Incorporated on May 2, 1670, as "The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay," the company received a royal charter from King Charles II. From 1670 to 1713, the French challenged the company's control of the bay. Control of the bay passed firmly to the British in 1713 and by 1763, the French had lost their foothold in Canada. French fur traders formed the Northwest Company and contested with the Hudson's Bay Company until 1821, when the two amalgamated. From 1821 to 1869, the company had a monopoly on the fur trade.
In 1869, the company transferred its right to Rupert's Land to the Crown, receiving in return $1.5 million and 1/20th of the land within the fertile belt. Today, the company remains a major retailer in Canada, known to most people just as "The Bay."
