Andreas Andræ

Andreas Andræ
15th Governor of Tranquebar
In office
1701
MonarchFrederick IV
Preceded byClaus Vogdt
Succeeded byMikkel Knudsen Crone
1st Governor of Dannemarksnagore
In office
1698–1699
MonarchsChristian V
Frederick IV
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byThomas Schmertz
Personal details
BornUnknown
Denmark–Norway
Died1701
Tranquebar, Danish India
ProfessionSurgeon

Andreas Andræ[a] (alternatively spelled Andrae and Andreæ; d. 1701) was a Danish surgeon, administrator, and brief governor of Dannemarksnagore and Tranquebar before his death in 1701.

Andræ led the negotiations of the Dano-Mughal Treaty, which concluded the Dano-Mughal War.

Career

Andreas Andræ came to Danish Tranquebar in 1691 as overmester (surgeon on a ship) in the Danish East India Company's service.[1][2] He soon proved himself useful in both mercantile and diplomatic regards[2] and was already promoted to chief surgeon (obberchirurg) on 6 April 1691.[1] In 1692, he became head of the hospital in Tranquebar, and in 1694, he became a member of the privy council (secrete råd). Andræ showed great administrative and commercial abilities and was subsequently, in 1695, chosen as head of a squadron by Governor Claus Vogdt.[1] The squadron was sent to the Malabar Coast to bolster Danish trade in the region,[2] and Andræ returned the same year after establishing a pepper clearing house near Varkala in Oddeway Torre[3] (Danish corruption of Edava).[4]

Dano-Mughal Treaty

Main article: Dano-Mughal Treaty

In 1698, Andræ, accompanied by Thomas Schmertz, was sent to Bengal to negotiate a treaty with the Mughal Empire, which had been at war with Denmark since 1642.[5] Here, Andræ managed to conclude a treaty with the Bengali governor, Mohammed Ajumadi, after which both sides renounced their demands for previously seized ships,[5] and the Danes got their previous trading rights back.[6] Andræ also made a gift to the prince in the form of 15,000 rupees and four cannons.[5]

Furthermore, Andræ negotiated the lease of a piece of land at Gondalpara for 30,000 rupees to be paid over a ten-year period.[5][7] Here, the Danes established a factory,[5][1][8] which was supplied by salesmen, guards, and goods.[9] This became known as Dannemarksnagore,[5] which would achieve some significance during a short subsequent period.[9]

Andræ returned to Tranquebar on the vessel Christianus Quintus after five months in Bengal, leaving Thomas Schmertz as overhoved of the colony.[1] In Tranquebar, Andræ became sekonde (second-in-command) of the privy council and was installed as Governor of Tranquebar on 25 June 1701, following Claus Vogdt's death.[1][2] However, Andræ died a few months after and was succeeded by Mikkel Knudsen Crone.[2]

Personal life

Andræ had a wife and children, who returned to Denmark on the vessel Cronprintzen af Danmark, following Andræ's death.[1]

During his stay in Bengal, Andræ was gifted a white horse by the Prince of Bengal, which passed over to Mikkel Knudsen Crone and later Governor Jørgen Bjørn after Andræ's death.[1]

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ Danish pronunciation: [ɑndʁɛ:as ɑndʁɛ:]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Larsen 1940, p. 38.
  2. ^ a b c d e Larsen 1907, p. 55.
  3. ^ Snodgrass 2012.
  4. ^ Kamalakaran, Ajay (2020-12-10). "When the Danes set up shop on the Malabar Coast". onmanorama.com. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Wellen 2015, p. 459.
  6. ^ Bastrup 1919, p. 521.
  7. ^ Diller 1999, p. 221.
  8. ^ Diller 1999.
  9. ^ a b Larsen 1907, p. 54.

Works cited

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