On June 23rd 1757, at the Battle of Plassey, fought at a small village
Plassey between
Kolkata and
Murshidabad, the forces of the East India Company under Robert Clive defeated the army of
Siraj-Ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal.
The battle did not last for more than a few hours. The outcome of the battle had been decided long before the soldiers came to the battlefield. One of the Nawab’s nobles, Mir Jafar, who had an eye on the throne, was persuaded by Clive to support the British. A great number of the Nawab's soldiers were bribed to throw away their weapons, surrender prematurely, and even turn their arms against their own army.
The Battle of Plassey marked the beginning of the British rule in India.
