Why did Europeans build Cape Coast Castle?

Cape Coast Castle is a European-built fortress situated on the central coastline of Ghana. Since its initial construction in 1652, the Castle served as a trading post for European nations and as the headquarters of British colonial administration for the Gold Coast Colony.

What is the largest castle in Ghana?

Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle is the largest of the buildings which contains the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Which castle was first built in Ghana?

Elmina Castle
In 1482, the Portuguese built St. George’s Castle (Elmina Castle). This vast rectangular 97,000sq ft fortification is the earliest known European structure in the tropics.

Why were the castles built along the coast of Ghana?

Cape Coast Castle Perhaps Ghana’s most famous castle, Cape Coast, was originally built by the Swedes for trade in timber and gold before being used in the transatlantic slave trade. This is where the Africans passed through the ‘gate of no return’ before being sent to the Caribbean or the Americas.

Who built Osu castle?

The castle’s origins can be traced to a lodge built by Swedes in 1652. Nine years later, the Danish built a fort on the site and called it Fort Christiansborg (“Christian’s Fortress”), named after the King of Denmark, Christian IV. Over time, the fort was enlarged and converted into a castle.

What are the importance of forts and castles in Ghana?

Criterion (vi): The Castles and Forts of Ghana shaped not only Ghana’s history but that of the world over four centuries as the focus of first the gold trade and then the slave trade. They are a significant and emotive symbol of European-African encounters and of the starting point of the African Diaspora.

Who built Osu Castle?

Why are castles important?

Castles could serve as a centre for local government, administration and justice. They were also used by powerful lords to display their wealth and power through lavish architectural styles and decoration. Castles were not only built and used by the crown.

How many castle are in Ghana?

The UNESCO has documented 32 forts and castles along Ghana’s coast as World Heritage Sites.

Who built fort James?

the Royal African Company of England
It was built by the Royal African Company of England (RAC) as a trading post for both gold and slaves in 1673, where it joined the Dutch Fort Crêvecœur (1649), and the Danish Fort Christiansborg (1652) along the coast of the then Gold Coast.

How many castles are in Ghana?

What are the importance of forts and castles?

The castles and forts constituted for more than four centuries a kind of ‘shopping street’ of West Africa to which traders of Europe’s most important maritime nations came to exchange their goods for those of African traders, some of whom came from very far in the interior.

Why were castles so important in European history?

The importance of the castle in European history, and not just military history, is impossible to overstate. The castle functioned as noble or royal residence, seat of government, defensive fortification, base of offensive operations, place of refuge, and tool of oppression.

What are the advantages of a concentric castle?

At a glance: advantages of concentric castles. Many different layers created many different obstacles: attackers needed to penetrate at least two walls, and often pass through a heavily-defended gatehouse and barbican. A higher, inner wall was a vantage point for archers, firing at the enemy.

Why study the economics of castles and warfare?

Studying the economics of castles and warfare can also tell us a lot about the time. It is a truism to describe a period as “complex” or “controversial,” but it is hard to think of one that deserves these terms more than the Middle Ages.

Why did castles have higher walls?

A higher, inner wall was a vantage point for archers, firing at the enemy Lookout points had a better view across the surrounding countryside – this was because of the symmetrical shape. This meant you needed less men to defend a castle, because you needed less people to act as look-outs.