On 20 March 1602, the United Dutch East India Company (VOC) was officially founded, securing a monopoly over all Dutch maritime trade with Asia.
Backed by the Dutch government, the VOC became the world’s first multinational corporation, pioneering global capitalism with its vast fleet, fortified trading posts, and a revolutionary system of shareholder investment.
Over the next two centuries, it dominated the lucrative spice trade, amassing immense wealth and influence while also engaging in ruthless colonial expansion and exploitation.
Though dissolved in 1799, the VOC’s legacy endures in the history of global commerce and the rise of European colonial empires.
