Robert Clive
The victor of the Battle of Plassey, who laid the foundations of British rule in India.
Life
Began as a clerk
Clive came from a family of minor landowners in England. At eighteen he went to Madras as an East India Company clerk, later transferred to the army, and in 1751 made his name by holding out at Arcot with a small force.
Plassey
In 1757 he defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal, at Plassey (having bribed the nawab's general Mir Jafar beforehand), and the East India Company thereby gained control of Bengal. He twice served as Governor of Bengal, and in 1765 he obtained the fiscal administration (diwani) of Bengal from the Mughal emperor.
Put on trial
He amassed an enormous fortune in India; after returning to Britain he was investigated by Parliament and, though spared a conviction, his reputation suffered. He died in 1774, believed to have taken his own life.
Legacy
Clive was the pioneer of the British conquest of India; in Britain he was once hailed as a hero, while in India he is a symbol of colonial plunder.
Did you know? When questioned by Parliament, he said: "When I think of the opportunities I had at the time, I am astonished at my own moderation."
Key dates
- 1744Became a clerk in Madras
- 1751Held out at Arcot
- 1757Battle of Plassey
- 1765Obtained the revenue rights of Bengal
- 1773Investigated by Parliament
- 1774Died