CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
EN/FR
Search
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

List of former German colonies

Wikimedia list article

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 29, 2026
Entity authorityQ15499554 ↗
Source-derived summary

This is a list of former German colonies owned by states of Germany:

Holy Roman Empire and German Confederation

Brandenburg-Prussia

Groß Friedrichsburg (in Ghana), 1683–1718

Arguin (in Mauritania), 1685–1721

Duchy of Courland

Curlander Gambia 1651–1660, 1660–1661

St.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “List of former German colonies” as wikimedia list article. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around List, former and German.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1683, 1718, 1685, 1721—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with List, former and German providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “List of former German colonies”, the useful work is to connect “wikimedia list article” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q15499554. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1683, 1718, 1685 and 1721.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “List of former German colonies”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow List of former German colonies primary sources, List of former German colonies archive and List research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “List of former German colonies”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “List of former German colonies” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.