Andreas Andræ
Andreas Andræ was a Danish surgeon, administrator, and brief governor of Dannemarksnagore and Tranquebar before his death in 1701.
Andræ led the negotiations of the Dano-Mughal Treaty, which concluded the Dano-Mughal War.
Career
Andreas Andræ came to Danish Tranquebar in 1691 as in the Danish East India Company's service. He soon proved himself useful in both mercantile and diplomatic regards and was already promoted to chief surgeon on 6 April 1691. In 1692, he became head of the hospital in Tranquebar, and in 1694, he became a member of the privy council. Andræ showed great administrative and commercial abilities and was subsequently, in 1695, chosen as head of a squadron by Governor Claus Vogdt. The squadron was sent to the Malabar Coast to bolster Danish trade in the region, and Andræ returned the same year after establishing a pepper clearing house near Varkala in Oddeway Torre.Dano-Mughal Treaty
In 1698, Andræ, accompanied by Thomas Schmertz, was sent to Bengal to negotiate a treaty with the Mughal Empire, which had been at war with Denmark since 1642. Here, Andræ managed to conclude a treaty with the Bengali governor, Mohammed Ajumadi, after which both sides renounced their demands for previously seized ships, and the Danes got their previous trading rights back. Andræ also made a gift to the prince in the form of 15,000 rupees and four cannons.Furthermore, Andræ negotiated the lease of a piece of land at Gondalpara for 30,000 rupees to be paid over a ten-year period. Here, the Danes established a factory, which was supplied by salesmen, guards, and goods. This became known as Dannemarksnagore, which would achieve some significance during a short subsequent period.
Andræ returned to Tranquebar on the vessel Christianus Quintus after five months in Bengal, leaving Thomas Schmertz as overhoved of the colony. In Tranquebar, Andræ became of the privy council and was installed as Governor of Tranquebar on 25 June 1701, following Claus Vogdt's death. However, Andræ died a few months after and was succeeded by Mikkel Knudsen Crone.
Personal life
Andræ had a wife and children, who returned to Denmark on the vessel Cronprintzen af Danmark, following Andræ's death.During his stay in Bengal, Andræ was gifted a white horse by the Prince of Bengal, which passed over to Mikkel Knudsen Crone and later Governor Jørgen Bjørn after Andræ's death.