Monday 9 July 2012

QR–Cure–Quizzing Realms–380

A slightly difficult one today.

who

It was due to an account of atrocity by this gentleman that one of the most infamous battles in the history of India took place, thereby cementing the position of the East India Company in India.

The incident described by the gentleman has allusions to a celestial body. However, that description of the event, since first given in the early 1750s and repeated by this army man subsequently, has come under a lot of scrutiny, and has often been questioned for its veracity.

Name this gentleman and the incident.

Happy quizzing, and have a nice life, folks!

***

Seven people replied, and everyone, except the ‘Twelfth Man’ got it correct. This person is indeed John Zephaniah Holwell. It was his account of the Black Hole of Calcutta that prompted the then British government to send Robert Clive to subdue Bengal’s Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula. The rest, obviously, is history!

8 comments:

  1. Black Hole incident. The person is probably Holwell.

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  2. Nawab Siraj ud Daulah had imprisoned Holwel and his men in a small dungeon at Fort William, Calcutta.

    Most of these men supposedly died of suffocation and just a handful of the 100 odd people could survive the Black Hole.

    Holwel was among the few who survived and he later wrote an account of his sufferings.

    As a result, Robert Clive was sent to India and he fought and defeated Nawab Siraj ud Daulah at the Battle of Plassey.


    A monument called The Holwel's Monument a.k.a. 'The Black Hole Memorial' in Calcutta was erected by John Holwel in memory of those who died in the Black Hole dungeon of Calcutta.

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  3. John Zephaniah Holwell,a temporary governor of Bengal and the incident is "Black Hole" in which English prisoners of Siraj-ud-Daullah were killed in a 8m and 6m dark room.

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  4. John Zephaniah Holwell and the Black Hole of Calcutta

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  5. John Zephaniah Holwell,
    Black Hole of Calcutta

    (I googled! 'cuz you told me to. Not my fault :P)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Black Hole of Calcutta?

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