The Chilling Deaths Inside the Black Hole of Calcutta
145 British prisoners died on 20 June 1756 inside tiny prison in India called the Black Hole of Calcutta.
The story of the Black Hole of Calcutta dates back to early 1756. The East India Company (EIC) had already established its trading base in Calcutta, but their hegemony was threatened by the French who were also interested in the area. As a precautionary measure, the EIC drastically increased their defenses in the main fort (Fort William) of the city. Even so, the EIC had direct control over just a few of the strongholds in India; to maintain this control, they had to form unwilling alliances with the ruling nawabs of areas close to their strongholds.
The Nawab of Bengal’s Siege of the Fort of William
When Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal heard about the increased militarization of Fort William, he ordered the governor of Calcutta to withdraw funding for the fortifications; when the British refused to pay heed to his orders, he gathered 50,000 troops, 50 canons, and 500 elephants as part of an army to march to Calcutta.
