1. The Hudson's Bay Company: Royal Charters, Rivalries and Luxury Hats in the North American Fur Trade
- Author:
- Jason Saldanha, James Haworth, and Christopher McKenna
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- Oxford Centre for Global History
- Abstract:
- French fur traders Médard Chouart des Groseilliers and Pierre-Esprit Radisson sensed an opportunity in the mid-1650s. During their travels within a North American trade network stretching from Montreal to the Great Lakes, the pair had heard rumours from indigenous Cree communities of a “frozen sea”: a region rich in beaver furs further to the north. The resourceful traders, aware of the European demand for luxury felt hats made from these furs, set out to explore. The two traders were not disappointed upon their arrival at the vast inland sea of Hudson Bay, discovering an abundance of high-quality furs. They quickly identified numerous rivers running from the basin that offered valuable access to the continent’s interior: if a shipping route could be forged from these locations, across the Atlantic and finally to European markets, the Hudson Bay region could re-centre the entire North American fur trade. After failing to obtain French support to establish a trading post in the area – and getting arrested upon their return to Montreal for trading without a licence – Des Groseilliers and Radisson found themselves courting English favour for their venture.
- Topic:
- International Trade and Finance, History, Capitalism, Commodities, and Trade Liberalization
- Political Geography:
- United States, New York, Canada, Quebec City, and Global Focus