Muscovy Company (English Chartered Trade)

Timeline

1. 1561–1563Arkhangelsk · ArkhangelskEach summer English merchant ships reached Arkhangelsk via the North Cape route; company agents settled purchases of Russian furs, beeswax, and rope in rubles and kind, then transshipped them to the London and Antwerp markets, keeping the Anglo-Russian northern trade chain running.
2. 1564–1567Moscow · MoscowDuring Ivan IV's oprichnina, company envoys and resident merchants in Moscow negotiated trading privileges, tariffs, and diplomatic courtesies; the tsar both relied on Western goods and wary of foreign penetration, and the company had to keep trade routes open amid court political turmoil.
3. 1570London · LondonAround 1570 the company held a general meeting of shareholders in London to discuss renewal of its monopoly charter, capital raising, and sharing of route risks; the Elizabethan court's strategic emphasis on northern trade allowed the company to consolidate its organizational framework amid intensifying competition.