In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to the English East India Company, providing it with exclusive trading privileges in the East Indies. This charter marked the beginning of a significant era of British colonial expansion and economic exploitation in Asia. The East India Company played a crucial role in shaping British imperial policy and had lasting impacts on trade, culture, and geopolitics in the region.

The English East India Company's chartering facilitated the influx of Asian goods into British culture, influencing poets like Thomas Campbell to reflect on colonialism and consumerism. This intersection of economy and exploration shaped the thematic concerns of later English literature.