XVᵉ siècle – XVIᵉ siècle
Akan forest and Gold Coast
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Elmina was a Portuguese coastal trading center established near the goldfields of the Akan forest. The Portuguese reached its site in 1471 and founded the fort São Jorge da Mina about a decade later. Elmina became a major outlet for West African gold, receiving supplies through interconnected Mande-Dyula and Diakhanke commercial routes. During the sixteenth century, English, French, and Dutch ships challenged Portugal’s long-standing monopoly over trade with Guinea.
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Le récit
The Portuguese reached the site of Elmina in 1471, close to the goldfields of the Akan forest. A decade later they established the fort São Jorge da Mina, later known as Elmina. Its position near the source region enabled Portuguese merchants to obtain large quantities of gold on the coast, changing the direction of some commerce that had previously moved north toward the Middle Niger and the Maghrib.
Elmina was not isolated from inland commercial systems. Mande-Dyula and Diakhanke merchants connected the Gambia with the coastal center, and traders who had formerly gone to Elmina could instead exchange gold at Cantor. The resulting interconnection of routes demonstrates that Atlantic commerce depended on established African merchant networks rather than replacing them immediately.
For about half a century after 1482, roughly a dozen ships visited Elmina each year and carried more than 400 kilograms of gold annually to Lisbon. In the second half of the sixteenth century, Portuguese supplies to Lisbon declined as English, French, and Dutch ships frequented Elmina. Competition weakened Portugal’s century-old monopoly while allowing merchants from several European nations to obtain increasing quantities of gold at the site.
XVᵉ siècle – XVIᵉ siècle
Akan forest and Gold Coast
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Elmina was a Portuguese coastal trading center established near the goldfields of the Akan forest. The Portuguese reached its site in 1471 and founded the fort São Jorge da Mina about a decade later. Elmina became a major outlet for West African gold, receiving supplies through interconnected Mande-Dyula and Diakhanke commercial routes. During the sixteenth century, English, French, and Dutch ships challenged Portugal’s long-standing monopoly over trade with Guinea.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The Portuguese reached the site of Elmina in 1471, close to the goldfields of the Akan forest. A decade later they established the fort São Jorge da Mina, later known as Elmina. Its position near the source region enabled Portuguese merchants to obtain large quantities of gold on the coast, changing the direction of some commerce that had previously moved north toward the Middle Niger and the Maghrib.
Elmina was not isolated from inland commercial systems. Mande-Dyula and Diakhanke merchants connected the Gambia with the coastal center, and traders who had formerly gone to Elmina could instead exchange gold at Cantor. The resulting interconnection of routes demonstrates that Atlantic commerce depended on established African merchant networks rather than replacing them immediately.
For about half a century after 1482, roughly a dozen ships visited Elmina each year and carried more than 400 kilograms of gold annually to Lisbon. In the second half of the sixteenth century, Portuguese supplies to Lisbon declined as English, French, and Dutch ships frequented Elmina. Competition weakened Portugal’s century-old monopoly while allowing merchants from several European nations to obtain increasing quantities of gold at the site.