Invasions of Kandy

Invasions of Kandy: Kandy, a feudal kingdom based around a central Sri Lanka city, was aided in its offensive and defensive endeavors by the native's familiarity with the territory and their ability to seemingly melt into the jungle at will. These qualities helped them combat the Europeans that persistently invaded the coasts of Sri Lanka.

Portuguese invasions in the 16th century and 17th century were entirely unsuccessful. The kingdom tolerated a Dutch presence on the coast until 1761, when Kirti Sri attacked and overran most of the coast, leaving only the heavily fortified Negombo intact. When a Dutch retaliatory force returned to the island in 1763, Sri abandoned the coastline and withdrew into the interior. When the Dutch continued to the jungles the next year, they were constantly harassed by disease, heat, lack of provisions, and Kandyan sharpshooters, who hid in the jungle and inflicted heavy losses on the Dutch. The Dutch launched a better adapted force in January of 1765, replacing their troops' bayonets with machetes and using more practical uniforms and tactics suited to speedy movement. They were initially successful, capturing the capital, but they took a deserted city, and the Kandyans withdrew to the jungles once more, refusing to engage in open battle. The Dutch, worn down by constant attrition, came to terms in 1766.

The Kandyans remained free until their kingdom was handed down to British Crown. This happened in 1815, when a group of Sinhalese nobles who were displeased with the king made a pact with the British Governor. None of the three colonial powers in Sri Lanka (Protugese, Dutch and British) could take Kandy by force.