# Canonical recap data for Dutch East India Company Founded (1602)
# Source: https://recap.at/1602/dutch-east-india-company
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: dutch-east-india-company
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1602/dutch-east-india-company"
title: Dutch East India Company Founded
subtitle: The VOC pioneered joint-stock corporate structure and global maritime trade networks that defined early modern commerce.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1602-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1602
decade: 1600
country:
name: Netherlands
slug: netherlands
summaryShort: The United East India Company, commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies, it was granted a 21-year monopoly to carry out tr
summaryLong: The United East India Company, commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies, it was granted a 21-year monopoly to carry out trade activities in Asia. Shares in the company could be purchased by any citizen of the Dutch Republic and bought and sold in open-air secondary markets, one of which became the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. The company possessed quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, imprison and execute convicts, negotiate treaties, strike its own coins, and establish colonies. Because it traded across multiple colonies and countries from both the East and the West, the VOC is sometimes considered to have been the world's first multinational corporation.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Flag_of_the_Dutch_East_India_Company.svg/1280px-Flag_of_the_Dutch_East_India_Company.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Dutch East India Company"
importance: 81
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company"
  title: Dutch East India Company
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: The United East India Company, commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the
wikidataQid: Q159766
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260618012819/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-18
  label: Dutch East India Company
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company"
