A central element in the story is the Hudson's Bay Company. This was one of three such enterprises of the British Empire; the other two being the British East India Company, which operated in and around the Indian subcontinent, and the Moscovy company, which focused on Russia and the region to the south, which includes modern day Iraq and Iran. The role of the colonies was to strengthen and enrich the British Empire, and these enterprises were created by the crown specifically for this dual purpose. The military element was there not only for protection of British interests, but for the enforcement of the will of the company and, by extension, the crown.
The character played by Jason Momoa, Declan Harp, is blind in his left eye.
English explorers and colonists named Hudson Bay (central element of the storyline) after Sir Henry Hudson who explored the bay beginning August 2, 1610 on his ship Discovery.
The Hudson's Bay Company was incorporated by English royal charter in 1670 as The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson Bay.
Though the introduction text says this series is set in the late 1700s, the British flags used include the Cross of St. Patrick, for Ireland, which was not adopted until 1801.