On This Day

British forces led by Colonel Clive and Admiral Watson occupy Calcutta, India

Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency.

Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for laying the foundation of the British East India Company (EIC) rule in Bengal. He began as a "writer" (the term used then in India for an office clerk) for the EIC in 1744; however, after being caught up in military action during the fall of Madras, Clive joined the EIC's private army. Clive rapidly rose through the military ranks of the EIC and was eventually credited with establishing Company rule in Bengal by winning the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

Historical Significance

Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency.

Events Before

  1. Prime Minister of Great Britain Frederick North (24) weds heiress Anne Speke

    Prime Minister of Great Britain Frederick North (24) weds heiress Anne Speke

  2. Frontiersman Daniel Boone (21) weds Rebecca Bryan (17) in Yadkin River, North Carolina

    Frontiersman Daniel Boone (21) weds Rebecca Bryan (17) in Yadkin River, North Carolina

  3. Britain and Prussia sign the Treaty of Westminster, agreeing to respect each other's European territories

    Britain and Prussia sign the Treaty of Westminster, agreeing to respect each other's European territories

  4. St. Patrick's Day is first celebrated in NYC at the Crown & Thistle Tavern

    St. Patrick's Day is first celebrated in NYC at the Crown & Thistle Tavern

  5. Governor Glen of South Carolina protests against 900 Acadia indians

    Governor Glen of South Carolina protests against 900 Acadia indians

Events After

  1. The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establishes the starting point for standardized species names ac

    The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature establishes the starting point for standardized species names across the animal kingdom, based on the binomial nomenclature in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus

  2. French astronomer Charles Messier mistakes the Crab Nebula for a comet while searching for Halley's Comet, leading him t

    French astronomer Charles Messier mistakes the Crab Nebula for a comet while searching for Halley's Comet, leading him to begin his Messier Catalogue

  3. Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East-Prussia [NS=Jan 22]

    Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East-Prussia [NS=Jan 22]

  4. Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East Prussia [OS=Jan 11]

    Russian troops occupy Königsberg, East Prussia [OS=Jan 11]

  5. Poems by Jamaican Black intellectual and writer Francis Williams are published

    Poems by Jamaican Black intellectual and writer Francis Williams are published

More from the 1750s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 2, 1757?
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for laying the foundation of the British East India Company (EIC) rule in Bengal. He began as a "writer" (the term used then in India for an office clerk) for the EIC in 1744; however, after being caught up in military action during the fall of Madras, Clive joined the EIC's private army.
Why is British forces led by Colonel Clive and Admiral Watson occupy Calcutta, India significant?
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency.

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