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{{Era|Organizations}}
{{Era|Organizations}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Faction infobox
{{Faction infobox
|name = East India Company
|name = East India Company
|image = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).png
|image = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).png
|headquarters = [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
|founder = *"The Adventurers" by {{Wiki|royal charter}}
*{{Wiki|Thomas Smythe}}, first Governor
|headquarters = {{Wiki|East India House}}, [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
|locations = [[India]]<br>[[British Empire]]<br>[[Thirteen Colonies]]
|related = [[British Empire]]<br />[[Templars]]
|related = [[British Empire]]<br />[[Templars]]
*[[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Rite]]
*[[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Rite]]
|formed = 31 December 1600
|active = 31 December 1600 1 June 1874
|collapsed = 1 June 1874
}}
|hidea = yes}}
The '''East India Company''', also known as '''Honourable East India Company'''<ref name="ACCI Database">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[Database: East India Company]]</ref> or '''British India Company''',<ref name="ACS Database">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Database: British India Company (BIC)]]</ref> was a [[United Kingdom|British]] trading enterprise that delivered goods and commodities to several ports throughout the [[British Empire]], and a major naval force during the [[Age of Enlightenment]] and the [[Golden Age of Piracy]]. 
The '''East India Company''', also known as '''Honourable East India Company'''<ref name="ACCI Database">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[Database: East India Company]]</ref> or '''British India Company'''<ref name="ACS Database">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – [[Database: British India Company (BIC)]]</ref>, was a [[United Kingdom|British]] trading enterprise that delivered goods and commodities to several ports throughout the [[British Empire]], and a major naval force during the {{Wiki|Age of Enlightenment}} and the [[Golden Age of Piracy]]. 


==History==
==History==
===Early history===
The company, originally chartered as the '''Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies''', was founded in 1600, through a Royal Charter by Queen [[Elizabeth I of England]].<ref name="ACCI Database" /> Throughout its history, the company held a tight monopoly on trade throughout most of the coastlines of the known world, and established a massive trading network that spanned from [[India]] and [[China]] in the east to the [[Caribbean Sea]] and the [[United States|Thirteen Colonies]] in the west. The company owned over 1700 [[ships]], creating the largest and most powerful [[Merchants|merchant]] navy of all time.<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref>
The company, originally chartered as the '''Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies''', was founded in 1600, through a Royal Charter by Queen [[Elizabeth I of England]].<ref name="ACCI Database" /> Throughout its history, the company held a tight monopoly on trade throughout most of the coastlines of the known world, and established a massive trading network that spanned from [[India]] and [[China]] in the east to the [[Caribbean Sea]] and the [[United States|Thirteen Colonies]] in the west. The company owned over 1700 [[ships]], creating the largest and most powerful [[Merchants|merchant]] navy of all time.<ref name="AC4">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref>


Secretly, however, the business was used on several occasions by members of the [[Templars|Templar Order]], in their efforts to spread their influence throughout the ever-growing empire. As of 1713, Sir [[Aubrey Hague]] was an executive of the company, and [[Benjamin Pritchard]] was a captain sailing for the company until his death that year; both men had been Templars. <ref name="AC4N">''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]''</ref> Additionally, [[Duncan Walpole]] had been in the employ of the company, before a fellow sailor approached and recruited him into the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]].<ref name="AC4"/> Later, Duncan Walpole was persuaded by [[Henry Spencer]], a Templar and a member of the East India Company's Court of Directors, to betray the Assassins and join the Templar Order.<ref name="ACMN">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization]]''</ref>
Secretly, however, the business was used on several occasions by members of the [[Templars|Templar Order]], in their efforts to spread their influence throughout the ever-growing empire. As of 1713, Sir [[Aubrey Hague]] was an executive of the company, and [[Benjamin Pritchard]] was a captain sailing for the company until his death that year; both men had been Templars. <ref name="AC4N">''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]''</ref>


Around 1748, the East India Company was in danger of facing resistance from the {{Wiki|Kingdom of Mysore}} and the Assassins in the area. [[John Harrison]], who was stationed in {{Wiki|Calcutta}}, wrote a letter to [[William Johnson]] asking for aid in dealing with the Assassins stationed in area and help the Company to prosper.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]</ref>
Additionally, [[Duncan Walpole]] had been in the employ of the company, before a fellow sailor approached and recruited him into the [[Assassins|Assassin Brotherhood]].<ref name="AC4"/> Later, Walpole was persuaded by [[Henry Spencer]], a Templar and a member of the East India Company's Court of Directors, to betray the Assassins and join the Templar Order.<ref name="ACMN">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization]]''</ref>


Several years after, in 1773, the company was being used by [[William Johnson]] to fund the sale of [[Kanien'kehá:ka]] territory in colonial America. The company was the only business able to import tea to the city of [[Boston]], where it was taxed at alarming prices before the profits would go to Johnson. However, the intervention of the [[Sons of Liberty]], as well as that of the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Assassin]] [[Ratonhnhaké:ton|Connor]], sparked the [[Boston Tea Party]] and saw the remainder of the unsold tea dumped into Boston's harbor, foiling Johnson's plan.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed III]]''</ref>
===Operations in Southeast Asia===
By the 1720s, the company had become engaged in a proxy war with the rival [[Dutch East India Company]], resulting in political tensions between the British and the [[Netherlands|Dutch]]. This was especially true around [[Southeast Asia]], where many Dutch sailors blamed the British for the deaths of their comrades at sea and would not hesitate to attack any Englishman on sight.<ref name="FT 2">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 2|Episode 2]]</ref>


In 1839, after the Templar [[Francis Cotton]] successfully [[Poison|poisoned]], [[Ranjit Singh]], Maharaja of the [[Sikh Empire]], the resulting confusion following the ruler's death allowed the company to launch the {{Wiki|Anglo-Sikh wars}}, which ultimately resulted in the annexation of India by the British.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Brahman]]''</ref>
In late 1724, an East India Company ship sailing from the {{Wiki|South China Sea}} to the [[Caribbean]] was intercepted by the [[West Indies Brotherhood of Assassins|West Indies Assassins]], who recovered a document mentioning the lost [[Khmer Empire|Khmer]] city of [[Angkor]], rumored to be an [[Isu]] [[Temple (Isu)|site]]. The Brotherhood subsequently contacted [[Edward Kenway]], who agreed to conduct an investigation and recover any [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]] hidden in Angkor.<ref name="FT 2"/>


Beginning in 1842, the senior Templar [[William Sleeman]] of the same company, organized expeditions with the [[Koh-i-Noor]] and [[Precursor box]], in which it was assumed that by bringing together the two [[Pieces of Eden]] would reveal the location of the following pieces, but the Assassin [[Arbaaz Mir]] stopped him, retrieving the [[Koh-i-Noor]] minus the box.<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India''</ref>
[[File:ACFT - Jackdaw battle.png|thumb|150px|left|An East India Company ship under attack by the ''Jackdaw'']]
In January 1725, a [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Templar]] working for the East India Company was killed in the Caribbean by the Assassin [[Adéwalé]]. As he died, the Templar revealed that the document previously acquired by the Brotherhood was in fact a trap, meant to lure Edward to his doom. Adéwalé consequently contacted the [[British Brotherhood of Assassins|British Assassins]] to warn them about the conspiracy, so that they could hopefully thwart it.<ref name="FT 93">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 93|Episode 93]]</ref>


{{Wiki|The Crown}} eventually took control of the company's powers and assets in 1858.<ref name="ACCI Database" /> In 1868, the company wanted to crush once and for all the independence of [[India]], with the help of Templars led by [[Brinley Ellsworth]], but the twins Assassins [[Jacob Frye|Jacob]] and [[Evie Frye]] with his ex-friend [[Duleep Singh]] thwarted his plan, leaving the Templar to leave.<ref name="TLM">''Assassin's Creed: Syndicate'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]''</ref>
That same year, the Templars used the East India Company to conduct their own search for Angkor. On the orders of [[Alan Jacob]], the [[Far East Company]]'s representative in [[Macau]]<ref name="FT 13">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 13|Episode 13]]</ref> and a Templar [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] operating in Southeast Asia,<ref name="FT 106">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 106|Episode 106]]</ref> the company organized an expedition to {{Wiki|Mainland Southeast Asia|Indochina}} to find Angkor,<ref name="FT 24">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 24|Episode 24]]</ref> and had several ships tail Edward Kenway and the members of his [[Zhawang Corporation|Zhang Wei Union]].<ref name="FT 96">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 96|Episode 96]]</ref>
 
Furthermore, the Templar [[John Young]] acted as a spy for the company and befriended Edward while accompanying him on his journey. Following Edward's retrieval of a [[Lantern (Piece of Eden)|Piece of Eden]] from [[Yangon]], [[Myanmar|Burma]], John revealed his true allegiance when he betrayed Edward and stole the artifact, hoping it could be used to resurrect his fiancée, [[Xialun Qing]]. After John delivered the Piece of Eden to Alan, their fleet set sail for Angkor to recover the [[Lotus disk|artifact]] housed there.<ref name="FT 106" />
 
===American Revolution===
Around 1748, the East India Company was in danger of facing resistance from the {{Wiki|Kingdom of Mysore}} and the Assassins in the area. [[John Harrison]], who was stationed in [[Calcutta]], wrote a letter to fellow Templar [[William Johnson]] asking for aid in dealing with the Assassins stationed in the area and to help the company prosper.<ref name="War Letters">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "The Kingdom of Mysore"</ref>
 
Several years later, in 1773, the company was being used by Johnson to fund the sale of [[Kanien'kehá:ka]] territory in colonial America. The company was the only business able to import tea to the city of [[Boston]], where it was taxed at alarming prices before the profits would go to Johnson.<ref name="On Johnson's Trail">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[On Johnson's Trail]]</ref> However, the intervention of the [[Sons of Liberty]], as well as that of the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Assassin]] [[Ratonhnhaké:ton|Connor]], sparked the [[Boston Tea Party]] and saw the remainder of the unsold tea dumped into Boston's harbor, foiling Johnson's plan.<ref name="The Tea Party">''[[Assassin's Creed III]]'' – [[The Tea Party]]</ref>
 
===Victorian era===
In 1839, after the Templar [[Francis Cotton]] successfully [[poison]]ed [[Ranjit Singh]], the Maharaja of the [[Sikh Empire]], the resulting confusion following the ruler's death allowed the company to launch the {{Wiki|First Anglo-Sikh War}} in 1845 and the {{Wiki|Second Anglo-Sikh War}} in 1848, which ultimately resulted in the annexation of India by the British.<ref name="Brahman">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brahman]]''</ref>
 
[[File:ACCI What Lies Beneath (4).jpg|thumb|250px|William Sleeman and company soldiers confronting Arbaaz]]
Following Cotton's death in 1839, the senior Templar [[William Sleeman]] of the same company was placed in charge of Templar operations in India, and organized several expeditions to find Isu [[Temple (Isu)|Temples]], hoping to retrieve the Pieces of Eden housed within.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[Database: William Sleeman]]</ref> After stealing the [[Koh-i-Noor]] from the [[Indian Brotherhood of Assassins|Indian Assassins]],<ref name="The Absent Handler">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[The Absent Handler]]</ref> Sleeman used it in conjuction with a [[Precursor box]] to reveal the locations of several Temples.<ref name="The Enemy Revealed">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[The Enemy Revealed]]</ref> However, his plans were foiled by the Assassin [[Arbaaz Mir]], who managed to steal back the Koh-i-Noor and hide it away.<ref name="The Rescue">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]'' – [[The Rescue (India)|The Rescue]]</ref>
 
{{Wiki|The Crown}} eventually took control of the East India Company's powers and assets in 1858.<ref name="ACCI Database" /> In 1868, the company sought to crush the independence of [[India]], with the assistance of Templars led by [[Brinley Ellsworth]]. Their efforts included plotting the assassination of the last Sikh Maharaja, [[Duleep Singh]];<ref name="A Good Shot">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' – [[A Good Shot]]</ref> [[smuggling]] large amounts of stolen [[Punjab]]i [[gold]] into London;<ref name="Stealing from the Poor>''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' – [[Stealing from the Poor]]</ref><ref name="A Golden Path">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' – [[A Golden Path]]</ref> and attempting to sabotage India and the British Empire's diplomatic relations by framing Singh for the theft of the Koh-i-Noor.<ref name="Great Jewel Heist">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' – [[The Great Jewel Heist]]</ref> However, all of these plans were thwarted by the Assassins [[Jacob Frye|Jacob]] and [[Evie Frye]], while Singh was inspired to fight for India's independence even harder than before.<ref name="The Final Showdown">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]'' – [[The Final Showdown]]</ref>
 
By 1874, the East India Company had become virtually powerless and obsolete, and it was officially dissolved under the terms of the {{Wiki|East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act 1873|East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act}}, which saw the Crown assume its governmental functions and command of its military.<ref>{{WP|East India Company}}</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<tabber>
ACCI DB East India Company Rifleman.jpg|East India Company Rifleman
|-|Military=
ACCI DB East India Company Sniper.jpg|East India Company Sniper
<gallery position="center" widths="180" captionalign="center">
ACCI DB East India Company Corporal.jpg|East India Company Corporal
ACC India DB EIC Rifleman.png|East India Company Rifleman
ACCI DB East India Company Highlander.jpg|East India Company Highlander
ACC India DB EIC Sniper.png|East India Company [[Sniper]]
ACCI DB East India Company Lieutenant.jpg|East India Company Lieutenant
ACC India DB EIC Corporal.png|East India Company Corporal
ACCI DB East India Company Sepoy.jpg|East India Company Sepoy
ACC India DB EIC Highlander.png|East India Company Highlander
ACCI DB East India Company Lance Corporal.jpg|East India Company Lance Corporal
ACC India DB EIC Lieutenant.png|East India Company [[Officer|Lieutenant]]
ACCI DB East India Company Sergeant.jpg|East India Company Sergeant
ACC India DB EIC Sepoy.png|East India Company [[Sepoy]]
ACCI DB East India Company.jpg|East India Company Building
ACC India DB EIC Lance Corporal.png|East India Company Lance Corporal
ACS DB British India Company.jpg|Members of East India Company during [[Victorian era]]
ACC India DB EIC Sergeant.png|East India Company Sergeant
</gallery>
|-|Navy=
<gallery position="center" widths="180" captionalign="center">
ACFT - East India Company ship.png|An East India Company ship
ACFT - Company Man O' War.png|An East India Company Man O' War
ACFT - Company frigates.png|East India Company frigates
</gallery>
|-|Other=
<gallery position="center" widths="180" captionalign="center">
ACS DB British India Company.jpg|East India Company members during the [[Victorian era]]
ACC India DB East India Company.png|East India Company building
</gallery>
</gallery>
</tabber>


==Appearances==
==Appearances==
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*''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]''


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Scroll box|content={{Reflist}}}}
{{Templars nav}}
{{ACBM}}
{{ACS}}
{{ACC}}
{{ACC}}
{{ACNovelization}}
{{ACfilm}}
[[zh:东印度公司]]
{{ACFT}}
<!--[zh:东印度公司]-->
[[Category:Companies]]
[[Category:Military forces]]
[[Category:Navies]]
[[Category:Navies]]
[[Category:Companies, corporations and businesses]]
[[Category:Templar-affiliated groups]]
[[Category:Templar-affiliated groups]]

Latest revision as of 13:47, 13 May 2026

The East India Company, also known as Honourable East India Company[1] or British India Company,[2] was a British trading enterprise that delivered goods and commodities to several ports throughout the British Empire, and a major naval force during the Age of Enlightenment and the Golden Age of Piracy

History[edit | edit source]

Early history[edit | edit source]

The company, originally chartered as the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies, was founded in 1600, through a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I of England.[1] Throughout its history, the company held a tight monopoly on trade throughout most of the coastlines of the known world, and established a massive trading network that spanned from India and China in the east to the Caribbean Sea and the Thirteen Colonies in the west. The company owned over 1700 ships, creating the largest and most powerful merchant navy of all time.[3]

Secretly, however, the business was used on several occasions by members of the Templar Order, in their efforts to spread their influence throughout the ever-growing empire. As of 1713, Sir Aubrey Hague was an executive of the company, and Benjamin Pritchard was a captain sailing for the company until his death that year; both men had been Templars. [4]

Additionally, Duncan Walpole had been in the employ of the company, before a fellow sailor approached and recruited him into the Assassin Brotherhood.[3] Later, Walpole was persuaded by Henry Spencer, a Templar and a member of the East India Company's Court of Directors, to betray the Assassins and join the Templar Order.[5]

Operations in Southeast Asia[edit | edit source]

By the 1720s, the company had become engaged in a proxy war with the rival Dutch East India Company, resulting in political tensions between the British and the Dutch. This was especially true around Southeast Asia, where many Dutch sailors blamed the British for the deaths of their comrades at sea and would not hesitate to attack any Englishman on sight.[6]

In late 1724, an East India Company ship sailing from the South China Sea to the Caribbean was intercepted by the West Indies Assassins, who recovered a document mentioning the lost Khmer city of Angkor, rumored to be an Isu site. The Brotherhood subsequently contacted Edward Kenway, who agreed to conduct an investigation and recover any Pieces of Eden hidden in Angkor.[6]

An East India Company ship under attack by the Jackdaw

In January 1725, a British Templar working for the East India Company was killed in the Caribbean by the Assassin Adéwalé. As he died, the Templar revealed that the document previously acquired by the Brotherhood was in fact a trap, meant to lure Edward to his doom. Adéwalé consequently contacted the British Assassins to warn them about the conspiracy, so that they could hopefully thwart it.[7]

That same year, the Templars used the East India Company to conduct their own search for Angkor. On the orders of Alan Jacob, the Far East Company's representative in Macau[8] and a Templar Grand Master operating in Southeast Asia,[9] the company organized an expedition to Indochina to find Angkor,[10] and had several ships tail Edward Kenway and the members of his Zhang Wei Union.[11]

Furthermore, the Templar John Young acted as a spy for the company and befriended Edward while accompanying him on his journey. Following Edward's retrieval of a Piece of Eden from Yangon, Burma, John revealed his true allegiance when he betrayed Edward and stole the artifact, hoping it could be used to resurrect his fiancée, Xialun Qing. After John delivered the Piece of Eden to Alan, their fleet set sail for Angkor to recover the artifact housed there.[9]

American Revolution[edit | edit source]

Around 1748, the East India Company was in danger of facing resistance from the Kingdom of Mysore and the Assassins in the area. John Harrison, who was stationed in Calcutta, wrote a letter to fellow Templar William Johnson asking for aid in dealing with the Assassins stationed in the area and to help the company prosper.[12]

Several years later, in 1773, the company was being used by Johnson to fund the sale of Kanien'kehá:ka territory in colonial America. The company was the only business able to import tea to the city of Boston, where it was taxed at alarming prices before the profits would go to Johnson.[13] However, the intervention of the Sons of Liberty, as well as that of the Colonial Assassin Connor, sparked the Boston Tea Party and saw the remainder of the unsold tea dumped into Boston's harbor, foiling Johnson's plan.[14]

Victorian era[edit | edit source]

In 1839, after the Templar Francis Cotton successfully poisoned Ranjit Singh, the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, the resulting confusion following the ruler's death allowed the company to launch the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1845 and the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1848, which ultimately resulted in the annexation of India by the British.[15]

William Sleeman and company soldiers confronting Arbaaz

Following Cotton's death in 1839, the senior Templar William Sleeman of the same company was placed in charge of Templar operations in India, and organized several expeditions to find Isu Temples, hoping to retrieve the Pieces of Eden housed within.[16] After stealing the Koh-i-Noor from the Indian Assassins,[17] Sleeman used it in conjuction with a Precursor box to reveal the locations of several Temples.[18] However, his plans were foiled by the Assassin Arbaaz Mir, who managed to steal back the Koh-i-Noor and hide it away.[19]

The Crown eventually took control of the East India Company's powers and assets in 1858.[1] In 1868, the company sought to crush the independence of India, with the assistance of Templars led by Brinley Ellsworth. Their efforts included plotting the assassination of the last Sikh Maharaja, Duleep Singh;[20] smuggling large amounts of stolen Punjabi gold into London;[21][22] and attempting to sabotage India and the British Empire's diplomatic relations by framing Singh for the theft of the Koh-i-Noor.[23] However, all of these plans were thwarted by the Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye, while Singh was inspired to fight for India's independence even harder than before.[24]

By 1874, the East India Company had become virtually powerless and obsolete, and it was officially dissolved under the terms of the East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act, which saw the Crown assume its governmental functions and command of its military.[25]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]