Kandyan Wars facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kandyan Wars
Hindoostan on the eve of the Second Kandyan War; the entirety of Sri Lanka is shown as being under British control, when in fact the kingdom of Kandy endured in the mountainous interior.
Date 1796–1818 Location Kingdom of Kandy Result British victory End of the Kandyan monarchy
Belligerents
Kandy	Kingdom of Great Britain Kandyan opposition
Commanders and leaders
King Vikrama Rajasinha  (POW) Dissawa Lewke	Frederick North Hay MacDowall Adam Davy Colonel Barbut Ehelepola Nilame Pilima Talawuwe Ratwatte Nilame
Units involved
Kingdom of Kandy's Army	Green Howards 19th Regiment of Foot King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 51st Regiment of Foot Ceylon Rifle Regiment

The Kandyan Wars were a series of conflicts between the British and the Kingdom of Kandy in what is now Sri Lanka. These wars took place from 1796 to 1818. They mainly involved the British Army's campaigns into the Kingdom of Kandy in 1803 and 1815. These wars ended Kandy's long independence and brought the entire island under British rule.

Why Did the Wars Happen?

For many years, the Dutch East India company controlled the coastal areas of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). They had taken these lands from the Portuguese. However, the Kingdom of Kandy remained independent in the central, mountainous parts of the island.

In 1795, France helped overthrow the Dutch government. This led to the creation of a new Dutch state that was controlled by France. Britain, which was at war with France, worried that France might gain control of important ports in Sri Lanka, like Trincomalee. So, Britain decided to take over the Dutch areas in Sri Lanka.

Britain quickly occupied all Dutch lands, including Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Galle, and Jaffna. This new British colony was called British Ceylon. The British wanted to control the whole island. They also started changing old ways of life, like the traditional system of work owed to the Kandyan king. These changes created a lot of tension with the independent Kingdom of Kandy.

The Kingdom of Kandy had been independent for 250 years, resisting European control. At this time, it was ruled by the Nayaka kings. The British tried to make a peace treaty with Kandy, but the king refused.

Inside Kandy, King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha faced problems. Powerful local nobles often worked against him. There was also a potential rival to the throne, Muttusami, who had fled to British territory and was trying to stir up trouble.

The British had a strong army of about 6,000 soldiers, plus local troops. They also had control of the sea. Kandy, on the other hand, had the advantage of its difficult, mountainous land. Its army had hundreds of years of experience fighting European powers.

First Kandyan War (1803–1805)

Terrain near Kandy; much of the Kingdom was mountainous, thickly forested and malarial, and the routes to Kandy were kept secret and well-guarded.

The first war began because a minister of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, named Pilimatalawe, secretly joined the British. He offered to show them the hidden mountain paths to the capital city of Kandy. The king was furious and had the minister's family killed.

The British sent two armies into Kandyan land. One came from Colombo and the other from Trincomalee. These armies included British soldiers and local troops. After some fighting, the British found the capital city deserted in February 1803. They set up a base and made Muttusami, the king's rival, the new king. He was a "puppet king," meaning he would do what the British wanted.

However, the British faced many problems. The minister who guided them had lied about how unpopular the king was. The Kandyan people fought back fiercely, using guerrilla warfare. This meant they used hit-and-run tactics and ambushes, which made them hard to defeat. Also, many British soldiers got sick from diseases, and some local troops joined the Kandyans.

In March, the Kandyans attacked and took back their capital. The British soldiers there were defeated. Only a few survived. The retreating British army was also defeated at the Mahaveli River.

Despite these losses, the British still controlled their own lands. The Kandyans tried to attack British territory later that year, but they were defeated by British firepower. A rebellion that started in British-controlled areas was also put down.

Frederick North, the British governor, kept up the pressure on Kandy. In 1804, he sent another force towards the capital, but the Kandyans defeated them again in their mountainous home. In 1805, Kandy captured a frontier town, Katuwana. However, these were Kandy's last major military successes.

The first war didn't end with a formal treaty. But when General Thomas Maitland became governor in 1805, it marked the end of this period of open fighting.

Between the Wars (1805–1815)

The ten years between the first and second wars changed things a lot. In 1805, the British faced a hostile Kandyan nobility. But by 1815, these same nobles actually invited the British into Kandy to help overthrow King Sri Vikrama Rajasingha.

Governor Thomas Maitland made many changes in British Ceylon. He reformed the government to reduce corruption and created a new court system. He also tried to weaken the power of Buddhist leaders.

Meanwhile, King Sri Vikrama Rajasingha became increasingly paranoid. He upset Kandy's powerful nobles and common people. For example, he built the Kandy Lake in 1807. It was beautiful, but it had no practical use and was very unpopular. In 1810, he removed Pilima Talauve, a powerful chief minister. When Talauve rebelled, the king had him executed. This shocked Kandy's nobles. The king also angered Buddhist leaders by taking their land and treasures.

During this time, a British official named John D'Oyly secretly talked with many Kandyan nobles. These nobles increasingly preferred British rule to their own king's unpredictable government.

Second Kandyan War (1815)

The events leading to the 1815 war began with the humiliation of Ehelepola. He was Pilima Talauve's nephew and the new chief minister. Ehelepola had been plotting against the unpopular King Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe. In 1814, his plots were discovered, and he fled to British territory. The furious king had Ehelepola's entire family killed in a very harsh way. This act shocked the Kandyan nobles, who openly rebelled against the king. The king then burned his palace and fled to a fortress.

John d'Oyly had told Governor Brownrigg that Kandy's nobles were ready to help the British remove King Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe. Soon, Kandyan troops crossed into British territory looking for Ehelepola and attacked a British base. This gave Governor Brownrigg a reason to send his army to Kandy.

The British forces met little resistance and entered Kandy on February 10, 1815. Governor Brownrigg announced that the British had entered Kandy with the invitation of the chiefs and the welcome of the people. The king was captured and sent away to Vellore Fort in India, where he died years later.

The most important event after the British arrived was the signing of the Kandyan Convention in March 1815. This was a treaty that officially made Kandy part of the British Empire. Key points of the agreement included:

• King Sri Wickrema Rajasinha lost all claims to the throne.
• His family's right to rule was ended.
• All his male relatives were sent away from the island.
• The British monarch now ruled Kandy through colonial governors. However, local Kandyan officials kept some of their rights and powers.
• The Buddhist religion was declared safe and would be protected.
• Harsh punishments like torture were abolished.
• Only the governor could order a death sentence.
• Justice for Kandyans would follow their own customs, but the British government could step in if needed.
• Trade would be controlled by the governor.

The convention was signed by Governor Brownrigg, Ehelepola, and several Kandyan nobles. John d'Oyly, who became the British Resident (a kind of governor) in the area, also signed as a witness.

The nobles hoped that by bringing in the British, they were just replacing one ruler (the Nayaka monarchy) with another (the British) who would be easier to control. Ehelepola himself might have hoped to become the new ruler.

The nobles and religious leaders also insisted on including a clause to protect Buddhism. They met with Governor Brownrigg and got a promise that Buddhism would not be harmed. This included a ban on Christian missionaries trying to convert people.

Third Kandyan War (1817–1818)

It took less than two years for the Kandyan ruling families to realize that British rule was very different from their old monarchy. They became unhappy with British actions, and this led to a rebellion in 1817. This uprising is often called the 'Uva Rebellion' or the 'Third Kandyan War'.

This rebellion was a guerrilla war led by the Kandyan nobility who were unhappy with British rule since 1815. It was the last major uprising of its kind. The British response to this rebellion basically ended the power of the old Kandyan aristocracy. This made sure that future rebellions would be much smaller and less powerful.

The Ceylon Medal was created in 1819 to honor bravery during the Kandyan Wars.

What Changed After the Wars?

The British capture of Kandy ended the 400-year-old Kingdom of Kandy. It also meant the end of all native political independence in Sri Lanka. Kandy, which had been isolated, had developed unique cultural and social ways. Now, it faced huge changes under outside rule.

Before 1815, much of Kandy's land was undeveloped, with only rough dirt roads. The British changed this by building roads across difficult mountains, like the Kadugannawa Pass. In 1867, they built the first railway.

Another big change was the introduction of tea to central Sri Lanka in 1867. This led to many Tamil people settling in the region to work on the tea plantations. Today, central Sri Lanka is covered with vast tea estates. These helped make Sri Lanka one of the world's biggest tea exporters for a while.

See also

• Matale rebellion
• Kandyan Convention
• Colonial history of Sri Lanka