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British Empire - trading companies

60 second histories

This video covers:  A look at the various trading companies that grew up including the East India Company, the Virginia Company and the Venetian company amongst others

Companies had to obtain permission to trade with other parts of the world from both Elizabeth the First and James the First. The most famous of these companies has to be the East India Company, which became very successful in trading English made goods for luxury goods from India. Their ships would sail down the west coast of Africa, around the cape to India then home again and there was a high demand for these luxury goods. There were other companies too, the Virginia Company of London that traded in cotton for textiles, sugar and tobacco, the Venetian Company who traded in Italy for wine and there was the Turkey Company that traded in the eastern Mediterranean for spices and carpets. There was even a company called the Moscow Company that traded with Russia for goods such as timber, leather, rope and tar. The problem was that we weren’t the only Europeans trading around the world. Spain, France, Portugal and Holland were also trading and this led to fierce competition so companies began to gain control of large areas of land to form colonies giving themselves exclusive rights to the produce and goods of that land.
Eras: 
British Empire
Topics: 
East India Company
Trade
Character: 
East India Company soldier
Key words: 
East India Company, trade, goods, ships, Africa, India, Virginia Company, Venetian Company, Turkey Company, Moscow Company, Spain, France, Portugal, Holland, colonies, produce, Russia, Mediterranean, Italy, British Empire, Slavery, KS3, key stage 3, key stage 3 history, secondary, KS3 videos, KS3 clips, KS3 history, KS3 videos, KS3 history film, KS3 history clip, British Empire, Empire, Victorian Empire, Y7, Y8, Y9, Year 7, year 8, year 9