From Corporations To The Age Of "Lords Of The Manor"

The age of the corporation started in England in the 1600s with the formation of the East India Company. Over the next 400+ years, the idea of the corporation has grown and expanded, evolving with time but remaining fundamentally the same. The East India Company was formed to share in the East Indian spice trade, and it gradually evolved to become the world’s premier trading company, dominating trade routes across the globe. [klarman] The EIC showcased the benefits of a corporate body. Before the company’s founding, trading businesses were small entities and lacked any market power. The EIC was able to use…