Virginia Company

Timeline

1. 1606London · EnglandKing James I issued the first Virginia charter, granting lands between 34° and 41° and between 45° and 48° north latitude in North America to the London Company and the Plymouth Company respectively, authorizing them to establish colonies in North America and inaugurating organized English colonization plans for the continent.
2. 1607Jamestown · Virginia104 colonists funded by the London Company landed at the mouth of the James River and established the Jamestown settlement on May 14, 1607, becoming Britain's first permanent colony in North America; John Smith stabilized order in the colony during the crisis, but the first colonists still suffered severe hunger and disease.
3. 1609–1610Jamestown · VirginiaDuring the 'Starving Time' winter of 1609–1610, Jamestown's population plummeted from about 500 to about 60, and the colony nearly collapsed; during this period the company revised its charter and dispatched relief fleets, allowing the colony to continue and laying the foundation for England's long-term presence in North America.