This article is about the specific polity Kingdom of Kandy 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
A Kingdom founded in in central regions of Sri-Lanka by Senasammatha Wickremabahu who successfully led a rebellion against the Kotte Kingdom in 1469.
Establishment
January 1470: Most notably a new Kingdom was founded in central hill-country of the island by Senasammatha Wickremabahu who successfully led a rebellion against the Kotte Kingdom in 1469.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
In 1521, the three sons of the Kotte king Vijayabahu VII rebelled against their father. After killing Vijayabahu, his sons (Bhuvanekabahu, Pararajasingha and Mayadunne) divided the kingdom among themselves in the 'Spoiling of Vijayabahu'. Mayadunne received the Kingdom of Sitawaka.
1.1.Consequences of Vijayabā Kollaya
Following the Spoiling of Vijayabahu in 1521, and the subsequent partition of the kingdom of Kotte, Kandy asserted its independence and emerged as a serious rival to the eastern and southern kingdoms of Sri Lanka.
January 1522: Following the Spoiling of Vijayabahu in 1521, and the subsequent partition of the kingdom of Kotte, Kandy asserted its independence and emerged as a serious rival to the eastern and southern kingdoms.
Were a series of wars between the native kingdoms of modern-day Sri Lanka and the Portuguese Empire.
2.1.Attempt to conquer Kandy
In 1592 the Portuguese unsuccesfully invaded the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy.
January 1593: The Kandyans forced the Portuguese to withdraw from Kandy.
2.2.Campaign of Danture
Was a Portuguese military campaign in the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy.
July 1594: The Portuguese entered Kandy, without encountering any resistance, to find the Royal Palace abandoned and partly burned.
October 1594: At Danture, the Portuguese forces were attacked as they retreated. The organised columns disintegrated in the forest and most were wiped out. Sousa surrendered with the remaining 93 European troops. In a departure from usual Sinhalese warfare, the prisoners were tortured and mutilated. Sousa died of the wounds he sustained during the fighting. With the exception of a patrol sent back to the lowlands during the early part of the campaign, only three Portuguese soldiers escaped back to Colombo.
2.3.Low intensity conflict of Portugal with Kandy
Were a series of minor conflicts between the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy.
January 1604: In 1603, Portuguese General Dom Jerónimo successfully captured the Kandian fort at Balana, solidifying Portuguese control over the territory.
January 1604: The Kingdom of Kandy successfully defended itself against the Portuguese attempt to subjugate Balana. The rebellion among the Lascarins, led by historical figure King Vimaladharmasuriya I, played a crucial role in forcing the Portuguese to retreat to Colombo.
August 1617: By this sudden turn of events, in August 17 an agreement between the Portuguese and Kandy was reached and a treaty put into effect. In negotiating with the Portuguese, Senarat proved rather capable, refusing most of Portuguese demands but stil had to formally pledge vassalage to the King of Portugal, agree not interfere in missionary work in Kandy (Senarat even entrusted his children to be educated by Franciscans), offer several noblemen as hostages in Colombo and pay two large elephants a year as a token tribute. The Portuguese on their part agreed to a formal alliance and recognized Senerat as the rightful King of Kandy.
2.4.Dutch intervention 1638-1658
Was a Dutch military operation in Sri Lanka against the Portuguese Empire.
May 1638: The VOC and Rajasinha II of Kandy signed a treaty in May 1638.
January 1641: Negombo conquered by netherlands.
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.
3.1.First Kandyan War
Was the first of the Kandyan Wars between the British Empire and the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy.
March 1803: After fierce fighting the British found Kandyan capital Senkadagala deserted and occupied it in February 1803.
April 1803: The Kandyans counter-attacked in March and seized Senkadagala.
January 1805: In 1804, the British dispatched a force under Captain Arthur Johnston towards Senkadagala, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. This military occupation marked the beginning of British control over the region, ultimately leading to the annexation of the kingdom in 1815.
January 1805: In 1804, the Kingdom of Kandy successfully defended its territory against the British, continuing a pattern of resistance that had been ongoing for centuries. The Kandyans, led by King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, were able to maintain their independence in the mountainous region.
3.2.Second Kandyan War
Was the second of the Kandyan Wars between the British Empire and the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy, which was annexed by the British Empire.
February 1815: The British forces entered Kandy.
March 1815: The Kandyan Convention was signed in 1815 between the British Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, marking the end of Kandyan rule in Sri Lanka. The treaty was signed by British Governor Robert Brownrigg and the Kandyan chiefs, leading to the annexation of the Kingdom of Kandy by the British Empire.
January 1575: The Kingdom of Kandy, ruled by King Karaliyadde Bandara, was invaded in 1574 by the Kingdom of Sitawaka, led by King Mayadunne. This marked the beginning of a series of invasions and conflicts between the two kingdoms in the 16th century.
February 1575: The Kingdom of Kandy, ruled by King Karaliyadde Bandara, was invaded twice in the 1570s and 1580s. The first invasion occurred in 1574 by the Portuguese, led by Dom João Dharmapala. The Kingdom of Kandy successfully defended its territory against the Portuguese forces.
January 1582: The newly crowned king of Sithawaka Rajasinghe I. Rajasinghe succeeded in annexing the Kingdom of Kandy. The Kandyan king Karalliyadde Kumara Bandara (also known as Jayavira III) fled north to the Jaffna Kingdom.
January 1595: Resistance eventually coalesced around Konnappu Bandara, son of Wirasundara, who had fled to Portuguese lands following his father's murder by agents of Rajasinghe. Between 1591 and 1594, he returned to the area, seized the Kandyan throne under the name Wimaladharmasuriya I and married Dona Catherina. Victories over the Sithawakans and the Portuguese (who occupied Kandy briefly in 1592) secured his position.
January 1612: In 1611, Portuguese forces led by Captain General Jerónimo de Azevedo captured the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka in the name of the pretender Mayadunne of Uva. The city was torched once again during this conquest.
February 1612: After torching the city of Kandy, the Portuguese army left the city.
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.
Disestablishment
February 1815: The British forces entered Kandy.
March 1815: The Kandyan Convention was signed in 1815 between the British Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, marking the end of Kandyan rule in Sri Lanka. The treaty was signed by British Governor Robert Brownrigg and the Kandyan chiefs, leading to the annexation of the Kingdom of Kandy by the British Empire.
Kingdom of Kandy
