Aden was and still is an important port city on the southwestern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Built up by medieval merchants, it was the home of many rich and eccentric traders. Click above to read more about a funny rivalry between two such men.
The Land of Darkness was a realm of pitch black in the northern reaches of Eurasia where a legendary race of spirit-people resided, guarded by tundra wolves. They opened their realm only to the richest and most adventurous of merchants. This is the history of the medieval Siberian fur trade.
From a little lowland region of the Netherlands to a burgeoning trade network all over the Indian Ocean reaching as far east as Japan, this company of adventurers became a corporate monopoly through ingenious engineering and mercantilism.
tldr History 