Video narration
How could a smaller force beat a much larger army-like a team winning after some players switch sides? The Battle of Plassey took place in Bengal on 23 June 1757. The Nawab, Siraj-ud-Daulah, faced Robert Clive, leading the East India Company's force. The Company's soldiers included Indian troops and allies, but Clive was still outnumbered. Then the hidden weakness mattered. Mir Jafar and other commanders on Siraj-ud-Daulah's side did not fully fight; tied to a plan against him, they withheld support. That was the turn. Clive did not defeat Bengal's army head-on. Its command was divided from within. After the Company won, Mir Jafar was placed in power, giving the Company greater political and financial influence in Bengal. Why did it win? Bengal's army was split: Mir Jafar's faction backed Clive by withholding support, and the larger force collapsed. Plassey turned trade into rule.