In 1670, King Charles II granted his cousin a grandiose charter to trade furs in faraway territory of North America. At one point, the charter covered nearly 12% of the earth's land surface and area ten times that of the Holy Roman Empire at its height.

The Hudson's Bay Company would forever change the lives of everyone it touched, especially the hundreds of thousands of Indigenous people. The business model is simple by modern standards. It primarily traded one good, the beaver furs, in exchange for metal goods.

It would become a pawn in the chess game of empire-building and directly influence the formation of Canada and the United States. In episode five, we will explore the creation of one of the oldest commercial enterprises (still in existence today) and its rise to influence.

Episode Chapters:

(03:35) Part 1: A Strategy of Harmony

(01:02:53) Part 2: A Strategy of Chaos

(01:35:34) Part 3: A Strategy of Conquest

(03:35:41) Conclusion

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* Background music is called "Adding the Sun" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) / Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

Episode 5