Sir Robert Clive

Who was Robert Clive?

Robert Clive was an employee of the East India Company, who helped to increase the EIC's power and control in India. He was a nabob who was accused of corruption, although he was cleared of all charges.

When was Robert Clive active?

Robert Clive first went to India in 1744. He returned to India a number of times, and finally died (by suicide) in England, in 1774.

Where was Robert Clive active?

Robert Clive spent most of his career in India, although he returned to England a number of times, where he became an MP.

What were Robert Clive's achievements?

Robert Clive had a varied career in India and England.

• ❖ He first went to India in 1744, holding a minor position in the East India Company.
• ❖ By the 1750s he had become an officer in the EIC's army. In 1751 he won a victory at the Siege of Arcot, against the French.
• ❖ In 1757, Clive defeated the Nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey.
• ❖ In 1765, he signed the Treaty of Allahabad, with the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II.
• ❖ In England, Clive used the wealth he had gained in India to buy a seat in Parliament. This angered the traditional politicians.
• ❖ Clive was impeached by Parliament on charges of corruption. He was cleared of the charges, but his experience sent him into a period of depression. He committed suicide in 1774.

What was Robert Clive's significance?

These are some of the ways in which Robert Clive was significant.

• ❖ His victory at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, and the Treaty of Allahabad, began the EIC's political control in India, which led to India becoming an important part of the British Empire.
• ❖ His impeachment for corruption was one of the reasons why the government passed the India Act in 1784, which gave the British Parliament more control over India.
• ❖ Clive was for a long time was considered one of the 'heroes' of the British Empire, because of his military victories.
• ❖ Nowadays, Clive is seen as an example of the negative side of empire and colonialism, because of his plundering of the wealth of India.