<Li> Pondicherry (naval) </Li> <Li> Pondicherry (siege) </Li> <P> The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive . The battle consolidated the Company's presence in Bengal, which later expanded to cover much of India over the next hundred years . </P> <P> The battle took place at Palashi (Anglicised version: Plassey) on the banks of the Hooghly River, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Calcutta and south of Murshidabad, then capital of Bengal (now in Murshidabad district in West Bengal). The belligerents were the Nawab Siraj - ud - daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company . Siraj - ud - daulah had become the Nawab of Bengal the year before, and he ordered the English to stop the extension of their fortification . Robert Clive bribed Mir Jafar, the commander - in - chief of the Nawab's army, and also promised him to make him Nawab of Bengal . Clive defeated Siraj - ud - daulah at Plassey in 1757 and captured Calcutta . </P>

When was the first battle of plassey fought