Not knowing what has happened before us is like being incessantly children.
~ Cicero (106 BCE - 43 BCE)
In the article "The Chemistry of Flavor: Influence, Controversies, and Misinformation," it is noted that while tea has had and continues to have a significant influence on culture, lifestyle, meditation, knowledge and personal growth, hospitality, and other positive aspects, it is also a controversial beverage that has been the cause of wars, prejudices, discrimination, and other negative factors. Many of these aspects share a common denominator: humanity. This is a serious statement.
In the following articles on Sagas & Tales, I will attempt to maintain a specific chronology, explaining in detail, yet understandably, each of the participants in various complex historical events involving tea. Sometimes, it may seem impossible that something like tea could be linked to these events, but ultimately, each individual and event presented will have tea as an ingredient in their story.
We begin our saga by discussing two companies that were part of two different states and, like any other businesses, could trade goods and services. Nothing unusual. However, when necessary, these companies had military backing and authority to conduct exploratory expeditions, establish colonies, and even determine their currency, as well as imprison and, if necessary, execute detainees. If this company had operated within a single country, it would technically be considered the state. However, the operations of these two companies extended beyond their borders, just like their factories. They could be seen as some of the first multinational corporations in existence.
BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY
Founded in 1600, this company is the first in our chronology, although the next company had some operations before it was formally established. The British East India Company emerged from a group of entrepreneurs interested in conducting business in what was formerly known as the East Indies, today’s Asia. Cartwright and Chartrand (2022) argue that the British East India Company was how the British Crown implemented its imperial policies in Asia, resulting in the influx of millions through the trade of spices, tea, textiles, and opium.
Due to this company's backing, if a ruler opposed or interfered with its interests, the company would remove them, just as it suppressed the cultures of the people living within its territory. Cartwright and Chartrand (2022) state that the British East India Company was "the spearhead of the British Empire." I previously mentioned that “if this company had operated in a single country, it would technically be the state,” which is precisely what happened. The British East India Company ended up being a state within a state, with the only difference being that this "state" answered solely to its shareholders.
To understand how this company became a "state" within a state, Cartwright and Chartrand (2022) describe its foundation on December 31, 1600, as a joint-stock company initially comprised of 215 merchants under the leadership of the Earl of Cumberland, who was granted by Queen Elizabeth I a charter that conferred the right to all trade east of the Cape of Good Hope (located at the southern tip of Africa), effectively allowing it to exercise a monopoly in that area on behalf of the Crown.
DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY
Similar to the "innocent and wholesome" motivation of the English, the Dutch East India Company aimed to engage in trade, essentially what any business does: exchanging goods or services for compensation. Martins (2023) suggests that the motivation to create the Dutch East India Company (1602) arose after one of the six companies sent an expedition fleet to the East Indies in 1597, commanded by the Dutch merchant sailor Cornelis de Houtman. This expedition suffered significant losses, with only 87 of the 249 crew members surviving. Still, it demonstrated the viability of creating a maritime trade route and that, by doing so, they could assert their power and challenge the Portuguese.
Like the British East India Company, the Dutch East India Company was a colonial power, as it had the authority to build fortifications and carry out military operations. Martins (2023) describes the formation of the Dutch East India Company as a merger of six small private enterprises located in the East Indies that were Dutch-owned and managed. These companies had been attempting to compete in the spice trade, but their efforts were thwarted by the Portuguese Empire's monopoly in the East Indies. Therefore, they decided to merge to create and establish a trade network capable of toppling the Portuguese monopoly.
At this point, it might seem that this writing solely addresses the rivalry between companies and the market competition of that era. However, it is crucial to understand the origins and shifts of both companies, as, as expressed throughout this piece, these companies were everything and, ultimately, just companies. In simpler terms, both companies were the tools and drivers of the two states operating under the smokescreen of merely engaging in trade. Future installments of Sagas & Tales will detail how the masterminds behind these enterprises used them for their purposes involving tea.
It is important to note that the aim of this writing is not to portray Tea as either a martyr or a perpetrator but to support how humanity has a positive and negative influence on everything and how all these historical events have not only remained in history books but have also profoundly embedded themselves in the tea cultures of each country.
Until next time!
Satoricha ~
References
Cartwright, M., & Chartrand, R. (2022, September 27). East India Company. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://www.worldhistory.org/East_India_Company/
Martins, K. (2023, October 31). Dutch East India Company. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 23, 2024, from https://www.worldhistory.org/Dutch_East_India_Company/
Satoricha. (2024, junio 10). Influencia, Controversias y Desinformación. Satoricha. https://satoricha.com/diario/incode
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