Rectifying the Image of Frederik C. C. Købke Throughout the years stubs and articles have been written about Frederik Koebke, the first Dane to serve as Consul of Denmark in Thailand. The problem is, that the newer ones tend to build on the older ones - adding a bit of flavour here and a dash of spice there. We therefore get a picture of the Consul as ‘the black sheep’ of his family. This was certainly not the case.
Constantin Hansen (famous for ’The Constituent Assembly 1489’) who was a brother in law of Frederik Koebke, must have painted this portrait while Frederik was on home leave in 1865 -A young man full of life and courage.
Captain and Consul Frederik Carl Christian Koebke, 1837 - 1881
By Flemming Winther Nielsen
I
n ‘The Danish Geographical Journal, Vol. 1 1877’, there is an article about Siam, modern written and without all the usual prejudices of that time. It starts: “When I landed in Bangkok, I immediately went to where all Danes go when they arrive, knowing that they will be well received; namely to our fellow countryman Consul Købke. He has been living in Siam for 18 years and has been Danish Consul for ten, he is a loyal friend of all his countrymen, and it is undoubtedly because of him that we are more numerous here than all other Europeans combined” The author? Young Andreas Richelieu, 23 years, Lieutenant Captain in the King of Siam’s Navy, later Commander in Chief and Vice Admiral. Throughout the years stubs and articles have been written about Frederik Koebke. The problem is, that the newer ones tend to build on the words from the older ones - adding a bit of flavor here and a dash of spice there but no references; therefore we get a picture of the Consul as ‘the black sheep’ of his family - which was certainly not the case. This article will concentrate on facts, mostly taken from original
documents, such as the fragile Consulate protocol, stored in the cellars of The National Archives in Copenhagen. Hence, since ScandAsia Magazine is an open www source, we can expect future writings and articles to be more balanced. But no doubt, Frederik Carl Christian Koebke was a man of a big caliber who liked to do things in style. In the year 1878 for example, two elephants, Eng and Chang, knocked the gate of the newly opened Copenhagen Zoo; a gift from the Consul and his then 76 years old mother, widow and ship-owner Mette Marie Koebke, born Bruun, of the strong willed and sharp minded Bruun dynasty in Fredericia. Frederik Carl Christian Koebke was born in Fredericia in 1837 and had his childhood there, in the straight and right angled streets behind the ramparts; a planned and neat town of defense, indeed a contrast to the chaotic and dirty mangrove town, just waterways and a big kraal, but maybe that’s why he liked it. Frederiks father N.C. Koebke was Lieutenant-Colonel of the Engineers, he died in 1849. His mother Mette Marie, born in 1798 died as late as 1888 in Copenhagen. The Bruun family owned the biggest general store in Fredericia, warehouses, a small fleet of tall-ships sailing on
Kiel and Lubeck, a tobacco factory and later a cloth factory in Bruunshaab near Viborg. Among the more spectacular assets can be mentioned three churches near Fredericia, one of them, Egeskov, functioned as the family burial place. Still, a little brick laid family ‘Teahouse’ is there to be seen. Frederik went sailing in an early age; Richelieu and many others did the same. It was the way out for those boys who couldn’t sit still, but not necessarily black sheep at all. We next meet him in Bangkok, 22 years old and first mate on a British schooner. It is noted that he should have failed in getting Danish Navigation Certificate; maybe so, but I suppose he then passed British examinations, that was common and most likely, since for example Lloyd’s of London would not insure ships and cargo sailed by non-qualified crew. So he then registered to Consul Mason in the newly opened Danish Consulate 26.07. 1860. King Mongkut, Rama IV, opened Siam up in 1855. Before that, the country had been as closed as Japan and also isolated up there by the bottom of the Siam bay, far from the trading routes. The king made a trade and friendship treaty with Great Britain that year, allowing for-
eigners to settle and establish businesses. In 1858 a similar treaty was made between Siam and Denmark. Koebke was one of the first to settle down, more followed and immediately after the Danish defeat to the Prussians in 1864, Danish ship-owners and captains from the lost provinces, for example from Aabenraa, Soenderborg and Flensborg relocated and made Bangkok their base and registered at the consulate. The establishment of a Consulate was a must. The treaties stated that the home countries should continue to carry the jurisdiction over their subjects. Siam had no judges and no courts; in principle it was up to the sovereign to negotiate disputes and decide the faith of people, often misdeeds were met with draconic punishment such as beheading. The Consul therefore had real authority; he was a judge, marriage registrar and policeman, settled disputes between the Danes, between Danes and other parties, foreign or local. The rulings were to be followed, he could fine his countrymen, eventually deport them home. Furthermore the consulate registered arrivals and departures, birth and deaths, marriages and other private affairs. The most important commercial task was maybe
April 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17