05/07/2024
A Tamil Boy's Escape to Freedom in 18th Century Denmark
In the 17th century, the Danish established a trading post in the village of Tranquebar on Tamil Nadu’s Coromandel Coast. This post supplied servants to Danish aristocrats. It was a frigid winter evening in 1713 when Queen Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel's court dwarf, Frøken Elsebe, broke into a cold sweat. The queen seemed captivated by the newcomer, a bad omen for Elsebe's future. The man, named Timotheus, stood with a nonchalant air, his dark skin glowing under the chandelier. He hailed from India, a Tamil from Tarangambadi, presented by a member of the “Dänisch-Hallesche Mission.”
Timotheus was not the first Tamil in Denmark. Frøken Elsebe was aware of the small Tamil community in Copenhagen, brought in as slave servants. Known as Morianer, these servants came from Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Unlike the others, Timotheus was not a domestic servant. The queen, intrigued by him, decided she wanted him for herself.
Tranquebar, once called Tarangambadi, was an important center during the Chola Empire. The Cholas ruled from the first century BCE to the second century CE, reemerging in the ninth century to establish a vast empire. After their defeat, the Vijayanagar Empire took over, with a viceroy (Nayak) in Tanjavur. It was Nayak King Raghunatha who, in 1620, signed a treaty with the Danish, allowing them to set up a trading post in Tarangambadi.
The Danish traded diamonds, spices, silk, and gold, also trafficking enslaved persons. They transported domestic servants to Denmark and Norway, establishing a Tamil slave community in Denmark. Timotheus, however, was brought for a different reason. King Frederick IV established a Lutheran mission in Tranquebar in 1704, following earlier Portuguese Jesuit conversions in Nagapattinam. Timotheus was among the first converted Tamil boys brought to Denmark for missionary training.
Queen Charlotte’s desire for Timotheus was not unusual; it was common for European royalty to possess exotic servants. The practice was seen as part of the spirit of the times. Tamil parents often sold their children into servitude, and the Church justified buying them to provide a better life. Thus, Timotheus found himself in Denmark.
Destined to be a missionary, Timotheus escaped the queen's clutches, though how remains unknown. Within a year, he fell in love with Sahra, a Tamil slave working for a Danish priest. Despite societal disapproval, Timotheus pursued his studies and was sent to Halle, Germany, for further training. There, he learned German and prepared two missionary candidates for Tranquebar.
Timotheus was also trained as a bookbinder, completing his apprenticeship in 1717. He returned to Tranquebar, not without Sahra, whom he married. The couple found work at the mission in Tranquebar, escaping the oppressive life in Denmark.
The story of Tamil servants in Denmark is one of survival and resilience. Though most were slaves, a few like Timotheus stood out. Another notable figure was Sennapa Naik, who stowed away on a Danish ship in 1795 to lodge a complaint against a cruel governor. After six years in Denmark, he returned to South Africa. His fate remains a mystery.
Timotheus's journey from Tranquebar to Denmark and back is a tale of courage and determination. Despite the odds, he carved out a life of freedom and love, leaving a legacy of hope for those who followed.
