East India Company
British trading giant
The East India Company was a British trading corporation that dominated commerce between Europe and Asia from 1600 to 1874.
Originally chartered for spice trade, it grew into a governing power, effectively ruling India through its own army and administration until the British crown assumed direct control after 1857.
The term sometimes refers generically to similar European ventures—Dutch, French, Danish—that operated in the same era.
The East India Company's monopoly on tea imports sparked the Boston Tea Party.
Aromatic food flavorings
- teaSteeped leaf beverage
- silkFine woven insect fiber
- opiumNarcotic from scored seedpods
- indigoPlant-derived blue dye
porcelain · cotton · saltpeter · textiles · trading post · mercantilism · commerce · import
Imperial rule over India
- subjugationForcing into submission
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- annexationAbsorbing territory into jurisdiction
- occupationOne's regular paid work
settlement · native · governance · administration · viceroy · raj · protectorate · expansion
Owners of company stock
- directorsThose who lead organizations
- dividendsProfits paid to shareholders
- joint-stockShared corporate ownership structure
- incorporatedLegally formed as company
profit · revenue · headquarters · stockholders · enterprise · investment · capital · board
Founding organizational document
- exclusive rightsProtected singular ownership claims
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- concessionYielding a point
- licenseFormal grant of permission
market control · price setting · trading rights · regulation · restriction · cartel · market power · supply chain
spices
Aromatic food flavorings
indigo · porcelain · cotton · saltpeter · textiles · trading post · mercantilism · commerce · import · export
British Raj
Imperial rule over India
- subjugationForcing into submission
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- annexationAbsorbing territory into jurisdiction
occupation · settlement · native · governance · administration · viceroy · raj · protectorate · expansion · territory
shareholders
Owners of company stock
- directorsThose who lead organizations
- dividendsProfits paid to shareholders
- joint-stockShared corporate ownership structure
incorporated · profit · revenue · headquarters · stockholders · enterprise · investment · capital · board · management
charter
Founding organizational document
- exclusive rightsProtected singular ownership claims
- privilegeExclusive right or benefit
- concessionYielding a point
license · market control · price setting · trading rights · regulation · restriction · cartel · market power · supply chain · competition
dissolution
Breaking up completely
- Dutch merchantsdiamond traders
- Trading CompaniesVOC
- Defunct BrandsPan Am, Enron, Woolworth's, Circuit City, RadioShack
- Pirates of the CaribbeanJack Sparrow, Davy Jones, Will Turner, Flying Dutchman, Kraken
- British EmpireCanada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore
- colonial historycolonization, colonies, pilgrims, Jamestown, Plymouth
East India Companynation-state
Sovereign political territory
British Parliament · Mughal Empire · self-rule · constitutional democracy · republic
East India Companyindigenous sovereignty
Native peoples' self-governance rights
East India Companyfree trade
Unrestricted international exchange
fair trade · local artisans · cottage industry · cooperative · guild system
company, east, eastern, India, Indian, eastward, easterly, northeastern, southeastern