Early years 205px|The flag of the Company with the flag of England in the canton Variant with thirteen stripes  Upon receiving a Royal Charter to trade in the Indian Ocean from Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, the English East India Company adopted a flag of red and white stripes (varying from nine to thirteen stripes in total), with the flag of England in the canton. It was reported that the number of stripes was chosen because many of the East India Company's shareholders were Freemasons, and the number thirteen is considered powerful in Freemasonry. However, different reports gave varying initial numbers of stripes. Given the Company's early activity in South East Asia , there is unconfirmed speculation that the flag was based on local flags which were ultimately derived from the Majapahit Empire in modern-day Indonesia.
Early years 205px|The flag of the Company with the flag of England in the canton Variant with thirteen stripes 100px|The pattern was already common in South East Asia where the Company first operated, influenced by the Majapahit empire. Upon receiving a Royal Charter to trade in the Indian Ocean from Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, the English East India Company adopted a flag of red and white stripes (varying from nine to thirteen stripes in total), with the flag of England in the canton. It was reported that the number of stripes was chosen because many of the East India Company's shareholders were Freemasons, and the number thirteen is considered powerful in Freemasonry. However, different reports gave varying initial numbers of stripes. Given the Company's initial focus on the Spice Islands , there is unconfirmed speculation that the flag was based on local flags which were ultimately derived from the Majapahit Empire in modern-day Indonesia.
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100px|The pattern was already common in South East Asia where the Company first operated, influenced by the Majapahit empire.
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early activity in South East Asia
initial focus on the Spice Islands