Mr Robert Clive (Clive Of India) 1725-1774
At the battle of Plassey Robert Clive defeated Surajah Dowlahs army of 35,000 infantry men and 53 field cannon (manned by French troops), at the unfortunate, but relatively low loss of life for this type of thing of 20 British troops and 52 Indian Sepoy troops.
This battle brought Bengal under British control (Robert Clive most directly) through a puppet Indian Nawab ruler, (Mir Jafir).
Robert Clive was later suspected of furthering his own ends rather than those of Great Britain in his dealings in Bengal and was subjected to a Parliamentary hearing to hold him to account, although his name was eventually cleared, Robert Clive Of India shot himself in 1774.
This particular human war of which Robert Clive took an important role was very important in world history.
The Seven Years War (A continuation of the hostile rival states of the Austrian Succession War 1740-1748) saw France, Austria, Russia and Sweden pitted against Fredrick The Great Of Prussia and his ally Great Britain (under William Pitt, the Prime Minister).
During this conflict, France fought the North American Indian Wars against the British and lost her Canadian (known then as New France) territories to Britain. France also lost her possessions in India and the West Indies as the main bulk of French troops were pre-occupied with actions fought in Europe against Fredrick The Great, whose own army (well, the vast majority of it anyway) was paid for by the British Crown.
The ultimate result of Great Britain’s policy of paying for another’s army was that the British suddenly needed further and further taxation levels to cover not only this military expenditure, but also for military expenditure on their new possessions and expanding Empire.
These taxes however led to the American Colonies to indulge in trade with the French, Spanish and Dutch (which was not allowed by British trading law) and the subsequent repressive actions taken by the British establishment and military led American Colonists to declare independence on July Fourth 1776, and engage in the American War Of Independence that followed.
Great Britain could not afford monetarily to fight a protracted war with it's colonists and eventually lost, The Treaty Of Paris being signed in 1783 acknowledging the Independence of a new United States Of America. [ More]
India history notes
Political effects within Europe
India history notes
1. 2600BC to 1526AD
2. Empires
3. Important dates
4. British Raj
5. Clive of India
6. Political effects within Europe
7. India/Bangladesh/Pakistan
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