The Curonian colonization of the Americas was a bold but short-lived venture by the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, a vassal state of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, in present-day Latvia. Despite its small size and population of only 200,000, the Duchy, under the leadership of Duke Jacob Kettler, developed one of the largest merchant fleets in Europe. Influenced by mercantilist ideas, Duke Jacob aimed to expand trade and establish overseas colonies.
In 1637, Courland’s first attempt to settle the Caribbean island of Tobago failed due to blockades and attacks by Spanish forces. A second attempt in 1642 also faltered after conflicts with indigenous Carib tribes. Despite these setbacks, the Duchy redirected its colonial ambitions toward Africa, establishing Fort Jacob on St. Andrews Island in the Gambia River in 1651.
In 1654, the Curonians made a third attempt to colonize Tobago, founding a settlement called New Courland with a fort named Jacobus and a nearby town, Jacobsstadt. However, the colony soon faced competition from the Dutch, who established their own settlement on the island. Although the Curonian settlers managed to export goods like sugar, tobacco, and coffee, they remained overshadowed by the growing Dutch presence.
The colonization effort was further weakened during the Northern Wars (1655–1660), when Swedish forces invaded the Duchy of Courland and captured Duke Jacob. During his captivity, the Dutch surrounded and captured the Curonian fort on Tobago, forcing the colony’s surrender in 1659. Although the Treaty of Oliwa (1660) briefly restored Tobago to Courland, subsequent Spanish and Dutch opposition thwarted further attempts to reclaim it.
By 1680, the Duchy made a final, unsuccessful effort to re-establish the colony. Facing mounting European competition and internal decline, Courland permanently abandoned Tobago in 1690. The episode reflected Courland's ambition to punch above its weight in European geopolitics, but also marked the limits of Latvian colonial endeavors. Despite these setbacks, Duke Jacob’s maritime ambitions contributed to the Duchy’s brief economic prosperity and left a symbolic legacy, commemorated today by the Courland Monument on Tobago.
The Curonian colonization of the Americas remains a unique chapter in Latvian history, highlighting the region’s involvement in early global trade networks, even as it remained under foreign domination in Europe.