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58-664: Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as Castelo de São Jorge da Mina ( St. George of the Mine Castle ), also known as Castelo da Mina or simply Mina (or Feitoria da Mina ), in present-day Elmina , Ghana , formerly the Gold Coast . It was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea , and the oldest European building in existence south of the Sahara . First established as

116-430: A beam of 6 m and a displacement of around 60–75 tons. Towards the end of the 15th century, the Portuguese developed a larger version of the caravel, bearing a forecastle and sterncastle – though not as high as those of a carrack, which would have made it unweatherly – but most distinguishable for its square-rigged foremast , and three other masts bearing lateen rig. In this form it was referred to in Portuguese as

174-524: A common type of vessel in the coastal waters of the Iberian Peninsula in the fifteenth century. The caravel was the preferred vessel of Portuguese explorers like Diogo Cão , Bartolomeu Dias , Gaspar , and Miguel Corte-Real , and was also used by Spanish expeditions like those of Christopher Columbus . They were agile and easier to navigate than the barca and barinel , with a tonnage of 50 to 160 tons and 1 to 3 masts . Being smaller and having

232-590: A degree of protection for colonists and their allies from hostile Indians and foreign colonists. York Factory was founded by the chartered Hudson's Bay Company in 1697. It was headquarters of the company for a long time, and was once the de facto government in parts of North America such as Rupert's Land , before European-based colonies existed. It controlled the fur trade throughout much of British-controlled North America for several centuries, undertaking early exploration. Its traders and trappers forged early relationships with many groups of American Indians, and

290-557: A factory with warehouses. Usually these factories had larger warehouses to fit the products resulting from the increasing agricultural development of colonies, which were boosted in the New World by the Atlantic slave trade . In these factories, the products were checked, weighed, and packaged to prepare for the long sea voyage. In particular, spices, cocoa , tea , tobacco , coffee , sugar , porcelain , and fur were well protected against

348-535: A high length-to-beam ratio of around 3.5 to 1, and narrow ellipsoidal frame (unlike the circular frame of the nau ), making them very fast and maneuverable but with a limited cargo capacity. It was in such ships that Christopher Columbus set out on his expedition in 1492, while the Santa María was a small carrack of about 150 tons and served as the flagship, the Pinta and Niña were caravels of around 15–20 m with

406-589: A network of trading posts formed the nucleus for later official authority in many areas of Western Canada and the United States. The early coastal factory model contrasted with the system of the French, who established an extensive system of inland posts and sent traders to live among the tribes of the region. When war broke out in the 1680s between France and England, the two nations regularly sent expeditions to raid and capture each other's fur trading posts. In March 1686,

464-552: A result of meagre returns, the Guinea trade was put under the oversight of the Portuguese trader, Fernão Gomes . Upon reaching present-day Elmina, Gomes discovered a thriving gold trade already established among the natives and visiting Arab and Berber traders. He established his own trading post. It became known to the Portuguese as "A Mina" (the Mine) because of the gold that could be found there. Trade between Elmina and Portugal grew throughout

522-637: A season 6 episode of the FX series Snowfall were shot in Elmina Castle. The title of the episode, "Door of No Return", is a reference to the symbolic door that millions of Africans were pushed through when they entered a life of slavery through castles like this. Elmina Castle also featured prominently in the 2015 Danish film Guldkysten  [ dk ] (Gold Coast). Factory (trading post) The factories established by European states in Africa , Asia and

580-654: A series of legislation called the Indian Intercourse Acts . However, in practice, numerous tribes conceded extensive territory in exchange for the trading posts, as happened in the Treaty of Fort Clark in which the Osage Nation ceded most of Missouri at Fort Clark . A blacksmith was usually assigned to the factory to repair utensils and build or maintain plows. The factories frequently also had some sort of milling operation associated with them. The factories marked

638-573: A shallow keel , the caravel was suited for sailing shallow coastal waters and up rivers. With the Mediterranean-type lateen sails attached it was highly maneuverable in shallow waters, while with the square Atlantic-type sails attached it was very fast when crossing the open sea. Its economy, speed, and agility made it esteemed as the best sailing vessel of its time. Its main drawback was its limited capacity for cargo and crew but this did not hinder its success. The exploration done with caravels made

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696-403: A southern route to India so as to circumvent Arab traders and establish direct trade with Asia. In line with the strong religious sentiments of the time, another focus of the Portuguese was Christian proselytism . They also sought to form an alliance with the legendary Prester John , who was believed to be the leader of a great Christian nation somewhere far from Europe. These motives prompted

754-403: A state, meeting in a foreign place. These organizations sought to defend their common interests, mainly economic (as well as organized insurance and protection), enabling the maintenance of diplomatic and trade relations within the foreign state where they were set. The factories were established from 1356 onwards in the main trading centers, usually ports or central hubs that have prospered under

812-570: A trade settlement, the castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic slave trade . The Dutch seized the fort from the Portuguese in 1637, after an unsuccessful attempt in 1596, and took over all of the Portuguese Gold Coast in 1642. The slave trade continued under the Dutch until 1814. In 1872, the Dutch Gold Coast , including the fort, became a possession of

870-716: Is a major tourist attraction in Ghana. The people living along the West African coast at Elmina around the fifteenth century were presumably Fante , with an uncertain relationship to the modern Akan who came from north of the forests. Among their ancestors were merchants and miners who traded gold to the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds from medieval times. The people on the West African coast were organized into numerous populations that were drawn according to kinship lines. Family

928-506: The Americas from the 15th century onward also tended to be official political dependencies of those states. These have been seen, in retrospect, as the precursors of colonial expansion . A factory could serve simultaneously as market , warehouse , customs , defense and support to navigation and exploration , headquarters or de facto government of local communities. In North America , Europeans began to trade with Natives during

986-750: The Coromandel Coast in southern India, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Ambon in Indonesia, Fort Zeelandia in Taiwan, Canton in southern China, Dejima island in Japan (the only legal point of trade between Japan and the outside world during the Edo Period ), and Fort Orange in modern-day Upstate New York in the United States. The American factories often played a strategic role as well, sometimes operating as forts, providing

1044-603: The Latin : carabus or the Greek : κάραβος perhaps indicating some continuity of its carvel build through the ages. The earliest caravels in the thirteenth century were small and are believed to have been un-decked, carrying one mast with lateen sails, while later types were larger and had two or three masts and decks. Caravels such as the caravela tilhlda of the 15th century had an average length of between 12 and 18 m (39 and 59 ft), an average capacity of 50 to 60 tons,

1102-573: The Zamani Project documented Elmina Castle with terrestrial 3D laser scanning . The 3D model, a panorama tour, elevations, sections and plans of Elmina Castle are available on the project's website. The non-profit research group specialises in 3D digital documentation of tangible cultural heritage . The data generated by the Zamani Project creates a permanent record that can be used for research, education, restoration, and conservation. Scenes from

1160-595: The feitorias were sometimes licensed to private entrepreneurs, giving rise to some conflict between abusive private interests and local populations, such as in the Maldives . Other European powers began to establish factories in the 17th century along the trade routes explored by Portugal and Spain, first the Dutch and then the English . They went on to establish in conquered Portuguese feitorias and further enclaves, as they explored

1218-465: The navigation and customs and were governed by a feitor ("factor") responsible for managing the trade, buying and trading products on behalf of the king and collecting taxes (usually 20%). The first Portuguese feitoria overseas was established by Henry the Navigator in 1445 on the island of Arguin , off the coast of Mauritania. It was built to attract Muslim traders and monopolize the business in

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1276-498: The spice trade of the Portuguese and the Spanish possible. However, for the trade itself, the caravel was soon replaced by the larger carrack ( nau ), which could carry larger, more profitable cargoes. The caravel was one of the pinnacle ships in Iberian ship development from 1400 to 1600 . The English name caravel derives from the Portuguese caravela , which in turn may derive from

1334-545: The 15th and 16th centuries, in the Age of Discovery . The long development of the caravel was probably influenced by various Mediterranean tending or coastal craft. Among these influences might have been the boats known as qârib , that were introduced to the Islamic controlled parts of Iberia Al-Andalus from the Maghreb . The earliest caravels appeared in the thirteenth century along

1392-578: The 16th century. Colonists created factories, also known as trading posts , at which furs could be traded, in Native American territory. Although European colonialism traces its roots from the classical era , when Phoenicians , Greeks and Romans established colonies of settlement around the Mediterranean – "factories" were a unique institution born in medieval Europe. Originally, factories were organizations of European merchants from

1450-460: The African interior by the slave-catchers of coastal peoples, were sold to Portuguese, and later to Dutch traders in exchange for goods such as textiles and horses. In 1596, the Dutch made a first unsuccessful attempt at capturing the castle, succeeded by a successful one in 1637 , after which it was made the capital of the Dutch Gold Coast . During the period of Dutch control a new, smaller fortress

1508-457: The African middlemen. The population of Elmina swelled with traders from other towns hoping to trade with the Portuguese, who gradually established a West African monopoly. From the outset, the Portuguese authorities determined that São Jorge da Mina would not engage directly in the slave trade, as they did not wish to disrupt the gold mining and trade routes of its hinterland with the wars necessary to capture free people and enslave them. Instead,

1566-768: The East, among many other products. In the Indian Ocean, the trade in Portuguese factories was enforced and increased by a merchant ship licensing system: the cartazes . From the feitorias , the products went to the main outpost in Goa, then to Portugal where they were traded in the Casa da Índia , which also managed exports to India. There they were sold, or re-exported to the Royal Portuguese Factory in Antwerp , where they were distributed to

1624-549: The French sent a raiding party under Chevalier des Troyes over 1,300 km (810 mi) to capture the company's posts along James Bay . In 1697, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville , commander of the company's captured posts, defeated three ships of the Royal Navy in the Battle of the Bay on his way to capture York Factory by a ruse. York Factory changed hands several times in the next decade and

1682-477: The Hansa, inviting foreign merchants to join in. Because foreigners were not allowed to buy land in these cities, merchants joined around factories, like the Portuguese in their Bruges factory: the factor(s) and his officers rented the housing and warehouses, arbitrated trade, and even managed insurance funds, working both as an association and an embassy, even administering justice within the merchant community. During

1740-453: The Portuguese to develop the Guinea trade. They made gradual progress down the African coast, each voyage reaching a point further along than the last. This resulted in a series of trading posts along the route, where fresh water and food could be taken on board. After fifty years of coastal exploration, the Portuguese reached Elmina in 1471, during the reign of King Afonso V . Because Portuguese royalty had lost interest in African exploration as

1798-712: The Portuguese traded captives with several states/tribes, notably those of the Slave Coast (Benin) and São Tomé . This way, São Jorge da Mina served as a transshipment entrepôt. By the seventeenth century, most trade in West Africa concentrated on the sale of captives. São Jorge da Mina played a significant part in the West African slave trade . The castle acted as a depot where enslaved Africans were brought in from different Kingdoms in West Africa. The Africans, often captured in

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1856-527: The United Kingdom. The Gold Coast gained its independence as Ghana in 1957 from United Kingdom and now controls the castle. Elmina Castle is a historical site, and was a major filming location for Werner Herzog 's 1987 drama film Cobra Verde . The castle is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site , along with other castles and forts in Ghana , because of its testimony to the Atlantic slave trade. It

1914-475: The United States factories under the Superintendent of Indian Trade : Caravels The caravel ( Portuguese : caravela , IPA: [kɐɾɐˈvɛlɐ] ) is a small sailing ship that uses both lateen and square sails and was known for its agility and speed and its capacity for sailing windward ( beating ). Caravels were used by the Portuguese and Spanish for the voyages of exploration during

1972-662: The United States' attempt to continue a process originally pioneered by the French and then by the Spanish to officially license the fur trade in Upper Louisiana . Factories were frequently called " forts " and often had numerous unofficial names. Legislation was often passed calling for military garrisons at the fort but their de facto purpose was a trading post. In Canada, the Hudson's Bay Company created several factories, including: In

2030-537: The betraying nation's enemies. Hostility between groups increased, and the traditional organization of native societies suffered, especially after the Portuguese introduced them to fire-arms, which made the dominance of the stronger nations easier. Trade with the Europeans helped make certain goods, such as cloth and beads, more available to the coastal people. European involvement also disrupted traditional trade routes between coastal people and northern people by cutting out

2088-523: The coasts of Galicia and Portugal as single-masted fishing vessels. They were small, lightly built vessels of up to 20 tons at most, carrying, in one example, a crew of five men. Evidence suggests that these were open boats . They carried a single-masted, triangular lateen sail rig. By the fourteenth century, their size had increased and their use had spread; for instance, there is mention, in 1307, of larger caravels of up to 30 tons in Biscay . Caravels were

2146-563: The coasts of Africa, Arabia, India, and South East Asia in search of the source of the lucrative spice trade . Factories were then established by chartered companies such as the Dutch East India Company (VOC), founded in 1602, and the Dutch West India Company (WIC), founded in 1621. These factories provided for the exchange of products among European companies, local populations, and the colonies that often started as

2204-497: The command of Diogo de Azambuja , the fleet set sail on 12 December 1481 and arrived at Elmina, in a village called Of Two Parts a little over a month later, on 19 January 1482. Some historians note that Christopher Columbus was among those to make the voyage to the Gold Coast with this fleet. Upon arrival, Azambuja contracted a Portuguese trader, who had lived at Elmina for some time, to arrange and interpret an official meeting with

2262-512: The decade following the establishment of the trading post under Gomes. In 1481, the recently crowned João II decided to build a fort on the coast in order to ensure the protection of this trade, which was once again held as a royal monopoly. King João sent all of the materials needed to build the fort on ten caravels and two transport ships. The supplies, which included everything from heavy foundation stones to roof tiles, were sent, in pre-fitted form, along with provisions for six hundred men. Under

2320-434: The first Europeans to visit the Gold Coast as such, but not necessarily the first sailors to reach the port. The Portuguese first reached what became known as the Gold Coast in 1471. Prince Henry the Navigator first sent ships to explore the African coast in 1418. The Portuguese had several motives for voyaging south. They were attracted by rumours of fertile African lands that were rich in gold and ivory . They also sought

2378-510: The influence of the Hanseatic League and its guilds and kontors . The Hanseatic cities had their own law system and furnished their own protection and mutual aid. The Hanseatic League maintained factories, among others, in England ( Boston , King's Lynn ), Norway ( Tønsberg ), and Finland ( Åbo ). Later, cities like Bruges and Antwerp actively tried to take over the monopoly of trade from

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2436-549: The local chief, Kwamin Ansah, interpreted from the Portuguese, " Caramansa ". Azambuja told the chief of the great advantages in building a fort, including protection from the very powerful king of Portugal. During the meeting, Azambuja and Chief Kwamin Ansah both participated in a massive peace ritual that included a feast, musicians, and many participants, both Portuguese and native. Chief Kwamin Ansah, while accepting Azambuja, as he had any other Portuguese trader who arrived on his coast,

2494-492: The local people forged an attack that resulted in several Portuguese deaths. Finally, an understanding was reached. Continued opposition led the Portuguese to burn the local village in retaliation. Even in this tense atmosphere, the first story of the tower was completed after only twenty days. This was the result of having brought so much prefabricated building materials. The remainder of the fort and an accompanying church were completed soon afterwards, despite resistance. The fort

2552-442: The peninsula, the Portuguese had to demolish the homes of some of the villagers, who consented only after they had been compensated. The Portuguese tried to quarry a nearby rock that the people of Elmina, who were animists , believed to be the home of the god of the nearby River Benya. Prior to the demolition of the quarry and homes, Azambuja sent a Portuguese crew member, João Bernaldes with gifts to deliver to Chief Kwamin Ansah and

2610-426: The rest of Europe. Easily supplied and defended by sea, the factories worked as independent colonial bases. They provided safety, both for the Portuguese, and at times for the territories in which they were built, protecting against constant rivalries and piracy. They allowed Portugal to dominate trade in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, establishing a vast empire with scarce human and territorial resources. Over time,

2668-561: The richest possession of Bassein that went on to become the financial centre of India as Bombay (Mumbai) . They were mainly driven by the trade of gold and slaves on the coast of Guinea , spices in the Indian Ocean, and sugar cane in the New World. They were also used for local triangular trade between several territories, like Goa-Macau-Nagasaki, trading products such as sugar, pepper, coconut, timber, horses, grain, feathers from exotic Indonesian birds, precious stones, silks and porcelain from

2726-620: The routes traveled in North Africa. It served as a model for a chain of African feitorias , Elmina Castle being the most notorious. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, a chain of about 50 Portuguese forts either housed or protected feitorias along the coasts of West and East Africa, the Indian Ocean, China, Japan, and South America. The main factories of the Portuguese East Indies , were in Goa , Malacca , Ormuz , Ternate , Macao , and

2784-560: The salty sea air and against deterioration. The factor was present as the representative of the trading partners in all matters, reporting to the headquarters and being responsible for the products’ logistics (proper storage and shipping). Information took a long time to reach the company headquarters, and this was dependent on an absolute trust. Some Dutch factories were located in Cape Town in modern-day South Africa, Mocha in Yemen, Calicut and

2842-465: The southern edge of Mauritania. At the height of the gold trade in the early sixteenth century, 24,000 ounces of gold were exported annually from the Gold Coast, accounting for one-tenth of the world's supply. The new fort, signifying the permanent involvement of Europeans in West Africa, had a considerable effect on Africans living on the coast. At the urging of the Portuguese, Elmina declared itself an independent state, whose Governor then took control of

2900-491: The territorial and economic expansion of the Age of Discovery , the factory was adapted by the Portuguese and spread throughout from West Africa to Southeast Asia. The Portuguese feitorias were mostly fortified trading posts settled in coastal areas, built to centralize and thus dominate the local trade of products with the Portuguese kingdom (and thence to Europe). They served simultaneously as market , warehouse , support to

2958-420: The town's affairs. The people of Elmina were offered Portuguese protection against attacks from neighbouring coastal tribes, with whom the Portuguese had much less genial relations, even though they were friendly with the powerful trading nations in the African interior. If any locals attempted to trade with a nation other than Portugal, the Portuguese reacted with aggressive force, often by forming alliances with

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3016-413: The villagers. Azambuja sent brass basins, shawls, and other gifts in hopes of winning the goodwill of the villagers, so they would not be upset during the demolition of their homes and sacred rocks. However, João Bernaldes did not deliver the gifts until after construction began, by which time the villagers became upset upon witnessing the demolition without forewarning or compensation. In response to this,

3074-596: Was built on a nearby hill to protect St. George's Castle from inland attacks. This fort was called Fort Coenraadsburg . The Dutch continued the triangular Atlantic slave route until 1814, when they abolished the slave trade, pursuant to the Anglo-Dutch Slave Trade Treaty . In 1872, the British took over the Dutch territory and the fort pursuant to the Anglo-Dutch Sumatra treaties of 1871. The castle

3132-456: Was extensively restored by the Ghanaian government in the 1990s. Renovation of the castle continues. Today, Elmina's economy is sustained by tourism and fishing. Elmina Castle is preserved as a Ghanaian national museum. The monument was designated as a World Heritage Monument under UNESCO in 1979. It is a place of pilgrimage for many African Americans seeking to connect with their heritage. In 2006,

3190-507: Was extremely important in society, and family heads were united in communities under a recognized local authority. Along the Gold Coast alone, more than twenty independent kingdom-states existed. Elmina lay between two different Fante kingdoms, Fetu and Eguafo. West Africans nurtured ancient trade connections to other parts of the world. Common metals trade, iconic artistic forms, and agricultural borrowing show that trans-Saharan and regional coastal connections thrived. The Portuguese in 1471 were

3248-520: Was finally ceded permanently in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht . After the treaty, the Hudson Bay Company rebuilt York Factory as a brick star fort at the mouth of the nearby Hayes River , its present location. The United States government sanctioned a factory system from 1796 to 1822, with factories scattered through the mostly territorial portion of the country. The factories were officially intended to protect Indians from exploitation through

3306-475: Was the first prefabricated building of European origin to have been planned and executed in Sub-Saharan Africa . Upon its completion, Elmina was established as a proper city. Azambuja was named governor, and King João added the title "Lord of Guinea" to his noble titles. São Jorge da Mina took on the military and economic importance that had previously been held by the Portuguese factory at Arguim Island, on

3364-425: Was wary of a permanent settlement. However, with firm plans already in place, the Portuguese would not be deterred. After offering gifts, making promises, and hinting at the consequences of noncompliance, the Portuguese received Kwamin Ansah's reluctant agreement. When construction began the next morning, the chief's reluctance was proved to be well-founded. In order to build the fort in the most defensible position on

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