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Chartered Founding of the Dutch East India Company (1602)

Type Event Region Europe Time 1602

On 20 March 1602 the Dutch Republic chartered the VOC with a monopoly on Asian trade, creating the world's first joint-stock company with shares and …

Timeline

  1. 1602The Hague · NetherlandsThe provincial estates of the Dutch Republic formally approved the VOC charter, granting the company a 21-year monopoly on Asian trade and authorizing it to build an armed fleet and establish overseas bases.
  2. 1602Amsterdam · NetherlandsThe VOC set up its headquarters in Amsterdam and began publicly issuing shares, attracting large numbers of investors and pioneering the modern stock exchange model.

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