The presence of an opulent palanquin, or travelling couch, in the Clive Collection is closely connected to the British seizure of power at the battle of Plassey. This rare, open palanquin was built for Siraj-ud-Daulah and was an ideal platform from which the Bengal ruler could see – and be seen by – his subjects while traveling.
When, in 1757 Siraj ud-Daulah was overthrown at the Battle of Plassey, the palanquin, said to have been abandoned on the battlefield, was seized by the British and subsequently brought to Britain by Clive. With a vast fortune taken from the treasury of the defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, Clive returned to Britain one of its richest men.
Following the battle, Clive enlarged his authority and on his third visit to India became the Governor of Bengal and Commander-in-Chief of the East India Company’s Army. Under his direction the company used military force to invade and rule India.
Henrietta Herbert and Edward Clive
In 1784, Robert’s eldest son Edward Clive (1754–1839) married Henrietta Herbert, the daughter of the Earl of Powis. The marriage provided financial security for Powis, with the wealth and colonial power the Clive family had amassed in India, while bringing aristocratic prestige to the Clive name. Edward continued his father’s colonial activities in India, adding to the family’s collection of Indian treasures.
Edward was appointed Governor of Madras in 1798. Unusually for that time, Henrietta and their two daughters joined him in India, staying for three years.
Tīpū Sultān and Indian artefacts
As Governor of Madras, Edward Clive bears responsibility for the defeat and death of Tīpū Sultān (1750–99), the ruler of the Indian state of Mysore. Tīpū Sultān succeeded his father to the throne in 1782 and was a devout Muslim who ruled over a predominantly Hindu population.
The East India Company fought three wars against Mysore to control the land and its rich resources, before definitively seizing power at the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799. The British forces were led by Lord Mornington.
After Tīpū Sultān was killed at Seringapatam, the British army swept into the city. Tīpū Sultān’s treasury of precious objects and artefacts were taken to be distributed among the victors, some of which are now in the Clive Museum at Powis.