Lascarins
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As Lascarins (or Lascareen, Lascoreen, Lascarine, Lascorins ) ( Sinhalese ලස්කිරිඤ්ඤ laskirigngna ) native soldiers in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ) were named who were in Portuguese service when the colonial power ruled parts of the island between 1505 and 1658. The designation was later also adopted by the Dutch and British on native Ceylonese troops until 1930. Lascarins also played an important role again and again on campaigns by Sinhalese empires.
etymology
The name is derived from the Persian "Lascar" ( Persian لشکر) that is pronounced "Laschkar". It means "army camp" or "army". The word is related to the Arabic "Askar" ( Arabic عسكر) for "guard" or "soldier" ( see also: Askari ). The Portuguese turned it into “lasquarin” or “lascarim” for Asian auxiliary soldiers or seafarers. With the latter meaning, the word was taken over into English as "lascar", while in Sri Lanka it retained the military meaning and can also be found in India as "Gun Lascar". Further adaptations are in Dutch "lascorijn" and in English "lascariin", "lascarine", or "lascoreen".
history
The Portuguese settled on Ceylon from 1505 and initially controlled the island's foreign trade from Colombo . After the Wijayaba Kollaya , the assassination of King Vijayabahu VII of Kotte in 1521 by his three sons and the subsequent division of the empire, the Portuguese were drawn into the power struggles within Ceylon. Since the colonial power only had a few soldiers of its own in Asia, local mercenaries were hired to protect and enforce the interests of Portugal and the allied kingdom of Kotte. Most of the Lascarins were Sinhalese who had converted to the Catholic faith , like Karava or Niar sometimes also Tamils . During this time, many members of the local royal family adopted the Catholic faith. After the Portuguese took direct control of large parts of the island (including the kingdom of Kotte), many soldiers of the subjugated empires became Lascarins so that they could maintain their social rank.
In nearly every early battle the Portuguese fought in Ceylon, Lascarins formed the majority of their armies. In the battles against the Ceylonese empires, the Portuguese also benefited from the geographic knowledge of the Lascarins. But again and again Lascarins changed fronts during the fight and suddenly fought on the side of the local empires. In Danture campaign in 1594 suddenly the army of King doubled in this way Vimaladharmasuriya I. of Kandy and 1630 were running during the Battle of Randeniwela almost all Lascarins to Kandy on what among other things, the death of Captain General Constantino de Sá de Noronha meant . Therefore, the Portuguese began to recruit troops in India, Africa and the Malay Archipelago and bring them to Ceylon. From the Africans a separate ethnic group of Sri Lanka emerged, the Sri Lanka Kaffirs ( Portuguese Cafrinhas , Sinhalese කාපිරි , Tamil காப்பிலி ) . Lascarins also took part on both sides in the Dutch-Portuguese War that brought the end of the Portuguese presence in Ceylon in 1658. The Lascarins continued to exist under the Dutch (1640–1796).
Under the British, the Lascarins lost their military importance and blossomed into ceremonial guards. The powerful Mudaliyars kept small units that acted as bodyguards with the approval of the British administration.
The Lascarins formed the guardians of the Maldives delegation when they paid their annual tribute to the British Governor of Ceylon and are now the guard of honor when the Royal Family of the United Kingdom visits Sri Lanka. The Lascarins became official with the closure of the Native Department and the consequent end of the appointment of Mudaliyars in the 1930s. Only their ceremonial activities remained.
structure
The Lascarins were divided into "ranchuwas" (randje) , which means company. Each consisted of two to three native leaders (Mohandiram, Arachchies or Kankanis) and 24 subordinates. Some ranchus were under the Mudaliyars of the Korals , as the administrative divisions on Ceylon were called.
A Lascarin guard in British times was under the command of a Basnayake Muhandiram . “Basnayake” is derived from the Dutch words “baas” and “naik” means chief. "Muhandiram" is an honorary title given to local officials in the administrative hierarchy. The Lascorans of each Korale were commanded by the local Mudaliyar, whose military rank corresponded to a captain in the British Army. Beneath him was the "Muhandiram", who was like a lieutenant. "Cangaans" or "Kanganies" acted as NCOs, analogous to the sergeant. The common soldier was simply called "Lascoreens".
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b João Ribeiro: The Historic Tragedy of the Island of Ceilão , pp. 20, 91–92 , ISBN 81-206-1334-1 .
- ↑ a b V. Vriddhagirisan: Nayaks of Tanjore , pp. 80 & 91 , ISBN 978-81-206-0996-9 .
- ↑ Oxford English Dictionary: Lascorine
- ^ Nira Wickramasinghe: Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A History of Contested Identities . C Hurst & Co Publishers ,, ISBN 978-1-85065-807-8 , p. 13.
- ^ Colonial Voyage: The Portuguese in Ceylon: Before the war with the Dutch , accessed November 1, 2016.
- ↑ defonseka.com: Our Man in Cochin ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Philip Baldaeus: Description of the Great and Most Famous Isle of Ceylon , pp. 795-799 , ISBN 81-206-1172-1 .
- ↑ Tissa Devendra: Memorable Queens of the Maldives , January 1, 2011 , accessed November 1, 2016.
- ^ MW Jurriaanse: Catalog of the Archives of the Dutch Central Government of Coastal Ceylon, 1640–1796, Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka, Colombo, 1943 , accessed November 1, 2016.
- ↑ 'THE LASCOREEN GUARD: GOVT. PROVIDES NEW UNIFORM: THE GUARD TO FEATURE IN THE PRINCE'S PARADE ', Ceylon Observer, 1 March 1922 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
