial interests in India. In 1732, the Danish crown granted it a 40-year monopoly over Danish trade east of the Cape of Good Hope. This charter made the company the principal Danish vehicle for Asian shipping, giving it privileged access to routes, ports, and commercial opportunities that required substantial capital, armed vessels, and diplomatic support. The company’s ships carried silver and other European goods to Asia and returned with Asian merchandise, including tea, porcelain, textiles, and other commodities associated with the China and East Indies trades. Its first expedition ended disastrously when the ship Den gyldne Løve was lost off Ballyheigue, Ireland, with a cargo of silver. The cargo became the subject of a salvage dispute involving local landowners, Danish guards, British authorities, and local inhabitants. The company recovered from this setback through later voyages. Cron Printz Christian returned from the company’s first successful Canton expedition in 1732, establishing a basis for continued operations. Before 1750, the company sent 27 ships to Asia, of which 22 returned to Copenhagen, demonstrating both the scale of its activity and the risks of long-distance sailing. The company operated from premises at Asiatisk Plads in Copenhagen. Its fleet included purpose-built merchantmen, former naval vessels, ships acquired from the earlier Danish East India Company, and armed trading ships designed for long voyages. The vessels’ names reflected the Danish monarchy and royal household, including Kongen af Danmark, Dronningen af Danmark, Christiansborg Slot, Fredensborg Slot, and several ships named after Danish princes and princesses. The company’s privileged position changed in 1772, when it lost its monopoly and was taken over by the Danish government. Danish India subsequently became a crown colony in 1779. The company’s broader commercial environment deteriorated further during the Napoleonic Wars. British attacks on Copenhagen in 1801 and 1807 weakened Denmark’s naval and commercial capacity, and British authorities impounded seven Danish merchant ships in the Hooghly on 28 January 1808 after receiving news of Anglo-Danish hostilities. Denmark later sold its remaining mainland Indian colonies to Britain in 1845 and the Danish Gold Coast to Britain in 1850. The Danish Asiatic Company is therefore remembered as a historical trading institution rather than a surviving consumer brand or operating corporation. Its former Copenhagen premises are now used by Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Danish Asiatic Company was founded in Copenhagen on 20 April 1730, shortly after the Danish East India Company was dissolved in 1729. Its creation reflected an attempt by leading Copenhagen merchants to preserve Denmark-Norway’s involvement in Asian commerce. Two separate merchant associations had formed around the Indian and Chinese trades; combining them produced a larger organization capable of financing voyages, maintaining ships, managing overseas contacts, and seeking royal privileges. The company’s early commercial ambition centered on Qing China. Its first voyage was marked by the loss of Den gyldne Løve, which sank off Ballyheigue on the outward journey while carrying silver. Local parties and landowners became involved in a salvage dispute, and the cargo was eventually taken by local inhabitants who overcame the Danish guard. The incident created diplomatic tension between Denmark-Norway and Great Britain. Despite this failure, the company soon established a functioning China trade. Cron Printz Christian returned from Canton in 1732 on the first successful expedition associated with the new company. A royal license granted in 1732 gave the company a 40-year monopoly over Danish trade east of the Cape of Good Hope. The charter positioned it as the central Danish institution for trade with India, China, and other Asian markets. Its voyages were expensive and hazardous, requiring ships capable of carrying valuable cargoes over long distances and defending themselves against maritime threats. The fleet included vessels inherited from the former Danish East India Company, ships acquired from the navy or private owners, and new ships built in Danish yards. Many were armed merchantmen whose names commemorated the Danish monarchy. The company’s activity was substantial. Before 1750 it dispatched 27 ships, with 22 returning to Copenhagen. Its commercial model depended on sending silver and European goods to Asian markets and bringing back valuable products such as tea, porcelain, textiles, and other commodities. The company also formed part of a broader Danish imperial system involving Tranquebar and other Danish possessions in India. Its Copenhagen headquarters at Asiatisk Plads became closely associated with Denmark’s Asian trade and later gave the location its enduring name. The monopoly system was altered in 1772, when the company lost its privileged position and was taken over by the Danish government. Danish India became a crown colony in 1779, further shifting the relationship between private commerce and state administration. Although the company’s operations and associated Danish trade continued into the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, its position was increasingly exposed to European power politics. The Napoleonic Wars caused serious disruption. Britain attacked Copenhagen in 1801 and again in 1807; the latter attack resulted in the capture of most of the Danish navy. After Anglo-Danish hostilities reached the colonial sphere, British authorities in India impounded seven Danish merchant ships in the Hooghly on 28 January 1808. These events damaged Denmark’s ability to protect and sustain long-distance commerce. Denmark eventually sold its remaining mainland Indian colonies to Britain in 1845 and its Gold Coast possessions in 1850. The former company premises at Asiatisk Plads are now occupied by Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Danish Asiatic Company is consequently a historical chartered trading enterprise whose importance lies in the development of Danish overseas commerce, shipping, and colonial administration rather than in any continuing brand operation.

• 1808

  Danish merchantmen are impounded in India

  [1]Danish Asiatic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  British colonial authorities seized seven Danish merchant ships in the Hooghly after the outbreak of Anglo-Danish hostilities.

• 1779

  Danish India becomes a crown colony

  [1]Danish Asiatic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Danish India was converted into a crown colony, strengthening direct state involvement in the remaining Danish Indian possessions.

• 1772

  Monopoly ends and government takeover begins

  [1]Danish Asiatic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company lost its monopoly and was taken over by the Danish government.

• 1750

  Twenty-seven voyages recorded before 1750

  [1]Danish Asiatic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company had sent 27 ships to Asia before 1750, with 22 completing the return voyage to Copenhagen.

• 1732

  Royal monopoly and first successful Canton voyage

  [1]Danish Asiatic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company received a 40-year monopoly over Danish trade east of the Cape of Good Hope, while Cron Printz Christian returned from Canton after the company’s first successful expedition.

• 1730

  Danish Asiatic Company is founded

  [1]Danish Asiatic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Merchant societies focused on Indian and Chinese trade merged in Copenhagen on 20 April.

• 1729

  Danish East India Company is dissolved

  [1]Danish Asiatic Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The dissolution created the commercial opening that led Copenhagen merchants to establish a successor institution for Asian trade.

A state-chartered, monopoly-backed Danish-Norwegian vehicle for Asian maritime trade during the eighteenth century.

• International maritime trade · 1730

  China trade

  The company’s best-known commercial activity was long-distance trade with Qing China, particularly Canton. Ships carried silver and European goods eastward and returned with Asian merchandise, including tea, porcelain, textiles, and other products. The trade required substantial investment, lengthy voyages, armed vessels, and coordination with overseas trading and administrative networks.

• International maritime trade · 1730

  Indian and East Indies trade

  The company was formed partly to revive Danish commerce with India and operated within the wider Danish East Indies system. Its charter covered trade east of the Cape of Good Hope, linking Danish merchants and ships with Indian and other Asian markets. This activity was connected to Danish possessions and commercial establishments in India, including Tranquebar.

• Maritime transport · 1732

  Armed merchant shipping

  The company operated a large fleet of merchant vessels, including ships inherited from the former Danish East India Company, vessels acquired from the navy or private owners, and ships built in Danish dockyards. Many were armed trading ships designed to transport high-value cargoes and survive the security risks of intercontinental routes.

• 1772

  Transition from monopoly company to government controlStrategy

  Background

  The company’s 40-year monopoly had reached its end and the Danish state sought greater control over Asian commercial interests.

  Action taken

  The monopoly was withdrawn and the company was taken over by the Danish government.

  Aftermath

  The change reduced the company’s independent chartered role and preceded the conversion of Danish India into a crown colony in 1779.

  Source

• 1732

  Accept a royal monopoly over Asian tradeStrategy

  Background

  Long-distance Asian trade required protection, privileged access, and a framework for concentrating capital and shipping resources.

  Action taken

  The company accepted a royal license granting it a 40-year monopoly over Danish trade east of the Cape of Good Hope.

  Aftermath

  The charter established the company as the dominant Danish commercial intermediary for trade with India, China, and other Asian markets until the monopoly ended in 1772.

  Source

• 1730

  Merge Indian- and China-trade merchant societiesStrategy

  Background

  The dissolution of the Danish East India Company left Danish-Norwegian merchants without the former corporate vehicle for Asian commerce.

  Action taken

  Merchant societies focused on India and China were combined to create a larger company able to finance and administer Asian voyages.

  Aftermath

  The merger produced the institution that became Denmark’s principal chartered Asian trading company.

  Source

1. 1Danish Asiatic Companyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Royal Danish Naval Museum ship databasesnatmus.dk