![A 17th-century plaque to the [Dutch] United East India Company, the VOC, in Hoorn](https://cdn.deepswipe.app/images/0.2.0/0daa89f6b555ec18374604766531648e680410cb00608a2b28e6359a2c9a0d3c.jpg)
A Company That Could Wage War
The Dutch East India Company, often called the VOC, was not just a business. It could wage war, make treaties, build forts, strike coins, and even imprison or execute people.Dutch East India Company: When a Business Ruled Like a State
Stocks, Ships, and Empire
Founded in 1602, it became one of the first joint-stock companies. People in the Dutch Republic could buy shares, and those shares were traded in open markets that helped lead to the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.Dutch East India Company: When a Business Ruled Like a State
