Clive Wins Plassey: Britain Seizes Control of Bengal
Robert Clive defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, at the Battle of Plassey on June 23, 1757, through a combination of military force and bribery. Clive had secretly negotiated with Mir Jafar, the Nawab's commander, to switch sides during the battle. Of Siraj's 50,000 troops, only a fraction actually fought. Clive's force of 3,000 (including 900 British soldiers and 2,100 Indian sepoys) suffered minimal casualties. The victory gave the East India Company control of Bengal, the richest province in India, and its treasury of 5 million pounds. The wealth from Bengal financed Britain's Industrial Revolution and subsequent imperial expansion. Plassey is considered the beginning of British political rule in India, which would last until independence in 1947.
June 23, 1757
269 years ago
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