Battle of Plassey (1757)

As the Mughal Empire began to decline in the 1740s, Britain defeated all other foreign powers and gained control of India. Bengal was the first stronghold of the British in India. They abused their rights to trade and began building a fort in Calcutta. They also imposed taxes on Indian goods to Calcutta. This action by the British angered the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah. In 1756, he captured the British factory in Kasimbazar and attacked and captured Fort William in Calcutta. Then, a British army led by Robert Clive set out from Madras to capture Calcutta. In order to deceive and defeat the Nawab, the British bribed many of his courtiers, including the powerful Mir Jafar.

In June 1757, the Nawab's army and the British army clashed at a place called Plassey, near Murshidabad. The Nawab's army was led by those who had already made a secret agreement with the british. Therefore, the British won easily. Siraj-ud-Daulah was killed through Mir Jafar's treachery. Then the British appointed Mir Jafar as the ruler of Bengal. The Battle of Plassey laid the foundation for British rule in India.