Jacob Kettler (Duke of Courland)
Duke who had a small Baltic duchy establish colonies in the Americas and Africa.
Life
Travels in Western Europe
Jacob was Duke of the Duchy of Courland (in present-day western Latvia). As a young man he traveled in Western Europe, studying Dutch commerce and shipbuilding. After succeeding to the throne in 1642 he pursued mercantilism, establishing ironworks, shipyards, textile workshops and other enterprises, and built up a merchant fleet and a navy.
Mercantilism
In 1651 he established an outpost on an island at the mouth of the Gambia River in West Africa, and in 1654 a colony on Tobago in the Caribbean Sea, making Courland one of the smallest colonial powers in Europe.
Colonies
In 1658 the Swedish army invaded and he was held captive for two years, during which the colonies fell into the hands of the Dutch and the English. He died in 1682.
Legacy
The era of Duke Jacob was Courland's most prosperous, and his ventures remain a favorite topic of history for Latvians today.
Did you know? To this day there is a place on Tobago called "Great Courland Bay."
Key dates
- 1642Succeeded as Duke of Courland
- 1651Established a post in Gambia
- 1654Founded a colony on Tobago
- 1658Captured by Sweden
- 1682Died