PRIMARY DOSSIER № 03 / 01
CLIVE, R.
GOVERNOR OF THE PRESIDENCY OF FORT WILLIAM (BENGAL)
Architect of the military coup at Plassey (1757) and negotiator of the Treaty of Allahabad (1765), securing the Diwani tax rights for the East India Company while amassing an unprecedented personal fortune.
Company Salary: £3,000/yr · Private Jagir Revenue: £27,000/yr
- Clive Estate at Claremont, Surrey (£100,000 mansion)
- Walcot Hall Estate, Shropshire
- Personal bullion and diamond remittances exceeding £234,000 (1757)
PRIMARY INVESTIGATION & FINDINGS
In June 1757, Clive orchestrated the subversion of Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah by bribing army commander Mir Jafar and the banking family of Jagat Seth, establishing Company military supremacy over Bengal.
Negotiated the 1765 Treaty of Allahabad with Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, legally transferring the Diwani (land revenue collection rights) of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa to a private commercial corporation.
Secured personal plunder of £234,000 in cash and an annual jagir (revenue grant) of £27,000, returning to London as one of the wealthiest private citizens in Europe and sparking a parliamentary corruption inquiry.
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