Danish Colonial Empire

The Danish colonial empire (Danish: danske kolonier) denotes the colonies that Denmark (or Denmark-Norway until 1814) possessed from 1536 until c. 1945. At its apex the colonial empire spanned three continents and had reached an area of around 3,000,000 square kilometres (1,158,306 sq mi) in 1800. The period of colonial expansion marked a rise in the status of Denmark and power unseen since the Viking Age.

In 1536, Denmark entered into a personal union with Norway and took possession of the Norwegian holdings of Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland. Orkney and Shetland, then held by Scotland, had originally been ruled by Norway until the 15th century, and several later attempts were made to retake them.

In the 17th century, following territorial losses on the Scandinavian Peninsula, Denmark-Norway began to develop colonies, forts, and trading posts in Africa, the Caribbean, and India. After 1814, when Norway was granted to Sweden following the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark retained the colonial holdings. Christian IV first initiated the policy of expanding Denmark's overseas trade, as part of the mercantilist wave that was sweeping Europe. Denmark's first colony was established at Tranquebar (Trankebar) on India's southern coast in 1620. Admiral Ove Gjedde led the expedition that established the colony.

Today, the only remaining vestiges of this empire are the Faroe Islands and Greenland; the Faroes were a Danish county until 1948, while Greenland's colonial status ceased in 1953. They are now autonomous countries of the Kingdom of Denmark with home rule, in a relationship referred to as the "Danish Realm".