Fort SAO JORGE da MINA

The first European fort in Ghana was Fort Sao Jorge da Mina (Elmina), established by the Portuguese in 1482 in Elmina, with which they were in trade, called by them Aldeia das Duas Partes. The first stone of this Castle was laid on 21 January 1482 under the supervision of the Portuguese Captain Diogo de Azambuja that was at the head of a military expedition of 600 Portuguese. This fort was the headquarters of the Portuguese in Ghana from its foundation to the Dutch conquest in 1637. The government of this castle was esteemed to be, at the beginning of XVI century, one of the most important positions in the Portuguese empire. During the Portuguese time the garrison of the fortress consisted of a Governor with his staff of ten peoples, a factor or feitor with a staff of four men, two clerks, an apothecary, a surgeon, a smith, a cooper, an overseer of provisions, some stonemasons, some carpenters, two or four priests and about 20-60 soldiers. In 1486 to Sao Jorge was granted the status of city, and a wall was built around the African town. From the first trading contacts the villagers of Aldeia das Duas Partes, developed a kind of Portuguese Creole which made easier the relationship between the Africans and the Portuguese, this language continued to be used till XVIII century. In 1503 on the slopes of a hill near the castle was built a small chapel dedicated to Santiago, this chapel was used till 1596 when the building was dismantled. Elmina Castle, was very important for trade purpose, particularly in the trade of gold, ivory, sugar, wax, pepper, hides, and enslaved human beings. Since the beginning of the Portuguese installation at Sao Jorge, they established business relations with the adjoining Africans states (Akan, Wassaw, Commany, Efutu) to increase the trade. The Portuguese power in the Gold Coast, never went beyond the coast line, they built in 1503 the fort of Santo Antonio de Axim, intermittently maintained a trading post at Shama and in 1576 a short lived fortress at Accra. On 7 September 1606 the Dutch made the first attempt to capture Sao Jorge; about 600 Dutch soldiers disembarked at Moure and later they marched against Sao Jorge, the Portuguese Governor Dom Cristovao de Melo with his troops made a successful ambush and after two hours of fighting the Dutch were in retreat. In the meantime a small Dutch detachment had marched towards Axim, here also, after a fight the Dutch beat a retreat. In December 1606 and January 1607, the Dutch made repeated assaults on Sao Jorge, but finally in January 1607 they gave up. In 1615 a violent earthquake damaged the fortress walls and a bastion collapsed. This precipitated three unsuccessful Dutch attacks against Elmina. In 1625, a Dutch squadron of 15 ships, 1,200 soldiers and 150 African allies, anchored near Elmina with the aim of subduing the Portuguese fort. Garrisoned by only 56 Portuguese men under the Governor Dom Francisco Sotomaior, and assisted by a number of African allies, a showdown was in the making. In October Portugal survived an intense battle thanks to their African allies.