This article deals with the decline of Portuguese commerce on the Gold Coast after the takeover of the Portuguese castle of Elmina by Dutch forces in 1637. The article addresses the following questions: the gold trade, the rise of European commerce on the Gold Coast, the growth of the slave trade, and the revival of Portuguese commerce in the end of the seventeenth century. It demonstrates that following the end of the commercial semi-monopoly that the Portuguese held before 1637, the Gold Coast underwent a process of commercial internationalization. The activities of several European commercial companies did not alter commercial structures that had been established by the Portuguese in the pre-1637 period. While the coastal trade was controlled by the Europeans, the internal routes of the gold and slave trades were controlled by Africans. To establish themselves on the coast, Europeans had to sign accords with African rulers. The revival of Portuguese trade took place in the end of the seventeenth century in a context that differed radically from conditions during the height of Portuguese trade. Without access to forts and fortresses that provided the basis for trade by the British, the Dutch and other European nations, captains of Portuguese ships established agreements with the British (so that they could have protection against the Dutch) and imported goods from Brazil, such as tobacco and gold, which were in high demand locally.
gold trade; slave trade; forts and castles