ABSTRACT
In the 1640s the Dutch West India Company (WIC) consolidated its presence on the western coast of Africa.1 It had managed to build up long-term trade relations with the local rulers of Accra and Cape Coast in present-day Ghana. In 1650 a new company appeared on the coast, namely the Swedish Africa Company (SAC). This company would challenge Dutch-African relations and, especially in the Cape Coast area, the Swedes managed to establish themselves alongside the Dutch. However, in 1658 a new power appeared. This time it was the Danes who were looking for a share of the lucrative trade. All three rivals aimed to firmly establish themselves as the leader in the trade in goods and slaves.2 Astonishingly, between 1640 and 1660 these competing organisations had something else in common. They all employed the same individual, a Rostock-born entrepreneur called Henrich Carloff, to manage their trade in Africa.3
