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{{Era|Organizations}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{Era|Organizations}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{Spoilerhd|18 May 2025|[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]}}
{{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
|founder =  
|founder = *"The Adventurers" by {{Wiki|royal charter}}
*"The Adventurers" by {{Wiki|royal charter}}
*{{Wiki|Thomas Smythe}}, first Governor
*{{Wiki|Thomas Smythe}}, first Governor
|headquarters = {{Wiki|East India House}}, [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
|headquarters = {{Wiki|East India House}}, [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
Line 15: Line 15:


==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>


By 1725, 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>[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|''Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple'']] - [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 2|Episode 2]]</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>


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 [[William Johnson]] asking for aid in dealing with the Assassins stationed in the area and to help the company prosper.<ref name=":0">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]</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>


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>
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"/>


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 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>


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 [[Piece of Eden|Pieces of Eden]] housed within. After stealing the [[Koh-i-Noor]] from the [[Indian Brotherhood of Assassins|Indian Assassin Brotherhood]], Sleeman used it in conjuction with a [[Precursor box]] to reveal the locations of several Temples. However, his plans were foiled by the Assassin [[Arbaaz Mir]], who managed to steal back the Koh-i-Noor and hide it away.<ref>''Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India''</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]], the company organized an expedition to {{Wiki|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>


{{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 the independence of [[India]], with the assistance of Templars led by [[Brinley Ellsworth]], but the Assassins [[Jacob Frye|Jacob]] and [[Evie Frye]] thwarted their plans with the help of Ellsworth's former friend, Maharaja [[Duleep Singh]].<ref name="TLM">''Assassin's Creed: Syndicate'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]''</ref>
===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 [[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]]</ref>
 
Several years later, in 1773, the company was being used by the Templar [[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.<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|Anglo-Sikh wars}}, 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. After stealing the [[Koh-i-Noor]] from the [[Indian Brotherhood of Assassins|Indian Assassins]], Sleeman used it in conjuction with a [[Precursor box]] to reveal the locations of several Temples. 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="ACCI">''[[Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India]]''</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 the independence of [[India]], with the assistance of Templars led by [[Brinley Ellsworth]], but the Assassins [[Jacob Frye|Jacob]] and [[Evie Frye]] thwarted their plans with the help of Ellsworth's former friend, Maharaja [[Duleep Singh]].<ref name="TLM">''[[Assassin's Creed: Syndicate]]'' – ''[[The Last Maharaja]]''</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
Line 42: Line 55:
ACC India DB EIC Sergeant.png|East India Company Sergeant
ACC India DB EIC Sergeant.png|East India Company Sergeant
ACC India DB East India Company.png|East India Company Building
ACC India DB East India Company.png|East India Company Building
ACS DB British India Company.jpg|Members of East India Company during [[Victorian era]]
ACS DB British India Company.jpg|Members of the East India Company during the [[Victorian era]]
</gallery>
</gallery>


Line 58: Line 71:
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{ACS}}
{{ACC}}
{{ACC}}
{{ACfilm}}
{{ACfilm}}
{{ACFT}}
[[zh:东印度公司]]
[[zh:东印度公司]]
[[Category:Companies]]
[[Category:Companies]]
[[Category:Military forces]]
[[Category:Military forces]]
[[Category:Navies]]
[[Category:Templar-affiliated groups]]
[[Category:Templar-affiliated groups]]
[[Category:Navies]]

Revision as of 15:47, 16 January 2025

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all.

This template should be removed from the article 18 May 2025.

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

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.[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

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]

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, the company organized an expedition to Indochina to find Angkor,[8] and had several ships tail Edward Kenway and the members of his Zhang Wei Union.[9]

American Revolution

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 William Johnson asking for aid in dealing with the Assassins stationed in the area and to help the company prosper.[10]

Several years later, in 1773, the company was being used by the Templar 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.[11] 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.[12]

Victorian era

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 Anglo-Sikh wars, which ultimately resulted in the annexation of India by the British.[13]

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. After stealing the Koh-i-Noor from the Indian Assassins, Sleeman used it in conjuction with a Precursor box to reveal the locations of several Temples. However, his plans were foiled by the Assassin Arbaaz Mir, who managed to steal back the Koh-i-Noor and hide it away.[14]

The Crown eventually took control of the company's powers and assets in 1858.[1] In 1868, the company wanted to crush the independence of India, with the assistance of Templars led by Brinley Ellsworth, but the Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye thwarted their plans with the help of Ellsworth's former friend, Maharaja Duleep Singh.[15]

Gallery

  • East India Company Rifleman
    East India Company Rifleman
  • East India Company Sniper
    East India Company Sniper
  • East India Company Corporal
    East India Company Corporal
  • East India Company Highlander
    East India Company Highlander
  • East India Company Lieutenant
    East India Company Lieutenant
  • East India Company Sepoy
    East India Company Sepoy
  • East India Company Lance Corporal
    East India Company Lance Corporal
  • East India Company Sergeant
    East India Company Sergeant
  • East India Company Building
    East India Company Building
  • Members of the East India Company during the Victorian era
    Members of the East India Company during the Victorian era

Appearances

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India – Database: East India Company
  2. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Database: British India Company (BIC)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
  4. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
  5. ↑ Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 2
  7. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 93
  8. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 24
  9. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 96
  10. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Rogue – War Letters
  11. ↑ Assassin's Creed III – On Johnson's Trail
  12. ↑ Assassin's Creed III – The Tea Party
  13. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brahman
  14. ↑ Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India
  15. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – The Last Maharaja

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