Colonists and Europeans

Originally posted by Aelfgifu [ The Dutch East India Trading Compagny (VOC), (...), was a private holding, and the first business ever to sell shares, hundreds of them. In fact, it was perfectly normal even for people like housemaids to have a few shares in the VOC.

    
Ach I rickognize here the pride of the succesfull Northman ingrain with the belive that God's will gave him his blond hair, protestantism and capitalism to dominate the world and primarly its brown-ish latin cousin (I'm of course teasing you as far as I know you could be a female catholic coming from Indonesia...).

That said the european share holding system is about 9 centuries old and was first used in Italy for dividing one trip at a time the risks of merchant ventures. This very system was latter used for longer lasting associations all over Northen Italy mainly for banks (often refered as Monte di Pieta). by the late 15th century the Casa San Giorgio in Genova had over 15000 shares sometimes owned two at a time by orphans and widows. It was perfectly possible to trade them whenever whereever with whoever.

That said, the VOC, the first real joint-stock company as a much more modern taste. First because it is not a bank and second because of a ground breaking new device: the Amsterdam stock market whose moves were attentively followed Europe wide.

M. (avenger of the Latin pride)
    
    

Edited by Maharbbal - 27-Jul-2006 at 18:57

Well, that owned Maharbal.

Only in the 160's when the fur trading lost it's power, they sold parts of it... The company was started in 1670 so they had a lot of time to grow their land-amounts too.

Dear Aelfgifu, may I dare underlining the fact you shouldn't publicize that you are a readhaired catholic living in the Netherland, some have been burn on the stake for less with a witch tag around their neck...

I don't know much about the Hudson Bay company, but is it possible that the very term "privatly owned" be wrong? Indeed, I kind of have the feeling that the HBC's system was pretty close from the French Canada colonies that is some stronghold along the coast, a few forts and settlements in the wilderness and in between natives. The term controled area could have been just a optimistic way of putting: "a zone where we have less chances to get our scalps chopped off by some bloodthirsty redskins". Considering the size of the area and the number of soldier they had it is most likely the case. The eara was more a consortium of friendly tribes where the English tended to have the monopoly on fur trade and cod smocking positions.

M.