Adventurers - The Improbable Rise of the East India Company: 1550-1650

"Overflowing with surprises."-William Dalrymple, The Spectator"Essential reading."-Dan Jones, Times (UK)"Fascinating and authoritative."-Jerry BrottonThe unlikely beginnings of the East India Company-from Tudor origins and rivalry with the superior Dutch-to laying the groundwork for future British expansionThe East India Company was the largest commercial enterprise in British history, yet its roots in Tudor England are often overlooked. The Tudor revolution in commerce led ambitious merchants to search for new forms of investment, not least in risky overseas enterprises-and for these "adventurers" the most profitable bet of all would be on the Company.Through a host of stories and fascinating details, David Howarth brings to life the Company's way of doing business-from the leaky ships and petty seafarers of its embattled early days to later sweeping commercial success. While the Company's efforts met with disappointment in Japan, they sowed the seeds of success in India, setting the outline for what would later become the Raj. Drawing on an abundance of sources, Howarth shows how competition from European powers was vital to success-and considers whether the Company was truly "English" at all, or rather part of a Europe-wide movement.

Product details

• Authors: David Howarth, Howarth David
• Publisher: Yale University Press Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 09.01.2024
• EAN: 9780300276497
• ISBN: 978-0-300-27649-7
• No. of pages: 480
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 198 mm x 35 mm
• Subjects: Education and learning > Teaching preparation > Vocational needs; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; European History, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economic History, HISTORY / Maritime History & Piracy, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Stuart Era (1603-1714), maritime history, Economic history, British & Irish history, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, c 1500 to c 1600, C 1600 To C 1700, 1485–1603 (Tudor period), 1660 to 1714 (Restoration and the Later Stuart period), 1603–1649 (Jacobean and Early Stuart period)