This examination of French trade with Asia analyzes France's attempt to establish a mercantile empire in the East by breaking into the lucrative market of the Indian Ocean. Between 1664 and 1674, France advanced a vigorous strategy of commerce and colonization. It founded the powerful East India Company and constructed a large royal fleet as the principal instrument for entrenching French power in Asia. Drawing on archival sources, Ames offers a new interpretation of France's mercantilism in the context of the rise of the world market economy of the early modern period. This study sheds new light on the reign of Louis XIV, the mercantilist theories of Colbert, the origins of the Dutch War, and the Asian trading empires of the French, Dutch, English, and Portuguese during the late seventeenth century.

About the Author

Glenn J. Ames (1955-2010) was professor of history at the University of Toledo.

Reviews

"This is a well-researched, interesting narrative of Jean Baptiste Colbert's bid to create a Compagnie des Indies Orientales capable of competing with the Dutch Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie (VOC) in the East Indies trade."-French History

Book Information
ISBN 9780875807584
Author Glenn Ames
Format Paperback
Page Count 259
Imprint Northern Illinois University Press
Publisher Cornell University Press
Weight(grams) 907g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 19mm