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Prince
Rupert
(1619-1682):
The Founder of Hudson's Bay Company
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Prince Rupert
was a cousin of Charles
II, the King of England and a member of his court.
He met Radisson and Des
Groseilliers on their trip to England to meet the King. Prince
Rupert became very excited when he heard their stories about the
fur trade. He recognized the potential of the fur trade business.
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Prince
Rupert was a famous and talented military commander. In the
English Civil War, he won some brilliant victories for King
Charles I and became a pirate after the king's armies had been
beaten. When the King Charles II returned to England, Rupert
returned to a position of honour in the royal court.
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Prince Rupert
was a good businessman. He organized a group of business people
to pay for a trip to Hudson Bay to find out more about the fur trade.
Ships to carry the supplies and the people needed for the trip were
provided by merchants and the King. Money was also needed to pay
for the goods that would be traded for furs.
When Radisson
and Des Groseilliers returned to England the first shipload of fur
did not make a lot of money. Prince Rupert, however, was not ready
to give up. He recognized the potential of the fur trade. He
convinced the King to give his company the land the company needed,
and to sign a charter
that gave the company a monopoly
on fur trade in the area of Hudson Bay. He became the first governor
of Hudson's Bay Company.
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What
do you think Prince Rupert's most important accomplishment was?
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