Database: East India Company

The East India Company was originally named Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies or Honourable East India Company. It was a private, joint-stock company founded in 1600 through a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I of England, and came to rule large areas of India with its own private army. It remained active throughout the regime changed in England, until the Crown took control of the Company's powers and assets in 1858. In the meantime, the Company grew and established trading posts in many important cities of India and soon enjoyed a complete trade monopoly in the region. This was done through multiple wars against colonial competitors and local populations.