Clive of India

Major-General the Right Honourable The Lord Clive KB FRS
Lord Clive in military uniform. The Battle of Plassey is shown behind him. Portrait by Nathaniel Dance
Governor of the Presidency of Fort William, Bengal
In office 1757–1760
Preceded by	Roger Drake as President
Succeeded by	Henry Vansittart
In office 1765–1766
Preceded by	Henry Vansittart
Succeeded by	Harry Verelst
Personal details
Born	(1725-09-29)29 September 1725 Styche Hall, Market Drayton, Shropshire, England
Died	22 November 1774(1774-11-22) (aged 49) Berkeley Square, Westminster, London
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Merchant Taylors' School
Awards	KB
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain / British Empire
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1746–1774
Rank	Major-General
Unit	British East India Company
Commands	Commander-in-Chief of India
Battles/wars	War of the Austrian Succession Battle of Madras Second Carnatic War Siege of Arcot Battle of Arnee Battle of Chingleput Seven Years' War Battle of Chandannagar Battle of Plassey

Major-General Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, KB, FRS (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, Commander-in-Chief of British India, was a British officer and soldier of fortune who established the military and political supremacy of the East India Company in Bengal. He is credited with securing a large swath of South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) and the wealth that followed, for the British crown. In the process he also turned himself into a multi-millionare. Together with Warren Hastings he was one of the key early figures in the creation of British India, with all his attention focused on one prize, Bengal as it was the richest state in India, richer than Britain, at the time. He also sat as a Tory Member of Parliament in London.

Clive was one of the most controversial figures in all British military history. His achievements included establishing control over much of India, and laying the foundation of the entire British Raj. For that he was vilified by his contemporaries in England, and put on trial before Parliament. Of special concern was that he amassed a personal fortune in India. Modern historians have criticised him for atrocities, for high taxes, and for the forced cultivation of crops which exacerbated famines.

Robert Clive was born at Styche, the Clive family estate, near Market Drayton in Shropshire, on 29 September 1725 to Richard Clive and Rebecca Gaskell Clive. The family had held the small estate since the time of Henry VII. The family had a lengthy history of public service: members of the family included an Irish chancellor of the exchequer under Henry VIII, and a member of the Long Parliament. Robert's father, who supplemented the estate's modest income as a lawyer, also served in Parliament for many years, representing Montgomeryshire. Robert was their eldest son of thirteen children; he had seven sisters and five brothers, six of whom died in infancy. Clive's father was known to have a temper, which the boy apparently inherited. For reasons that have not been documented, Clive was sent to live with his mother's sister in Manchester while still a toddler. Biographer Robert Harvey suggests that this move was made because Clive's father was busy in London trying to provide for the family. Daniel Bayley, the sister's husband, reported that the boy was "out of measure addicted to fighting". He was a regular troublemaker in the schools he was sent to. When he was older he and a gang of teenagers established a protection racket that vandalised the shops of uncooperative merchants in Market Drayton. Clive also exhibited fearlessness at an early age. He is reputed to have climbed the tower of St Mary's Parish Church in Market Drayton and perched on a gargoyle, frightening those down below. He was said to have been a pupil at Stand Grammar School in Whitefield. He climbed the tower there and threw slates at passers by.