Incorporated by royal charter on December 31, 1600, as "Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies" (later "United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies" after merger in 1708).22 Initial objective was to participate in the East Indies spice trade, competing with the Portuguese and Dutch.22 Expanded its trade to include cotton, silk, indigo, saltpeter, tea, and, notably, opium (illegally to China in the 19th century to finance the tea trade).22 Became involved in Indian politics, becoming an agent of British imperialism from the early 18th century until the mid-19th century, administering vast territories and maintaining its own army (which in 1800 was larger than the British army).22 From the early 1620s, used enslaved labor and transported enslaved people, mainly from East Africa (Mozambique, Madagascar) and Indonesia, to its facilities in India, Southeast Asia, and to the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic.22 Large-scale trafficking prevailed between 1730 and 1750, ending in the 1770s.22 Gradually lost commercial and political control from the late 18th century (Regulating Act 1773, India Act 1784) and was effectively abolished after the Indian Mutiny of 1857-58, with its possessions nationalized by the British Crown in 1858.22 Formally dissolved as a legal entity in 1873/1874.22