| Company | Founded | Trade |
|---|---|---|
| East India Company | 1600 | Spices, textiles from India. Establishing trading posts. Would eventually rule India. |
| Royal African Company | 1660 | Slave trade monopoly. Transported 100,000+ enslaved Africans. Duke of York was patron. |
| Hudson's Bay Company | 1670 | Fur trade from Canada. Still exists today! |
This key facts covers Key Trading Companies within Trade and Economy for GCSE History. Revise Trade and Economy in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 3 of 14 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Trade and Economy
Which company was founded in 1660 and given a monopoly on the English slave trade?
What did the Navigation Acts of 1660 require?
Quick recall flashcards
What were the Navigation Acts?
Laws (1651, renewed and strengthened 1660) requiring colonial goods to be shipped on English vessels crewed mainly by English sailors. Protected English merchants from Dutch competition and were the direct economic trigger for the Second Dutch War.
What was the East India Company?
English trading company (founded 1600) with monopoly on trade with Asia. Under Charles II it expanded significantly — establishing permanent trading posts (factories) in India at Bombay (part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry in 1661). The basis of England's future Indian empire.