The Battle of Arcot took place on 14 November 1751 in Arcot, India between forces of the English East India Company led by Robert Clive and forces of the French East India Company under Joseph François Dupleix. It was part of a series of battles that have come to be known as the Carnatic Wars, and which were fought over a period of seven years.In the early part of 18th century, The Great Mughal Empire of India was in its last throes. The princely states of India a few hundred in number, became more and more autonomous and independent with the reduced oversight of the vast Mughal empire. The British and French East India companies which were present in Mughal India due to the hospitality of the Mughal emperors and were doing vibrant trade across the Oceans between Mughal India and their respective European Motherlands.
The British East India Company represented British trading interests with factories, ports at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay on the three coasts of India. The French East India Company operated out of Pondicherry, just down the coast from Madras. Both European powers entered into agreements with local Nawabs and princely states, primarily for trade contacts but also hoping to gain influence with whatever government rose from the ashes of the great Empire. As England and France were rivals in Europe, they carried on their rivalry to the new Eastern trade frontier by way of extending their support to rival Nawabs in India. The Indian princes were ambivalent toward the Europeans and as much as they appreciated the income from trade, they primarily desired the military might the Europeans could supply to tip the local balance of power in their favor.
