page_title: Elmina
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Elmina / History
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Gezicht op het fort en de rede van Elmina. Titel catalogus Leupe (NA): Afbeelding van het Kasteel d'Elmina en het fort St. Jago, benevens de gelande troepen en eene Vloot op de reede. [?] van n' gesigt. Op de wal is een gevecht gaande tussen gelande Nederlandse troepen en de Ghanezen. Het fort is nog in handen van de Portugezen. Het gaat hier wellicht om de expeditie van Jan Dirckszoon Lam in 1625. In 1637 zou het fort in Nederlandse handen vallen. Aan twee randen zijn stroken Japans papier geplakt. Notities verso: Afbeelding van het Kasteel d'Elmina en het fort St. Jago, benevens de gelande troepen en eene vloot op de reede [in potlood] / Hans Propheet, 1629 [in potlood] / 468 [met vette cijfers gestempeld op een etiketje]. Opmerkingen in de catalogus Leupe (NA): De vloot op de reede leggende, bestaat uit 19 schepen. Rechtsboven: Mc: sc[?] / Hans Propheet. Linksboven, rechtsonder twee keer: 771 [in potlood]. English: View of the fort and the roadstead at Elmina. Title in the Leupe catalogue (NA): Afbeelding van het Kasteel d'Elmina en het fort St. Jago, benevens de gelande troepen en eene Vloot op de reede. [?] van n' gesigt. On the shore Dutch troops who have landed are shown battling with Ghanaians. The fort is still in Portuguese hands. This may be a depiction of the expedition headed by Jan Dirckszoon Lam in 1625. In 1637 the fort was to fall into Dutch hands. Strips of Japanese paper have been pasted along the edges of the picture. Notes on reverse: Afbeelding van het Kasteel d'Elmina en het fort St. Jago, benevens de gelande troepen en eene vloot op de reede [in pencil] / Hans Propheet, 1629 [in pencil] / 468 [stamped in bold on a small label]. Notes in the Leupe catalogue (NA): De vloot op de reede leggende, bestaat uit 19 schepen. Top right: Mc: sc[?] / Hans Propheet. Top left and bottom right, twice: 771 [in pencil].
context_page_description: Elmina, also known as Edina by the local Fante, is a town and the capital of the Komenda/Edina/Eguafo/Abirem District on the south coast of Ghana in the Central Region, situated on a bay on the Atlantic Ocean, 12 kilometres west of Cape Coast. Elmina was the first European settlement in West Africa and it has a population of 33,576 people.
context_section_description: Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese, the town was called Anomansah ("perpetual" or "inexhaustable drink") from its position on the peninsula between the Benya lagoon and the sea.
  In 1478 (during the War of the Castilian Succession), a Castilian armada of 35 caravels and a Portuguese fleet fought a large naval battle near Elmina for the control of the Guinea trade (gold, slaves, ivory and melegueta pepper). The war ended with a Portuguese naval victory, followed by the official recognition by the Catholic Monarchs of Portuguese sovereignty over most of the West African territories in dispute embodied in the Treaty of Alcáçovas,1479. This was the first colonial war among European powers. Many more would come.
  The town grew around São Jorge da Mina Castle, built by the Portuguese Diogo de Azambuja in 1482 on the site of a town or village called Amankwakurom or Amankwa. It was Portugal's West African headquarters for trade and exploitation of African wealth. The original Portuguese interest was gold, with 8,000 ounces shipped to Lisbon from 1487 to 1489, 22,500 ounces from 1494 to 1496, and 26,000 ounces by the start of the sixteenth century.
  Later the port expanded to include tens of thousands of slaves channeled through the trading post of Elmina, ten to twelve thousand from 1500-35 alone.  By 1479, the Portuguese were transporting slaves from as far away as Benin, accounted for 10 percent of the trade in Elmina, and were used to clear land for tillage.
  The location of Elmina made it a significant site for reprovisioning ships headed south towards the Cape of Good Hope on their way to India. After years of Portuguese wealth on the Elmina Coast, the Dutch learned of the profitable activity taking place through Barent Eriksz of Medemblik, one of the oldest traders and Guinea Navigators. Erickzen received information about trading on the Elmina coast while he was a prisoner on Principe and consequently was a major resource to the Dutch in terms of providing geographical and trading information. The Dutch West India Company captured it in 1637; in subsequent centuries it was mostly used for the slave trade. The British attacked the city in 1782, but it remained in Dutch hands until 1872, when the Dutch Gold Coast was sold to the British. The king of Ashanti, claiming to be ground landlord, objected to its transfer, and the result was the third Anglo-Ashanti war of 1873–1874.
  Elmina is also home to Fort Coenraadsburg on St. Jago Hill, built by the Portuguese in 1555 under the name Forte de Santiago, it was used for commerce. In 1637 it was conquered and remained by the Dutch, after the conquest of Elmina's main castle. Today, Elmina's main economic industry is fishing, salt production and tourism. Also Elmina Castle very close to Cape Coast Castle both castles are notable for role in transatlantic slave trade Portuguese got there in 1481 and castle was finished in 3 years.
caption: Dutch troops on the shore who have landed are shown battling with Ghanaians to conquer Fort Elmina
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