ThisbookoffersanewaccountoftheconnectionsbetweenseventeenthcenturyEnglishhistoryandthehistoryoftherestoftheworld.Eschewingnationalistnarratives,itdemonstrateshowgreaterengagementwiththeworldbeyondEuropeshapedsignatureaspectsoftheEnglishexperience.Earlymoderntradingcorporationsarethecentralactorsinthestory.GlobalTradeandtheShapingofEnglishFreedomoffersaprofoundlyalteredreadingofthepracticesoftheseentities.Thecompanieswerenotmonolithicentitiespursuingnarrownationalistinterestsoverseas.Norweretheyinefficientmonopoliesdoomedtocommercialfailure.Intheseventeenthcentury,asthisbookshows,theyweredrivenandtransformedbytheimmediateandlocalinterestsofCompanyagentsandtheirforeignnetworks.BecausethetradingcompanieswerethemostimportantbridgebetweeninternationalcontextsandEnglishlegalandpoliticaldebates,theyconnectnon-Europeanpowerandpreferencetothosedebates.TheseunappreciatedactorswithinthecorporatesphereplayleadingrolesinthisbookastheshapersofEnglishdebateaboutthemeaningofEnglishfreedomandthefuturesofthetradestheyparticipatedinoverseas.ThebookoffersanewperspectiveontheforeignactorswhoshapedEnglishcommercialandlegalideasandpracticesintheseventeenthcentury,aswellastheOttoman,Bantenese,Huedan,Siamese,andMughalcontributionstotheideological,institutional,andproceduralunderpinningsthatwoulddevelop,slowlybutsurely,intotheBritishEmpire.
