British Ceylon

This article is about the specific polity British Ceylon and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

Was the British Crown colony of present-day Sri Lanka between 1796 and 4 February 1948. The British gained control of Sri Lanka in two steps: the coastal area was initally a Dutch possession and was handed over to the British when the Netherlands were occupied by France during the Napoleonic Wars, whereas the interior of the island, controlled by the Kingdom of Kandy, was conquered later with the Kandyan Wars. The colony became independent in 1948.

Establishment

February 1796: In the period 1788 - 1795 there was no cordiality between the Dutch and the British. The British had planned after their conquest of India to take over a dozen Dutch possessions in the region, with Ceylon as the biggest prize. Their chance came when in the winter of 1794/95 Holland was overrun by the French army. On 14 February 1796, the Dutch forces surrendered with minimal bloodshed.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Were a series of conflicts between France and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompass first the French Revolutionary Wars against the newly declared French Republic and from 1803 onwards the Napoleonic Wars against First Consul and later Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. They include the Coalition Wars as a subset: seven wars waged by various military alliances of great European powers, known as Coalitions, against Revolutionary France - later the First French Empire - and its allies.

1.1.French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars - Theatre of war in the overseas colonies

The theatre of war in the overseas colonies during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

2. Kandyan Wars

Were a series of wars betweent the British Empire and the native Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy on the island of Sri Lanka. The Kingdom of Kandy was eventually inglobated into British Ceylon.

2.1.First Kandyan War

Was the first of the Kandyan Wars between the British Empire and the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy.

January 1804: The Kandyan army, led by King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha and his chief minister Pilimatalawe, advanced through the mountain passes to Hanwella in 1803 during their military occupation of the territory.

January 1804: The Kandy army was utterly routed by superior British firepower, forcing Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe to flee back into the mountains.

January 1806: In 1805, British forces led by General Thomas Maitland captured Katuwana from the Kingdom of Kandy. This military occupation marked a significant advancement in the British colonization of Sri Lanka.