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Battle of Plassey
On 23 June 1757, the armies of the Nawab (ruler) of Bengal, Siraj ud-daula, were defeated by those of the British East India Company in the battlefield of Palashi (anglicised as Plassey), 100 miles north of Kolkata (Calcutta). The victory was political rather than military, the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive and other officials, in collusion with prominent Indian merchants, had bribed factions of the royal family and the Bengal army to abandon the Nawab. As a result of this battle, the Nawab Siraj ud-daula was killed, and his relative, Mir Jafar was placed on the throne of Bengal with British East India Company backing. Huge amounts of treasure were gained by the Company as well as its individual officers, especially Robert Clive.