Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Latin word corpus means body, and that single term anchors the entire history of corporate law. Roman law recognized groups as legal bodies under names like Universitas or collegium by the time Justinian reigned from 527 to 565.
King Magnus Eriksson granted this Swedish mining group its charter in 1347, making it the oldest commercial corporation in recorded history. A share certificate dated the 16th of June 1288 survives today as physical proof of the Stora Kopparberg mining community in Falun, Sweden.
This speculative frenzy caused the bubble to burst by the end of 1720 when values collapsed from £1,000 down to under £100. The Bubble Act passed in 1720 prohibited establishing any companies without a royal charter possibly to protect the South Sea Company from competition.
Delaware followed suit in 1899 but only emerged as the leading corporate state after New Jersey repealed its provisions in 1913. New Jersey became the first state to adopt enabling corporate laws in 1896 aiming to attract more business activity.
The House of Lords decided Salomon v A Salomon & Co Ltd in 1897 confirming separate legal personality distinct from owners. Lindley LJ served as the leading expert on partnerships during this case establishing corporate identity as independent from shareholders.