The chief protagonists in India of the 17th Century:-

The French East India Company:-
Mr Joseph Francois Dupleix

In 1741 Joseph Francois Dupleix was made Governor General of the French Indies colonies that were under the control of The French East India Company. This company, in turn, was controlled by the French Crown.
Governor Dupleix schemed and planned to gain control of all India with the aim to dispel the rival British East India Company from it's commercial assets, not by fair trade means, but by political double dealings and subversive support of any factions that would be willing do open battle with the British.

Governor Duplex used the anger of rival Indian Princes that were engaged in disputes over territory, to further the ends of The French East India Company. Where he saw that Princes were to engage in conflict with one another, Dupleix sided with the weakest faction (so long as they were 'against' the British) and used experienced French Troops to train and enlist a much larger army. With victory secured after battle, the rather grateful (originally much weaker Prince), would side with Dupleix wishes (with the aid of Dupleix chosen French advisors), and attack British interests where possible.
With this rather underhand technique, the important British East India Company city of Madras fell without a fight:-(Southern India had became part of French influence with the support of the anti British Prince, China-Sahib. After a French fleet had sailed and arrived from Mauritius to Madras in support of attacking French and allied Indian troops, the few British East India Company soldiers and their own Indian Spey troops that occupied the city, surrendered).

The British East India Company:-
Mr Robert Clive (Clive Of India)
1725-1774

After the fall of Madras, clerk Robert Clive and a friend escaped the city by dressing as Indian citizens. They made their way through hostile French and allied Indian lines, and travelled to British East India Company occupied 'Fort Saint David' that was a hundred odd miles from Madras itself. Here, Robert Clive started his military career by helping defend the Fort against determined French attacks. His courage was recognised by the British East India Company's Fort commander (Major Lawrence) and he was enlisted in the East India Company army.

Robert Clive became quite famous for his daring in the following years of conflict with the French and their allied Indian troops, where Clive always lead from the front, and risked his life regularly to become victorious in battle. Clive was instrumental in the defeat of The French East India Company's army, along with it's allied Indian forces, and had managed to aid a pro British Prince Muhammad Ali (rival of pro French Price Chunda-Sahib), to overthrow his adversary and recieve the title of Nabob of Carnatic.

Clive’s ability to defeat these overwhelming forces led him to become somewhat of a hero within Great Britain Itself, when he returned there in 1752, he attained the 'proud' nickname of 'Clive Of India' and the King gave him the title of Lieutenant Colonel.. (For his unsuccessful part, Robert Clive’s opponent, Governor Joseph Francois Dupleix, returned to France in defeat and disgrace).

There were to be turbulent times ahead for Mr Robert Clive and Great Britain itself. After squandering both his fortune, (made from provisioning supplies for the East India Company Troops), and all his inheritance monies. Clive returned to India during the Seven Years War of 1756-1763, to be placed in charge of two regiments of British regular troops.
On his arrival, Robert Clive quickly avenged the 'Black Hole Of Calcutta' incident (where 146 men and women were incarcerated in a small cell, and only 23 survived, their safety previously being ''assured' by Surajah Dowlah, Prince of Bengal, of whose army had captured them during his successful attack on the British East India Company Fort William).
At the battle of Plassey, Robert Clive defeated Surajah Dowlahs army of 35,000 infantry men and 53 field cannon (manned by French troops), at the unfortunate, but relatively low loss of life (for this type of thing), of 20 British troops, and 52 Indian Sepoy troops. This battle brought Bengal under British control (Robert Clive most directly) through a puppet Indian Nawab ruler (Mir Jafir).
Robert Clive was later suspected of furthering his own ends rather than those of Great Britain in his dealings in Bengal, and was subjected to a Parliamentary hearing to hold him to account, although his name was eventually cleared, Robert 'Clive Of India' shot himself in 1774.

This particular human war of which Robert Clive took an important role, was very important in world history. The Seven Years War (A continuation of the hostile rival states of the Austrian Succession War 1740-1748), saw France, Austria, Russia and Sweden pitted against Fredrick The Great Of Prussia and his ally Great Britain (under William Pitt, the Prime Minister).
During this conflict, France fought the North American Indian Wars against the British, and lost her Canadian (known then as New France) territories to Britain. France also lost her possesions in India and the West Indies, as the main bulk of French troops were pre-occupied with actions fought in Europe against Fredrick The Great, whose own army (well, the vast majority of it anyway) was paid for by the British Crown.

The ultimate result of Great Britain’s policy of paying for another’s army, was that the British suddenly needed further and further taxation levels, to cover not only this military expenditure, but also for military expenditure on their new possessions and expanding Empire.
These taxes however, led to the American Colonies to indulge in trade with the French, Spanish and Dutch (which was not allowed by British trading law), and the subsequent repressive actions taken by the British establishment and military, led American Colonists to declare independence on July Fourth 1776, and engage in the American War Of Independence that followed. Great Britain could not afford monetarily to fight a protracted war with it's colonists and eventually lost, The Treaty Of Paris being signed in 1783, acknowledging the Independence of a new United States Of America.