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Thomas Alcock (adventurer)
Thomas Alcock (died 1563) was an English traveller and adventurer and an agent or servant of the Muscovy Company from 1558 to 1563. According to one of his letters, preserved by Hakluyt, in 1558 he took his first journey overland from Moscow to Smolensk in Russia, and then through Poland towards Danzig. He was, however, prevented from proceeding further than Tirwill (probably Turovli on the Dvina), where he was imprisoned in irons for thirty-six days, probably at the instigation of rival traders and ambassadors from Danzig, Lübeck, and Hamburg, who, moreover, prevailed upon the king of Poland to stop all traffic through his dominions of the English trading to Muscovy. There is no further evidence as to the termination of this journey; but in all probability Alcock was allowed to depart for England by way of warning, with the loss of all the money and goods entrusted to him by the company. His second and last journey on behalf of the company was in 1563. Leaving Jeraslaue (Jar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muscovy Company
The Muscovy Company (also called the Russia Company or the Muscovy Trading Company russian: Московская компания, Moskovskaya kompaniya) was an English trading company chartered in 1555. It was the first major chartered joint stock company, the precursor of the type of business that would soon flourish in England and finance its exploration of the world. The Muscovy Company had a monopoly on trade between England and Muscovy until 1698 and it survived as a trading company until the Russian Revolution of 1917. Since 1917 the company has operated as a charity, now working within Russia. Chancellor would function as the navigator of the small fleet, which consisted of three ships: the ''Bona Esperanza'' under Willoughby, the ''Edward Bonaventure'' under Chancellor and the ''Bona Confidentia''. The fleet departed from London on 10 May 1553, but near the Lofoten islands a storm hit the ships and separated Chancellor's vessel from the other two. Willoughby eve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
