British South Africa Company

The British South Africa Company (BSAC) was established by Cecil Rhodes, receiving a royal charter in 1889. Modeling it on the British East India Company, he hoped it would enable colonisation and economic exploitation in southern Africa, as part of the Scramble for Africa.

It recruited its own army, and attacked and defeated the Matabele and Shona north of the Limpopo river, carving out the country which it named Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe and Zambia).

In 1914 the charter was renewed, on condition that settlers in Rhodesia were given increased political rights.