During the early 17th century, the EITC faced significant challenges in establishing itself as a major trading power in the Indian Ocean. The company's ships were frequently attacked by pirates, who preyed on the rich cargo carried by EITC vessels. In response, the company began to arm its ships and employ privateers, who were licensed to attack and capture enemy ships.

The East India Company’s war on piracy was successful. By the 1720s, the "Golden Age" of piracy in the Indian Ocean had effectively ended. The Company had established a formidable private navy and a legal infrastructure that could capture, try, and execute pirates locally in India rather than shipping them back to London.

Kidd was originally hired by the EIC and political elites to hunt pirates. He was given a powerful ship, the Adventure Galley , and a Letter of Marque. However, his crew threatened mutiny, and facing financial ruin, Kidd turned to piracy himself. When he was eventually captured, it was the East India Company that played a pivotal role in his trial in London. They needed to make an example of him to appease the Mughal Emperor. Kidd was hanged at Execution Dock, a stark warning to other privateers that the Company no longer played games.