The Danish claim to sovereignty over Greenland did not disappear with the Norsemen in the 15th century. Danish efforts to reestablish contact with the island intensified during the 1700s, when religious motivation played a significant role. Denmark’s control over Greenland tightened considerably and a process of colonization began. Many Danes moved to Greenland, and in 1775 the island was officially proclaimed a Danish colony. However, it was not until the 1930s that Denmark’s sovereignty over the island was recognized completely by international law