On 8 November 1639, Willem Leyel leaves Denmark as commander of the ship 'Christianshavn'. This title presents the story of Willem Leyel that builds primarily on his own records. It protrays a different piece of Danish history, of the conditions in Tranque

On November 8, 1639, Willem Leyel left Denmark as commander of the ship Christianshavn. He was bound for the Danish colony of Tranquebar with its fortress Dansborg where he was to take charge of all trading operations of the first Danish East India Company. The voyage, however, became a seemingly endless nightmare of difficulties and disasters. When Leyel finally reached Tranquebar almost four years later, he found the fortress in a state of complete disrepair, with the former governor having run off with everything of value. But despite having only a few men in his service, hardly any...