Kingdom of Kandy

Kingdom of Kandy
Janith (talk) 03:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC) Original uploader was Uvants2 at en.wi · Public domain · source
Conventional long name	Kingdom of Kandy
Native name	මහනුවර රාජධානිය (Sinhala), கண்டி இராச்சியம் (Tamil)
Common name	Kandy
Era	Early Modern Period
Government type	Monarchy
Year start	1469
Year end	1815
Event end	Kandyan Convention
P1	Kingdom of Kotte
S1	British Ceylon
Image map caption	The Kingdom of Kandy in the 16th century.
Capital	Kandy
Common languages	Sinhala, Tamil
Religion	Theravada Buddhism, Hinduism
Title leader	Monarch
Leader1	Sena Sammatha Wickramabahu (first)
Year leader1	1469–1511
Leader2	Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (last)
Year leader2	1798–1815

Kingdom of Kandy. The Kingdom of Kandy was a sovereign monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in its central highlands, which lasted from the late 15th century until its annexation by the British Empire in 1815. It is historically significant for its prolonged and often fierce resistance to European colonialism, particularly against the Portuguese Empire and the Dutch East India Company (VOC), becoming a key theater of conflict and diplomacy during the era of Dutch colonization in Southeast Asia. The kingdom's strategic interior location and its complex political and military engagements with European powers make it a critical case study in indigenous sovereignty and colonial expansion.

Origins and Early History

The Kingdom of Kandy emerged in 1469, founded by Sena Sammatha Wickramabahu, a royal descendant from the Kingdom of Kotte on the island's southwestern coast. Its establishment was partly a response to the fragmentation of the Sinhalese kingdoms and the need for a secure capital in the mountainous interior, away from coastal threats. The kingdom's heartland, known as the Kandyan region, was defined by its rugged terrain, which provided a natural fortress and became central to its identity and defensive strategy. Early Kandyan society was structured around a feudal system led by the king and a class of aristocratic officials known as the Radala, with Theravada Buddhism and the custodianship of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy serving as pillars of royal legitimacy and Sinhalese culture.

Relations with European Powers

The arrival of the Portuguese Empire in Sri Lanka in 1505 initiated a prolonged period of conflict, as the Portuguese sought to control the island's lucrative cinnamon trade and spread Catholicism. The Kingdom of Kandy, under rulers like Vimaladharmasuriya I, engaged in both warfare and tactical alliances with the Portuguese, while simultaneously contending with the rival Kingdom of Sitawaka. This dynamic shifted with the entry of the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. Seeing the Dutch as potential allies to expel the Portuguese, King Rajasinghe II entered into a landmark agreement, the Treaty of Batticaloa in 1638. This marked the beginning of a complex and often adversarial relationship, as Dutch commercial and territorial ambitions soon clashed with Kandyan sovereignty, drawing the kingdom directly into the orbit of Dutch colonization in Southeast Asia.

Dutch-Kandy Wars and Conflict

The alliance between Kandy and the Dutch East India Company quickly deteriorated into a series of conflicts known as the Dutch–Kandyan Wars. Following the successful joint expulsion of the Portuguese by 1658, the Dutch refused to hand over captured coastal territories, instead consolidating their own control over the Maritime Provinces. This betrayal led to open warfare, including the Kandyan Expedition of 1765 where Dutch forces, under Governor Iman Willem Falck, invaded the highlands but were ultimately repelled by Kandyan guerrilla tactics and the harsh terrain. The wars were characterized by a pattern of Dutch attempts to impose monopolies on trade, particularly in cinnamon, pearls, and elephants, and Kandyan resistance that leveraged its geographical advantages and occasional alliances with other European rivals like the British East India Company.

Treaty of Batticaloa and Dutch Influence

The Treaty of Batticaloa was a pivotal but fraught agreement. In exchange for Dutch military aid against the Portuguese, King Rajasinghe II granted the VOC extensive trading privileges. However, the treaty's terms were ambiguous regarding sovereignty, allowing the Dutch to later claim suzerainty over Kandyan lands—a claim the kingdom consistently rejected. Despite the conflict, a period of nominal peace after 1766 saw increased Dutch influence, particularly in economic spheres. The Dutch established trading posts and exerted pressure on Kandyan commerce, yet their control rarely extended beyond the low country coasts. The kingdom maintained its internal autonomy, and Dutch influence was often checked by the resilient Kandyan administrative system and the political power of the Buddhist clergy.

Internal Administration and Society

The internal administration of the Kingdom of Kandy was a blend of traditional Sinhalese governance and adaptations for survival. The king ruled with the counsel of a council of ministers, the Maha Naduvam, and a network of provincial governors called Disavas. The economy was primarily agrarian, based on a feudal Rajakariya system that the Great Rebellion of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of Kandy (disavakariya, the Kingdom of the Kingdom of Kandy, the Kingdom of Kandy, the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of Kandy, the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of Kandy, the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom of the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom of Kandy, the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom of the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom of Kandy Convention, the Kingdom of the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of the Kingdom the0, the0, the The Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the Kingdom the0, the2.