Order of….?  Cannot figure out if that is supposed to be a “V” or a Latinized “U”.

Chartered by the Estates General, the VOC, Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie, United East-Indian Company or Dutch East India Company, operated as a government unto itself with powers to wage war, negotiate treaties, coin money, and establish colonies.

Skiguy, I held off a bit to give someone else a chance.  😉 It came from the intro to my novel to be published later this year, and if I had not written it, I would never have guessed the answer.