Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600--1900

A very lively, well-balanced treatment of six men who spanned an age where commerce and conquest intersected in the guise of chartered monopoly companies. Jan Peterszoon Coen of the Dutch East India Company, Pieter Stuyvesant of the Dutch West India Company, Robert Clive of the East India Company Alexandr Baranov of the Russian American Company, George Simpson of the Hudson Bay Company and Cecil Rhodes of the British South Africa Company were giants of history. In the search for profit, they founded empires and governed (both officially and unofficially) territories more vast than the monarchs and governments of their age. I had read about and studied Robert Clive before and, of course, knew a fair amount Cecil Rhodes. But of the other men, I knew very little and this was an excellent introduction to their deeds and personalities. It is hard to pick a favourite because of the way the author neither venerates nor denigrates any of these men, but rather recognizes them as product of their age. Their energy and sheer opportunistic drive and passion for what they did, is certainly to be admired. But their shortcomings – some are racists, others ruthless and power-hungry - make it difficult to fully sympathize. All in all this is a great read. One that makes you want to delve more deeply into each of the men at the centre of this study. An interesting epilogue too, which suggests that these companies are not too far removed from the multinationals of today!

I was always puzzled by the British East India Company. What was the relationship with the British government? Why did they have an army? etc etc... After many years of procrastination, I decided to look for a good book in Amazon, and I ended up buying this book. The author does a great job in explaining how the British East India Company operated along with all the other monopolies from the 17th century stretching out all the way to the end of the 19th century. I liked the fact that he did not overwhelm you with historical details. For each monopoly, he gives you the general background and then he focuses on one individual, a merchant king, who made the monopoly great. Fascinating reading, particularly since I was clueless about these monopolies. The only reason I give it 4 stars is the lack of maps... but there is always google or apple maps (whatever you preference). At times I had to do some additional reading in order to better understand the background , and Wikipedia was a good resource. I would recommend this book to whoever is interested in this topic.

"Merchant Kings" is worth 5 stars, even if all you read is the epilogue! A well written, interesting book that reads, for the most part, like an anthology of six short stories, each similar, but different. It shows the traits of six "merchant kings' during the mercantile phase of capitalism; how they were bound by ambition, racialism,monetary greed, corporate loyalty, and above all, lust for power. When their corporations were fully developed they included private armies along with political control and in some cases their own monetary system...functions our current corporate masters would love to control. The powers and practices of these men (and they were all white males) and their companies are relevant to understanding the powers and practices of those in control today.

Someone recommended this book because my then-12-year-old son loves history and reads at a college level. My son listened to the audio book and requested a hard copy. My then-76-year-old father read the book and actually wrote notes in the margin! There's nothing like hearing a 12-y-o and a 77-y-o discuss a book they both enjoyed. As for me... I prefer fiction and haven't read it.

Stephen Brown profiles the careers of six leaders of quasi-governmental companies across the age of discovery. The work is informative and a well written general overview of six companies and their most potent leaders. I was particularly pleased to learn about the Russian American Company, of which I was previously ignorant. Something about the text left me longing for more insights and occasionally disagreeing with stated conclusions. Overall a recommended read, especially if you are unfamiliar with the subject.

When a book attempts to profile a # of interesting individuals and situations, the highest compliment is to say it encourages you to go out and read more about those people and events. That is exactly what happened here with Mr Bown's book, at least for this reader. He gives interesting insights into the times and the background and characters that shaped much of the world as we know it today. For all their faults they can be said to have opened up the world to commerce, shaping the international trade we have today. Personally I could have done without Mr Bown's pontifications around slavery, apartheid and the like, in favor of just reporting the facts. But I suppose he felt strongly about the abuses that occurred, or wanted to distance himself as much from them as possible. Regardless, it is a good read on a few/six interesting periods in the world's history.

Beautifully composed, nice flow, and intriguing!

I really liked this book. Summarizing the six personalities and their respective domains is a very clever idea. Interestingly enough, one of the books cited in the chapter on Peter Stuyvesant is on my reading list. I’m glad I read Merchant Kings first.

Alternating between the thrill of successful business ventures and the horrific methods used by individuals to achieve them, this book encourages us to look beneath the surface at the murky world of monopolies in the years 1600 to 1900. In the epilogue is a thought provoking idea, that nowadays such practices by single companies cannot exist. We should question that idea thoroughly, with reference to child labour, modern slavery, sexual exploitation and the willingness of some people to turn a blind eye to the barefaced lies of our 'leaders' (globally, not only in my backyard!)

O livro é excelente. Estou quase no seu final, e já lamentando, pois queria mais. Com uma narrativa fluente e leve, mas bastante abrangente, o autor leva-nos a uma viagem pelo passado, mostrando como homens duros e ambiciosos conquistaram (ou tomaram dos nativos) grandes, porções de terra e geraram enormes riquezas em benefício próprio e/ou de suas nações de origem, sempre em detrimento das populações aborígenes e de todos os que consideravam raças inferiores. Narra o apogeu e queda desses ambiciosos predadores, e dá ao leitor uma boa idéia da época em que atuaram e das consequências dos seus atos para a História.

I liked this book as it told fascinating tales and was informative about the subject. It was an easy read. I would recommend this.

Entre los siglos XVII y XIX, Inglaterra, Holanda y otros países europeos formaron sus imperios coloniales a través de compañías formadas con capital privado que, a la par que comerciaban y se enriquecían, expandían las fronteras y las influencias de sus respectivos países de origen. Los responsables de esas compañías en los territorios de ultramar actuaban como auténticos virreyes con plenos poderes civiles y militares, lo que no solo les proporcionaba la oportunidad de amasar grandes fortunas personales, sino también la oportunidad de proporcionar beneficios a su compañía, aumentar su influencia y su poder, con ellas, la influencia y poder de sus respectivos países en la zona. El libro nos muestra las biografías de seis de esos “virreyes” coloniales, cada uno de una nacionalidad y una compañía diferente. España sólo sale tangencialmente en el libro y lo hace para volver otra vez a la carga con la famosa leyenda negra de la crueldad y la intolerancia religiosa. Quitando este defecto, es una lectura interesante.

Very informative book!