When Kidd captured a loot-laden Armenian ship called the Quedagh Merchant —which happened to be sailing under French papers—he assumed it was fair game. Unfortunately, the ship was actually leased by EITC officials back in London.
The pirate wanted your gold. The Company wanted your country. east india trading company pirates
For the EITC, piracy was simply "privatized hostile market adjustment." The most famous example of this blurred morality is William Kidd . Initially hired by the British crown (and the EITC) to hunt pirates, Kidd was given a sleek warship and told to clean up the Indian Ocean. But the pay was terrible, and the crew was restless. When Kidd captured a loot-laden Armenian ship called
But history is rarely that simple. In reality, the line between a and a bloodthirsty pirate wasn’t just blurry—for the East India Trading Company, it was practically invisible. The Company wanted your country