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Curonian colonisation was thecolonisation efforts of theDuchy of Courland and Semigallia (today part ofLatvia), a vassal duchy of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Small, but wealthy, the Duchy took a modest part in the European colonization settlement attempts ofWest Africa and theCaribbean.
LikeBrandenburg, which had far larger German colonising power before the formation of theGerman Empire, the Duchy of Courland had a European crusading past. The colonies were established underJacob, Duke of Courland and Semigallia, and were one of the two Curonian colonies. The second colony wasGambia River in Africa. During his reign (1642–1682), the Duchy established trading relations with all of the major European powers.
Jacob established one of the largest merchant fleets in Europe, with its main harbours inWindau (today Ventspils), andLibau (today Liepāja). His fleet made voyages to theWest Indies as early as 1637 when the settlersestablished the first colony onTobago. The first colony was a failure, but it was refounded in 1639.
In 1651, Courland and Semigallia leased a colony in Africa onSt. Andrew's Island in theGambia River from theKingdom of Niumi[1] and went on to build Fort Jakob on the island.[2] The Duchy also leased St. Mary Island (modern-dayBanjul) fromKombo andFort Jillifree from Niumi.[1] The Courland and Semigallia's colonies exportedsugar,tobacco,coffee,cotton,ginger,indigo,rum,cocoa,tortoise shells, as well as tropical birds and their much sought after feathers. In the end, the Duchy would manage to retain control of these lands for less than a decade and the colonies were formally ceded toEngland in 1664.
The colonies were lost when Courland and Semigallia's neighbours took advantage of its weakened defences during theNorthern Wars, when Jakob was held captive by theSwedish Army from 1658 to 1660. After the end of the war, the island of Tobago was returned to Courland. However, the Duchy ended up abandoning the island in 1666. In 1668, a Curonian ship attempted to reoccupy Fort Jacob but was driven off by the Dutch garrison stationed on the island. TheCourland Monument nearGreat Courland Bay commemorates the Duchy's settlements.
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