Dutch Ceylon

This article is about the specific polity Dutch 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 a governorate established in present-day Sri Lanka by the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch took the place of the Portuguese on the island. The Dutch managed to capture most of the coastal areas in Sri Lanka, but were never able to control the interior of the island. In the late 18th century the Dutch were conquered by Napoleonic France. No longer able to govern their territories on the island effectively, the Dutch transferred the rule of it to the British.

Establishment

May 1638: Dutch Admiral Adam Westerwolt (1580-1639) conquered the Portuguese fort at Batticaloa on Ceylon.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Dutch-Portuguese War

Was a global conflict between the Portuguese Empire and the Dutch Empire. The conflict primarily saw the Dutch companies invading Portuguese colonies in the Americas, Africa, and the East Indies.

1.1.Operations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

Were the military operations of the Dutch in the Pacific and Indian Oceans during the Dutch-Portuguese War.

March 1640: Galle conquered by netherlands.

January 1657: The Dutch, led by Admiral Gerard Pietersz Hulft, were able to capture Colombo in 1656 from the Portuguese, establishing Dutch control over the territory of Dutch Ceylon.

2. Sinhalese-Portuguese War

Were a series of wars between the native kingdoms of modern-day Sri Lanka and the Portuguese Empire.

2.1.Dutch intervention 1638-1658

Was a Dutch military operation in Sri Lanka against the Portuguese Empire.

January 1641: Negombo conquered by netherlands.

January 1659: Tuticorn captured by the Dutch in 1658.

3. American Revolutionary War

Was the war of independence of the United States of America (at the time the Thirteen Colonies) against Great Britain.

3.1.Fourth Anglo-Dutch War

Was a conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dutch Republic during the American Revolutionary War.

January 1782: British forces captured Trincomalee.

May 1784: In 1784, the British crown returned Trincomalee to the States General of Dutch Ceylon, along with other Dutch territories captured during the war. The East India Company forces were involved in the conquest of these towns, forts, harbors, and settlements.

4. 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.

4.1.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.

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.

5. Further events (Unrelated to Any War)

March 1640: In February 1640 the Portuguese fort of Negombo, a short distance North of Colombo was captured by Philip Lucasz.

January 1657: The Dutch-Portuguese War saw the Dutch conquest of most of Portugal's Asian colonies, Ceylon included, between 1638 and 1658.

January 1659: Jaffna is taken by the Dutch in 1658.

January 1672: Rajasinha attempted to negotiate an alliance with France, who seized Trincomalee.

January 1673: Dutch conquest of Trincomalee.

January 1762: In 1761, however, Kirti Sri Rajasinha launched a major invasion of the low country, annexing Matara and Hanwella.

January 1763: The Dutch re-captured Matara and Hanwella in 1762.

January 1764: In 1763, the Dutch forces, led by Governor Van Eck, invaded the city of Kandy in Ceylon. The Kandyans, led by King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, evacuated Senkadagala to avoid capture, prompting the Dutch to set the city ablaze.

February 1764: In 1764, the Dutch forces led by Governor Van Eck and King Kirti Sri Rajasinha of the Kingdom of Kandy clashed in the city of Kandy. The Dutch invaded Kandy from two directions, causing the Kandyans to retreat from Senkadagala, which was then set on fire by the Dutch.

January 1766: By 1765 the Dutch were in a position to force a treaty upon the Kandyans returning not only the border districts but all of Kandy's coastal provinces to the Dutch. Henceforth, the kingdom would be effectively cut off from the outside world.