He was requested to return to India, however – and had motive to do so after a failed political career that sapped much of his fortune – to deal with further threats against English interests by the French. He was rewarded with a lucrative position with the Company after Arcot, and by the time he returned to England in 1753, he was a rich man. He was willing to take large risks and often took the enemy by surprise. He distinguished himself in the Siege of Arcot where he was instrumental in the final victory, having marched his force against the French in the middle of a thunderstorm. He walked about 180 kilometres south to Fort St David where he was trained to fight. He escaped from Madras after the French took the city in 1746, refusing to swear an oath not to bear arms against them. Clive started his career as an accountant but showed an aptitude for military leadership. The Englishman responsible for the 1765 treaty was Robert Clive, now remembered by the curry powder. In some towns a sense of lawlessness reigned in India, but as the 18 th century continued, the anarchy was characterised by political upheaval in India, rather than merely civil disorder. This disunity later gave the opportunity for the British East India Company, initially a small force in India, to sometimes set enemies against one another, and sometimes to support one group against another, for control of their own commercial interests. The ability of the emperor to control regions, gather taxes and keep the peace came under pressure. ‘The Anarchy’ was a period in Indian history after the death of Mughal Aurangzeb in 1707, when the central control of the Mughals began to be challenged by other ethnic groups like the Marathas. The fort is not a tourist attraction, so it’s not open to the public, and none of the sentries, Dalrymple tells us, had even heard of the East India Company. William Dalrymple, author of The Anarchy, a history of the East India Company, tells how when he visited the red sandstone Mughal fort where the Company signed the Treaty of Allahabad with the emperor Shah Alam in 1765 – the treaty that gave the East India Company control over north eastern India and set it on its path to becoming a full-blown colonial ruler – none of the officers or sentries guarding the fort knew of its history. If the name means nothing to you then it is somewhat forgivable. If you like curries you may find in your kitchen pantry a curry powder branded ‘Clive of India’.
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