Sklavenkasse facts for kids
The Sklavenkasse was a special fund. It was like a travel and ransom insurance. This fund helped European sailors. They were captured by Barbary Pirates. These pirates operated in the Mediterranean Sea. They also sailed off the coasts of Western Europe. The captured sailors were often sold into slavery. The Sklavenkasse paid money to free them. Several cities in northern Germany had their own funds. These funds existed until the mid-1800s.
The first Sklavenkasse funds started in the 1600s. They were set up by cities in the Hanseatic League. In 1725, sailors and shipowners in nearby Denmark-Norway had to pay into a similar fund. How much they paid depended on their rank and how much they earned.
Hamburg Slave Fund
The city of Hamburg started its Sklavenkasse in 1624. The Hamburg Admiralty, which managed the city's port, created it. All sailors leaving Hamburg had to pay into the fund. The amount they paid depended on their job on the ship. The fund also got money from church collections. People also gave private donations.
The idea for Hamburg's fund came from an earlier one. That fund was set up two years before. But it was only for naval officers. The payments were too expensive for regular crew members. So, the general Sklavenkasse was created. Its payments were based on rank and income. This was an early form of social insurance. It helped many people.
Between 1719 and 1747, the fund paid a lot of money. It paid 1.8 million "Mark Banco" to free 633 sailors. One Mark Banco was about 0.305 grams of silver. This means the average cost to free one sailor was about 867.3 grams of silver.
Lübeck Slave Fund
The city of Lübeck started its Sklavenkasse in 1627. It began helping sailors on May 8, 1629. This fund also lasted until the mid-1800s. Lübeck's ships stopped sailing directly to the Mediterranean Sea. Because of this, the fund had a lot of extra money from the 1700s onwards.
The last ransom payment from Lübeck's fund was in 1805. The money left in the fund was used for other things. For example, it helped pay the Sound Dues in 1857. It also helped fund the city's customs office. Lübeck's Sklavenkasse officially closed on July 24, 1861. This happened when the city joined the German Customs Union.
See also
- Kidnap and ransom insurance
- Travel insurance
- Protection and indemnity insurance
- Slave insurance in the United States
- North African slave narratives
