The beginning of British rule in India…

The beginning of British rule in India is often dated from the Battle of Plassey, although the British had earlier ruled in the factory areas.

Robert Clive's victory had been consolidated in 1764 at the Battle of Buxar (in Bihar), where the emperor, Shah Alam II, was defeated.

As a result, Shah Alam had been coerced to appoint the company to be the diwan (collector of revenue) for the areas of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa (this pretense of Mughal control had been abandoned in 1827).

The East India Company has thus become the supreme, but not the titular, power in much of the Ganges Valley, and company agents continue to trade on terms highly favorable to them.