The East India Trading Co.

The East India Trading company was a English company that was formed under Queen Elizabeth I. in order to exploit trade with primarily with East/Southeast Asia (specifically India and China). Mechants of Portugal and Spain had created a monopoly over the India Spice trade which England was pining to get their hands on. With England's defeat of the Spanish armada in 1588, they were able to fully monopolize the Indian Spice Trade for themselves. England henceforth began trading in imports such as indigo, cotton, silk, saltpeter, tea, and even slaves. The practice of trading slaves using the East India Trading Co. started in about 1620 and the majority of people exported for the English Slave trade came from East Africa (places like Mozambique and Madagascar). These slaves were transported to English territories in India, Indonesia, as well as the island of St. Helena.

The East India Trading Company created an English trading monopoly that acted as an agent in favor of English Imperialism (again primarily in India). The elite who help shares within the East India Trading Company were able to purchase and sway votes within the monopoly giving them ultimate power over English territories and English Trade. Due to the gain in power, the East India Trading Company was able to build extensive control and influence for its shareholders which made the British Government wary.  The Editors of the Encyclopedia of Britannica quote the end of the East India Trading Co as follows: "[t]he Regulating act (1773) And the India Act of (1784) established government control of political policy. The company's commercial policy was broken in 1813, and from 1834 it was merely a managing agency for the British Government of India."

(Could not add associated places so they were areas in India, East/Southeast China, Northeast Africa, Portugal, and Europe - primarily England).

Citation:

"East India Company." Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 6 Dec, 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/East-India-Company

Associated Place(s)

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The end of the month Winter 1600 to The start of the month Summer 1874

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