The Swedish Consuls in North Africa 1770-1848: from Intercultural Diplomacy to Colonization

Based on a unique historical source material from the Swedish consulates in North Africa this project studies the Swedish consuls and their role in the process that led to the French occupation of Algeria in 1830 and the establishment of the French colony 1848. The Swedish involvement in the trans-Mediterranean slave trade is given a special attention.

The European consulates established in the Ottoman province cities of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli on the North African coast during the early modern era was a major factor in the Western colonial expansion, although this was met with fierce resistance by the cities of North Africa. During and after the Napoleonic Wars there were repeated attempts by European powers' side to conquer the area and to put an end to the raids of the corsairs. After a three-year war, which was designated as a struggle against the Islamic threat in the Mediterranean, Algeria was conquered in 1830 by French troops and converted 1848 to a French colony.

Today we have no knowledge of the Swedish consuls part in the political processes that led to the French occupation of Algeria, and neither on the role Sweden played in the trans-Mediterranean slave trade. This project aims to analyse the Swedish consuls in Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli during the period 1770-1848, their life and work. The purpose is to highlight the complex interplay of political, cultural and economic factors that characterized the environment in North Africa and the Mediterranean world. The ambiguity between discourse and practice, between ideological claim and socio-economic actuality is at the centre of this research project.