History of Sri Lanka and significant World events from 1505 AD to 1796 AD

World events are in normal letters and Sri Lanka History events are highlighted in BOLD LETTERS

1638 Dutch makes the deal with Lankan King Dutch had the largest merchant fleet in the world. They had the latest and superior equipment, arms & ammo than Portugese who were a declining power. They recruited mercenaries from Scandinavia and Germany when manpower was needed. After several visits made by the Dutch envoys through the east coast, Sinhala king Rajasingha-2 decided to enter into the treaty proposed by the Dutch. It looked like a mutually beneficial one. Dutch insisted on the monopoly of spice trade, specially cinnamon. Sinhala king was to reimburse the cost of the war, back to the Dutch over the years. Lankan King was under the impression that he was hiring mercenaries to get rid of Portugese. The Dutch only used Lanka with meanness, and false respect and humbleness, which fooled the Sinhalese who judged people on what they say.

1638 Dutch introduce humble & cunning tactics They were merchants who intended to stay on as long as possible, using military power and humble or cunning tactics to maintain control. They just used Lanka with meanness, false respect and humbleness which fooled the Sinhalese who judged people on what they say.

1638 Dutch fool the Sinhalese with humble & cunning tactics. Dutch were mainly concerned with business, instead of territorial rule. Yet they would turn to inhuman violence without hesitation if business were threatened. Sinhalese who thought that all whitemen were the same, failed to notice this difference between the Portugese and the Dutch. Some Sinhalese actually thought that the Dutch were good.

1638 The War on Portugese with Dutch help, Begins First attack was on the Portugese fort in Batticaloa. It was attacked by the Sinhala army from the ground and by the Dutch ships from the sea. In May 1638, they surrendered.

1638 Palugama becomes Palukamman Rajasingha-2 used this village at the mouth of the river in Gal Oya, as his base camp in his attack on the Portugese fort in the island of Puliyanduwa. By 1814 the name of this Sinhala village was changed from Palugama to Palukamman. It has been suspected that the Tamil missionaries were responsible for the creation of this devious long term plan to carve out a separate Tamil state.

1639 Kallar : Sinhala village becomes a Tamil village Lankan King Rajasingha-2 then led the Lankan army to Trincomalee. He assaulted the Portugese fort in the Trincomalee hill. The Dutch warships bombarded the fort. The base camp of the Lankan army was a Sinhala village whose name had now been changed to Kallar.

1639 Lankan Cinnamon : the best in the world Dutch realises that Lankan cinnamon is the best in the world. They decide to monopolise on that trade.

1640 Coke is made out of cole for the first time Coke is made for the first time. It was made out of Cole.

1640 Desperate Portugese demands 50% more cinnamon, even from children Portugese increased the amount of cinnamon a family should supply to them from 460,000 pounds to 630,000 pounds. Even children above the age of 12 years, were ordered to supply a quantity of cinnamon. People became very unhappy about this labour-exploitation. But they had no one they could complain to.

1640 Portugal gain freedom: 60 year Spanish rule ends After the death of king Henry of Portugal, Philip II, King of Spain, invaded Portugal. This was the beginning of the 60 year Spanish rule in Portugal. As Spanish went to war with the British, Portugese had to pay heavy war taxes. Portugese even lost the East to the Dutch and the English. Only in 1640, Portuguese patriots, with the backing of France, liberated themselves from the Spanish rule. Then they even managed to retake Brazil from the Dutch. Later, Portugese Royalty would escape to Brazil as Napoleon invaded Portugal.

1640 Sinhalese realises for the First time that Dutch are fooling them : Dutch gives excuses to keep Colombo & Negombo Dutch handed over Batticaloa and Trinco to Kandy. But they kept Galle and Negombo under Dutch rule in order to keep monopoly on trade. Hinting about a huge final war-bill, the Dutch gave an excuse that the Sinhalese might not be able to pay the total cost of the war. Sinhalese realised for the first time that they had been fooled by the Dutch. By the time the Sinhalese noticed the wolf under the sheep's skin, they had a stronger enemy to face, than the Portugese.

1640 "Village headman must be a Christian" Dutch imposed this rule after realising that there were enough applicants for the job.

1644 Weakened Ming Dynasty lose China to Manchurians The proof that the hunger for power blinds all selfish rulers, came not only from Lanka. After expensive wars at the frontiers, the Chinese Ming dynasty ended up with an empty treasury. Rebellions broke out in famine struck villages. When some rebel peasants took Beijing, the Mings asked for help from the Manchus, who had recently gained power in Manchuria. Once inside China, the Manchus refused to leave. Ming emperor committed suicide. The weakened Mings were pushed to southern China. They were unable to dislodge the Manchus. In 1644 the invaders established a new Chinese dynasty, the Manchu, or Qing, dynasty. They spent the next 40 years crushing the last resistance in southern China.

1648 30 year religious War ends in Europe The ruling elite of the regional kingdoms used the religious hostilities of the Reformists (mainly Germans, French, Swedish, Norway, Danish and Dutch kingdoms) and the Counter-Reformists ( mainly Austria, Spain backed by the Roman Catholic church), to wage war with political objectives. This 30 year war in Europe changed the history of Europe. A peacepact favourable to the Reformists ended this war in 1648 as Roman Catholics agreeing to tolerate Lutheranism, Catholicism, and Calvinism. Reformists France became the main power in Europe. Switzerland and Netherland gained independence. Holy Roman Empire, with their strongest supporters Austria and Spain, became weaker. But the biggest damage was suffered by the reformist Germany who lost 20% of the population and many Germans becoming refugees with the economy almost destroyed. That slowed the progress of Germany for many more years.

1648 Dutch ends the 80 year war to become a nation In the Treaty of Munster, which ended both the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War, gave international recognition to the Dutch nation.

1649 Beheading the king & establishing the British Commonwealth King of England, Charles I, wanted to reduce the power of the Parliament. In 1642, he started a civil war against the parliament. In 1649, he was defeated and was beheaded. The Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell, also abolished the monarchy, the upper house of parliament, and the House of Lords. The parliament declared Britain as a republic, called the Commonwealth.

1649 "I would have been glad to have lived under my Woodside, and to have kept a flock of sheep, rather than to have undertaken this government” Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the British Parliament brought Ireland and Scotland into the Commonwealth by force. He then began to have problems with the parliament itself, regarding the changes to the constitution. At the end a frustrated Cromwell told his own Parliament - “I would have been glad to have lived under my Woodside, and to have kept a flock of sheep, rather than to have undertaken this government.”

1650 Within 60 years, greedy world creates "Slavery for life" Within 60 years, the greed replaced reasoning and humanity. European Colonists got addicted to the advantages of slave labour. New laws were passed in Virginia, America by 1650, declaring that black slaves, and their children and the children's children, would be servants FOR LIFE.

1650 British & Danish trade ships begin trade through Trinco- But they are reluctant to fight the Dutch Dutch admiral in Colombo badly wanted to end these visits by the British and the Danish ships. But he was advised by Betavia not to wage war until the captured areas were fully consolidated. king of Kandy was eager to establish contacts with the new foreigners. Dutch then wanted to win King of Kandy to their side. king of Kandy didn't get a good feedback from the new foreigners. They were reluctant mainly because of the cost of taking on the Dutch militarily.

1652 First Europeans in South Africa In 1652 the Dutch East India company established the first European settlement in South Africa on the Cape of Good Hope.

1652 22 year Anglo-Dutch War begins In May, 1652, the inevitable war for supremacy erupted as Dutch and English ships clashed. Dutch merchant fleet, unprepared for attacks by clever well-organised British Navy, suffered huge losses. Dutch were reduced to convoy protectors. The Dutch fleet was humiliated and scattered after the Battle of the Gabbard in June, 1653. British established a blockade of the Dutch coast. The turning point came as the French entered the war in January 1666. British fleet was defeated in the Four Days' Battle in June. The British, affected by plague and the Great Fire of London, could no longer afford sea battles. The Dutch exploited their enemy's exhaustion and made a treaty with the British in 1674.

1656 Colombo taken by the Sinhala army & Dutch In May, Sinhala army & the Dutch forces won Colombo.

1658 Dutch orders Death Penalty on those who protect Roman Catholics As they embarked on promoting their version of Christianity, the Dutch Reformed Church, the Dutch government ordered that any person who protects a Roman Catholic would get the death penalty. Sinhalese in Lanka would take great risks in protecting the unfortunate Roman Catholics from death and destruction.

1658 Tajmahal, one of the world's most perfect buildings, built entirely of marbles, is finished. One of the most beautiful monuments in the world, the Taj Mahal in India, was completed in 1658. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628-1658) built it in the honour of his favourite wife. It was a classic combination of Indian and Persian architecture. Designed by two Iranian architects, the Taj Mahal was surrounded by four spires and topped by a 24-m (80-ft) dome. It has a well-placed pond at the front, which reflects the beauty of the monument.

1658 Last of the great Mughal emperor comes to power in India Aurangzeb (reigned 1658-1707) was the last of the great Mughal emperors of India. Under him the Moghul empire had the largest land mass. He was the third son of Shah Jahan. When his sick father abdicated in 1657, Aurangzeb subdued his 3 brothers and his own son, to become the emperor. He was a shrewd military leader, a brilliant ruler with an administrative talent and cunning statesmanship. He called himself “Conqueror of the World” and crushed many rebellions by the Afgans, Rajputs, and Sikhs. But he failed to conquer the Marathas of Maharashtra. The Marathas, who were Scytho-Dravidian people, weakened the Mughal empire to it's foundations by inflicting losses on Mughal armies in the Deccan and the western India. He even died while waging war on the Marathas. After his death, Moghul empire became weak internally, and India broke into smaller kingdoms. Then the British would take these smaller kingdoms one by one.

1658 Last great Mughal emperor abolishes religious tolerance Aurangzeb (reigned 1658-1707), the last of the great Mughal emperors of India, was a fanatical Muslim. His policies adopted narrow Islamic orthodox views. He very unwisely ended the religious tolerance practiced by the Moghuls. He ruled over the Hindu majority by ruthless force, generating hatred towards Moghul rule. When he ordered the execution of the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, Tegh Bahadur, the Sikhs also started to hate his rule.

1658 Mughal Empire of India, fights on multiple fronts In northern India itself, in the Mathura and Agra areas, the Jat landlords and their peasants repeatedly rebelled. In Punjab the rebels who embraced Sikhism, became ferociously hostile guerrillas. Emperor Aurangzeb, last great Mughal emperor of India, called himself “Conqueror of the World” and crushed rebellions by the Afgans and Rajputs in 1681. Heading south, he conquered Bijapur (1686), Golconda (1687) and demanded tribute from Tanjore (now Thanjavur) and Trichinopoly (now Tiruchchirappalli) in 1691. But he failed to conquer the Marathas of Maharashtra. The Marathas, who were Scytho-Dravidian people, weakened the Mughal empire to it's foundations by inflicting losses on Mughal armies in the Deccan and the western India. He even died while waging war on the Marathas.

1658 Sinhala Army & the Dutch takes Jaffna from Portugese Combined forces of the Dutch & the Sinhala army took Jaffna after beating the Portugese there. There was NO Tamil rebel presence in Jaffna. If not for the Dutch, the Central Government of Lanka would have appointed the local Governer as usual.

1658 At the end of campaign on Portugese, Dutch cheats Sinhalese by giving a huge war bill - War with Dutch begins After defeating the Portugese, the Dutch forwarded a massive final bill to the king of Kandy. Even in that, the Dutch had undervalued the income from spices ( mainly cinnamon, and arecanut ), elephants, and the land revenue. Angry King decided to turn hostile, realising the cunningness of all the Europeans. Sinhala army began to mount raids in to western province.

1659 Dutch Admiral Ryklof Van Goens, is controlled by Batavia Dutch admiral wanted to go on the offensive and take the whole east coast from the Kandyan rule. He took Kalpitiya, a port owned by the Kandy king. But he was advised by Betavia to consolidate the areas first and not to wage war for further gains. He was advised to be in peace with king of Kandy as he might turn to the British or French or Danish for help. Therefore he gave Kalpitiya back to Kandy. The main reason why Betavia didn't want war, was they didn't have many military resources at their disposal.

1659 Suggestions to move Dutch Asia HQ from Betavia to Lanka Admiral Goen believed that Lanka was a better place than Betavia, to be the Asian headquarters of the Dutch.

1660 Dutch farmers named Boers, begin to migrate to South Africa.

1660 4th April, 1660- Robert Knox is captured : He records the sorry tale of the Sinhalese who are struggling to maintain their principles in life against powerful and different invading elements Lankan Army captured a British ship that arrived in Trinco. Among the crew was the 19 year old son of the ship captain. He would live 19 years as a captive and wrote down a critical account of the Sinhalese, whom he didn't like. He wrote about the huge variety of vegetables they eat, long ages and the healthiness of the Sinhalese. He also wrote that everyone was a doctor for themselves, that men were not jealous of their wives who had the freedom to associate other men as they please, that many wealthy people having enough servants and slaves. He also wrote about the trend that the Portugese had set, in making kings, specially king Rajasinghe-2, to resort to inhuman cruelty to maintain power. He said that the people had lost respect for the king. He also mentioned how respectful the Sinhalese were to foreign religions like Christianity. He mentioned that the Sinhalese were not discriminating against the Catholics though they had a dubious reputation of supporting the invaders. He mentioned despite that fact, the Sinhalese were treating them fairly.

1660 Sinhalese rescues Muslims again as Dutch chases them away from coastal business ventures : Sinhalese even let Muslims build Mosques in Buddhist temples Muslims of the west coast, had been largely ignoring to pay respect to the Lankan king. For them, Lankan king had no meaning or value except when getting trade items from the interior. Now threatened and chased away from the west, the Muslims go to the Lankan King asking for help. Lankan King, with typical Sinhalese kindness, resettled them in Batticaloa and Kandy. They were even allowed to build mosques in the premises of two Buddhist temple premises. One was at Pangollamada mosque in Degaldoruwa Vihara, and the second in Rambukandana mosque in Kurunegala Ridi Viharaya. Muslims were allowed to be part of the Kandyan society, while preserving their identity and religion. This is a classic example to show who the Sinhalese were, and how fair they had been, and what kind of fairness the Sinhalese must have expected in return from the Muslims. 1660 Re-establishing British monarchy over the commonwealth The overriding power of the Parliament, named Commonwealth,.ended in 1660. Charles II, the new English King restored the supreme power of the King over the parliament. He turned England back to a course of moderate Protestantism.

1663 Ottoman Turks invade Hungary

1663 Dutch become the sole power in South Asia Dutch became the sole power in South Asia after capturing the last Portugese forts along the Indian coasts.

1665 Shameful & Selfish request to Dutch by Rajasinghe-2 to crush Kandy rebellion by Ambanwala Rala Power-hungry King Rajasinghe-2, whose cruelty has made him unpopular among people, shamelessly asked for Dutch help to destroy Ambanwala Rala. Dutch took maximum use of this golden opportunity. They consolidated further into the Kandyan territory which they had wanted.

1665 Foolish King in Kandy destroys Ambanwala Rala, but loses all major ports, tax, and the trade profits A happy Dutch admiral Goen placed his troops and local collaborating troops in Ruwanvella and Bibilegama in order to expand deeper into Lankan king's territory. Under the disguise of strengthening the army against Ambanwala Rala, Dutch invited loyal Sinhalese families to move from the King's territory into the new Dutch territory, to create a Dutch-friendly population. Dutch wanted more local collaborators in order to take Kandy. Dutch also wanted to tax and collect the profits from the harvest belonging to these people. Dutch admiral Goen increased naval patrols in the east, finally grabbing Batticaloa and Kottiyar bay. Dutch even took over the land all the way up to Alavwa near MahaOya. Thus, Foolish King in Kandy ended up destroying Ambanwala Rala, but lost all major ports and the tax, and the trade profits of the population acquired by the Dutch.

1667 Colombo Dutch are so sure of idiocy of Sinhala rulers, they even ignore Betavia's advice Unable to send anymore military reinforcements due to lack of manpower, Betavia advised the Dutch Governor in Colombo, who was the son of the aging Admiral Goen, to offer Kandy the lands occupied in 1665 in return for peace. Senior Goen was so sure of idiocy of the Sinhalese rulers, he advised his son not to do so. So the father and the Governor son, withheld the offer. They never made that offer to the King of Lanka. A power-hungry selfish Lankan king couldn't see how weak and how limited were Dutch resources. Lankan king missed a golden opportunity to free Lanka.

1668 Helpless people are angry as Dutch ordered Cinnamon compulsory Dutch redistributed the new land they acquired among the local population, favouring the collaborators. Collaboration, became the only way to prosper. Then the Dutch ordered the Lankans to grow cinnamon at least in one third of the land they owned. People who were used to prioritising on Rice and vegetables, were angry for having someone ordering them to grow something in huge quantities that they couldn't eat. Having used to self-sufficiency all their life time, they were not happy to depend on the little money they get paid, for what they grow.

1668 Seven Year Freedom Struggle - starts in Kadawata In September 1668, people of Kadawata started a huge revolt for freedom against the Dutch rule. During the next seven years, it spread to other parts of the country. Then it was crushed using the collaborating locals. Lankans were killing eachother, while the foreigner was laughing in Colombo. Instead of freeing the country, the greedy collaborators found it easier to rape the country, and the people.

1669 Dutch Power Peaks The Dutch East India company, even at their peak of power in 1669, had 40 warships, 150 merchant ships, and only 10,000 soldiers. They were mostly mercenaries who were enlisted from Scandinavia and Germany. Annual dividends paid between 1602 and 1696, were never less than 12 per cent and sometimes as high as 63 per cent. But corruption, rise of British and French threats, and the harsh policies towards the natives caused the rapid decline of this Dutch company. After 1724, the Company was able to pay dividends only by the extra taxes collected from the natives. As British began attacking them in 1780, they were powerless to stop it. In 1799 the company went into liquidation. The Dutch government then took over what was left of the company.

1670 Revolt develops into South-west coast, Kottiyar, Trinco & Batticaloa Lankan king Rajasinghe helped the freedom fighters, hoping that he could get the French to attack the Dutch at the same time. The French were establishing trade in the Indian coasts. The revolt developed into Batticaloa, Trinco & Kottiyar bay.

1670 Madhu Church is built as Sinhalese saves the Catholics from massacre Helana, a daughter of a Portugese general who wanted to place the statue of Mary that the fleeing Catholics were carrying away from the Dutch, built this church. The Dutch were persecuting the Catholics demanding them to convert to their version of Christianity. The Sinhalese saved the fleeing Catholics. Sinhala king even built new villages with Churches, for them to settle down and live in. Lankan Catholics, whose church is famous today for having elements who support the ethnic rebels and their inaction against the systematic predatory tactics of the evangelic Christian movements, should remember this.

1671 French checks Lanka A French squadron under the command of Admiral DE La Haye arrived in Kottiyar bay. They held talks with Rajasinghe-2 who was desperate to get their help at this crucial time of the rebellion. French refused, as it would be too costly to them to enter into a war against the Dutch. The Dutch rushed their warships and troops to Trincomalee. The French who were reluctant to fight, withdrew their fleet.

1672 First detailed map of Jaffna The first detailed map of Jaffna was compiled by Rev. Phillipus Baldeas (1672). It showed all the villages and the adjoining islands. It was also a proof that the so called "Kingdom of Jaffna" did not extend to the mainland, but was confined to only to the Peninsula and the islands.

1674 22 year Anglo-Dutch War ends In May, 1652, the inevitable war for supremacy erupted as Dutch and English ships clashed. Dutch merchant fleet, unprepared for attacks by clever well-organised British Navy, suffered huge losses. Dutch were reduced to convoy protectors. The Dutch fleet was humiliated and scattered after the Battle of the Gabbard in June, 1653. British established a blockade of the Dutch coast. The turning point came as the French entered the war in January 1666. British fleet was defeated in the Four Days' Battle in June. The British, affected by plague and the Great Fire of London, could no longer afford sea battles. The Dutch exploited their enemy's exhaustion and made a treaty with the British in 1674.

1675 Seven Year Freedom Struggle is crushed In September 1668, people of Kadawata had started a freedom struggle which spread to other parts of the country rapidly. They were fighting mainly the local collaborators who enjoyed benefits under the invader. Lankans were killing eachother, while the foreigner was laughing in Colombo. Instead of freeing the country, the greedy collaborators found it easier to rape the country, and the people. Dutch managed to win only because of the native collaborators. They lost only Bibilegama which remained in Kandyan hands thereafter.

1678 Senior Admiral Goen is promoted to Governer General in Betavia. His shrewd social tactics brought the Dutch, whose military power was very limited, to victory. In recognition of his results, Senior Admiral Goen, father of the Dutch Governer in Colombo, was promoted to Governer General in Betavia.

1681 Admiral Goen retires in Betavia Senior Admiral Goen retired in Betavia as a sick and a disappointed man. He was upset that he couldn't gain Kandy before he retired in Betavia. After his retirement, the new Governer in Lanka, Laurens Pyl, was able to reconsider the peace offer that was never made to the King of Lanka.

1681 Dutch decided to hold back the offer as the old King was sick As an 80 year old Rajasinghe-2 was sick, Dutch Governer in Colombo decided to hold back the peace deal again. They wanted to see who would succeed Rajasingha-2. If the successor was a weak king, the Dutch saw no reason as to why the peacepact should be offered.

1681 Dutch pretends humbleness till king dies. Many Lankans who accepted the foreign rule, learn such tactics to be normal and "not shameful" A shrewd Dutch General knelt before the king Rajasinghe-2, describing how famous he was internationally for his valour and royalty. That was pure nonsense. The Dutch pretended friendliness and cooperation. The foolish king fell into their trap. The Dutch agreed to open forts to allow limited trade for the Lankan king. The Dutch sent gifts to the king and the nobles. The Dutch also pretended to seek permission, before they did minor activities like sending peelers into the forest for cinnamon peeling. Dutch managed to win the trust of egoistic Kandyans rulers.

1681 Sri Lanka ; Queen of all islands John De Lacome of Coversi, France is on the record saying "Island of Sri Lanka is the queen of all island kingdoms" in 1681.

1684 Whole of China fall under Manchu rule As the last resistance in the South China crumbled, whole of China was under the Manchu rule. The Manchu Kings, like other conquerors before them, absorbed the traditional Chinese culture. The government bureaus in the capital had both a Chinese and a Manchu head. The Manchu's continued with the Confucian examinations for admission to the public service.

1687 Death of Rajasinghe-2 : The Last Sinhalese king the Dutch feared After his death, his son Vimaladarmasuriya-2 became king. He also enjoyed the humbleness and the cooperation of the Dutch initially. In two years he realised the game the Dutch were playing, as disagreements in the monopoly of trade surfaced.

1687 Dutch helps the king with ships to Bring a South Indian Bride As a tactic to keep the Lankan King happy, Dutch helped Lanka with transportation of the new Bride for the Lankan king from Madurai ( She came from a Teligu speaking Nayakkar community, who had moved to Coromandel coast when the Muslims invaded ). To keep the Buddhists happy, the Dutch helped Lanka to bring Buddhist monks from Burma, to revive the Buddhism.

1687 New King tries to win people by reviving Buddhism King Vimaladarmasuriya-2 tried to win back the people who disliked his father's cruelty. He turned to religion, and built a new 3-storey palace for the Tooth relic. He restarted the annual Royal visit to Sri Padaya.

1688 Dutch tricks Sinhalese by saying "yes" to Vimaladarmasuriya-2's demand for the ports. Both sides have no strength to wage war. In order to abolish the unfair monopoly the Dutch had on the resources of the land, Lankan King demanded for free access in the ports. Dutch, very reluctant to war, gave them, but resorted to very crafty tactics. The Dutch got their ports in India, not to issue passports to ships otherthan those coming to Colombo, Galle and Jaffna which were held by the Dutch. Sinhalese finally learnt this and reacted the only way they could, by closing roads. This stopped Dutch getting raw materials from the Kandy areas. Both the invader and the Lankans, were reluctant to wage a major war.

1689 Peter, the Russian king disguised as a shipbuilder, learns in the west Tsar Peter I, who was known as Peter the Great, was a very patriotic young man who had determined to modernize his backward country. He joined a Russian diplomatic team to European countries disguised as a carpenter skilled in shipbuilding. He worked in English and Dutch shipyards, learning the new technology. Also he studied anatomy, engraving, and various new industries. He was one the most remarkable Kings in history.

1689 Balance between the Parliament & the King's power makes Britain a strong nation to conquer the world English kings of the 17th century, were running into regular clashes with the parliament. The members of the parliament strengthened themselves as representatives of the people. They had by this time, had the power to levy taxes, free elections and free parliamentary debates. They also had won civil rights against excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment. In 1690, English philosopher John Locke published several influential essays on the government. He stated that the power of the rulers, is based on the needs of the people. If a ruler abused that power, it was the right of the people to depose that ruler. This was the base of the new British political doctrine, under which they became a super power. In 1776, this was passed to the United States Declaration of Independence.

1689 British rule in India Under the guidance of King James I, the British East India company began to compete with the Dutch trading monopoly in the Malay Archipelago. After the massacre of Amboina, the British gave this area back to the Dutch who named it as Netherlands East Indies. However, heavily armed British merchant pirates were a nuisance to Dutch, French, and Portuguese ships in the area. British concentrated on India, whose Mughal empire was crumbling into weaker, smaller states. In 1689, with the establishment of administrative districts named "presidencies" in the Indian provinces of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, the British East India company began its rule in India. Silk, spices, cotton, and indigo were among the treasures brought back to Europe from India.

1690 Catholic missions start to receive Royal patronage in Kandy A Roman Catholic mission led by Father Joseph Vaz was allowed into Kandy by king Vimaladarmasuriya-2. King Vimaladarmasuriya-2 learnt and respected the new religion. He even appointed Catholic officials to prove to the missionaries that there was no discrimination. Sri Lanka was under constant claims of discrimination, even from these days.

1690 The first Tooth relic temple on the current site Built by Vimaladarmasuriya-2, it had 3 storeys. The case that contained the tooth relic, was made of silver and gold. It was decorated with 8 precious stones.

1690 The first Tooth relic temple on the current site Built by Vimaladarmasuriya-2, it had 3 storeys. The case that contained the tooth relic, was made of silver and gold. It was decorated with 8 precious stones.

1694 First Shortage of imported essentials in Lanka ; Result of European trade monopoly & neglect of agriculture People had been forced to depend on Import/Export economy, and to neglect self-sufficiency and agriculture. Export of spices, elephants, pearls, gems & the import of the pepper, cotton products, tin, zinc, minerals had become a Dutch monopoly. As the Dutch faced threats internationally, they increased the prices in order to collect more from the natives. This made the lives of the natives very miserable. Dutch absolutely had no regard for the future of the natives. Their selfish policies had created shortages of food and clothing in Lanka. Only the rice imports were free of Dutch monopoly. Even the lives of the collaborators were becoming miserable. Under pressure from the collaborators, Dutch were forced to use warships to bring in food items which were in shortage. Smuggling businesses by South Indian and Muslim traders thrived. Situation got so bad in Lanka, that the Dutch finally had to relax the restrictions on private imports.

1694 Dutch reluctance to wage war fools some Sinhalese who compared them with Portugese Dutch concentrated on business profits rather than conquering whole of Lanka. But they turned to violence without hesitation if the business interests were threatened. Sinhalese who thought that all whitemen were the same, failed to notice this difference between the rough-acting Portugese and the gentle-acting Dutch. Some collaborating Sinhalese actually thought that the Dutch were good and agreed to cooperate saying the Dutch rule was better than the Portugese rule.

1700 World's biggest city: Tokyo Tokugawa family(who ruled Japan), had in their law codes four classes. They were Samurais, Peasants, Artisans, and Merchants. The Samurais served in forts, and became officials after their fighting days were over. Samurais had a code of bushido, based on Confucianism. The peasants could not leave, buy, or sell their land. They lived in family groups of five families who looked after eachother. The emperor was only a figurehead in Kyoto. Japan developed as an urban commercial economy. People spent on Kabuki, Sumo wrestling, Geisha and Ukiyo-e prints. Under this set-up, Edo( Tokyo) became the world's biggest city by 1700.

1700 Manchu China begin expansion into Mongolia, Tibet, Vietnam, Korea, Nepal, Burma The Manchus began to expand from China during the next 50 years. They would rule Manchuria, Mongolia, and Tibet. Their invasions would bring Chinese influence to Nepal, Burma, Korea, and Vietnam. As usual, as the cost of military efforts weakened the treasury, the demands on the villagers for revenue, created unrest. This would lead to their decline.

1700 Attack on the Sinhalese Character The Christian Missionaries of Lanka embarked on an attack on the Buddhist and Hindu way of life and character. They said that the Sinhalese were vulnerable to all forms of deceit, forgery, fraud, and defamation. They also said that the SInhalese were lethargic, and slothful.

1700 A German Traveller describes the goodness of the Sinhalese A German traveller named Wintergest, who had served as a German Mastergunner, lived in Lanka from 1700 to 1705. He recorded the truth about the Sinhalese. He said that the Sinhalese were simple, good, friendly, and helpful. He also said that the Sinhalese were satisfied with a simple way of life. He said that they were not greedy. He also mentioned that they were not even greedy for gold. The only weakness of the Sinhalese was that they were not sharp witted and were somewhat slow. ( That was because the Sinhalese who accept people and their words without suspicion, didn't expect such cunning and devious strangers around them).

1706 Dutch buys Cheap Gifts for Sinhalese Nobles The Dutch in Betavia constantly keep reminding the Dutch Governer in Colombo, not to initiate war against the Lankan King. This was despite numerous civil unrests which were supported by the King of Lanka. Betavia knew that the biggest weakness of the Sinhala nobles was their vulnerability to "Flattery". ( The new Sinhalese nobles, who were mostly incapable and who lacked the great qualities and the principles, were trying hard to act as the ancient Sinhalese nobles, who were the true Sinhalese nobles of quality.). They advised Colombo to take maximum advantage on this weakness. Also they bought cheap presents to foolish Sinhalese nobles in Kandy who thought that they were very well looked after by the Dutch.

1707 Moghul empire rules almost all of the sub-continent Mughal Empire (1526-1857), had broken into the Deccan valley ruled by Sultans. Under Moghul emperor Aurangzeb almost the entire subcontinent was under Moghul rule. But as he died in 1707, the decline of the Moghul rule began.

1707 Death of Last Great Mughal Emperor : 40 year Collapse begins After the death of the Last Great Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb, Moghuls abandoned his insensitive policies. But the damage had been done. The local officials, named zamindars, had become strong with the prosperity brought by the economic growth. They decided to challenge the Moghul rule. Without their taxes and without having any control over their peasants, Moghul empire was unable to challenge them. When the aristocrats realised that the Mughals were hopelessly weak, they made alliances among eachother, forming little states. Like this, within 40 years of the death of the last great Moghul emperor, the last Indian empire collapsed, leaving hundreds of smaller kingdoms. Many of these kingdoms were in suspicion of eachother. Disunity and internal rivalry became common. The Europeans, like the British, arrived and saw their opportunity in India.

1707 4th June,1707- Last Sinhala King of Lanka- Sri Viraparakrama Narendrasinghe After the death of VimalaSurendra-2, his son Sri Viraparakrama Narendrasinghe became the king of Lanka. Like his father, he also gets down a bride from Madurai, in South India. ( This bride's brother would become the next king).

1708 The current Temple of the Tooth-relic is built By King Narendrasinghe, last Sinhala king.

1708 Oldest Temple in Kandy - Natha Devalaya By King Narendrasinghe, last Sinhala king.

1710 Revival of Buddhism & literature A Buddhist Samanera named Saranamkara, lived an exemplary moral life. He was a poet, a teacher and a good speaker. He received King's blessings to rebuild and restore Buddhist temples. They composed Saratthasamgha, an 11,000 section write-up of the true Buddhist doctrine, and also several major works. Under the excellent leadership of Saranamkara, there was a revival of Buddhism and literature.

1710 Europeans conquer India Many of the smaller Indian kingdoms were in suspicion of eachother. Disunity and internal rivalry became common. The Europeans, like the British, arrived and saw their opportunity in India. This Indian disunity following the fall of the Last Indian empire, allowed Europeans to gain power. Trading companies hired local soldiers, called sepoys to protect their interests. Led by European officers, these armies were so successful that local rulers began hiring European-led sepoy armies for their own military missions. Rivalry developed between British and French forces. In a local extension of the Seven Years' War in Europe, the British defeated the French in 1763. The path for British domination of India was clear.

1721 Birth of Russian empire as King Peter returns from the west After returning to Russia, Peter conquered Russian territory back from Sweden. There he built his new capital city, St Petersburg. The date this treaty was signed ending the Northern War (1700-1721), November 2, 1721, is regarded as the official birthday of the Russian Empire. Peter westernised Russia. He imposed fines for wearing Oriental dress or having a beard. He changed taxation so that it becomes universal. He built new hospitals and medical schools. With these reforms, the Russian rulers became tougher and crueller. The government became more autocratic, and serfdom( masses dependant on the aristocracy) was widespread.

1726 Notorious Dutch Governor : Petrus Vuyst Notorious Dutch Governor, Petrus Vuyst, came to office this year. He was notorious for his misuse of power, inhuman punishments, corruption, and misrule even against Lankan collaborators. He interfered in the affairs of the judiciary, and framed charges on own officials and Burghers.

1729 Governer gets death sentence : Corruption thrives among the Dutch officers Dutch rule by this time, was infested with corruption. Many Dutch officials were smuggling spices and textiles in collaboration with the Indian traders. Both Dutch and Local collaborating Lankan officials were occupying, selling, and leasing the unoccupied land, earning a lot of money. The decline of profits, decline in efficiency and in the administration, was a serious concern to Bethavia. In the worst case, even the Governer was recalled and was executed for corruption and malpractices. Within 3 years, the Dutch had to summon their Governer Petrus Vuysthim to Betavia and execute him.

1730 Dutch discourage Lankan coffee, to promote Java Coffee Dutch had world-wide export market for their own Javanese coffee, which earned them a lot of money. Dutch began to export Coffee from Lanka, to India and to the Arab world through independent merchants. As that business picked up, Dutch began to discourage Lankan Coffee sales, fearing the Lankan Coffee might seal the fate of the Javanese Coffee.

1730 Dutch force people to grow pepper and cardamoms Dutch had relied on Kandyan territory to obtain pepper and cardamoms. Dutch forced farmers in the low country to cultivate these.

1732 Dutch criticises local farming, but wastes more in creating a Dutch dependant economy Dutch increases taxes on agriculture products, specially cinnamon. Desperate to increase their income, Dutch forced people into cinnamon peeling, which took 8 months of the year, inside forests. This led to peasant unrest. It was a too rigorous and a much more unpleasant exercise, for the very little money the Dutch paid for the products. Dutch directed the people from the last of the agricultural activities and Hena cultivations, saying it destroyed the earth. But Dutch wasted more land and forests by growing Cinnamon. Dutch were creating a dangerous economy that depended on Dutch money to survive. Lankan king in Kandy was quick to help the peasants to revolt.

1733 King bans peeling of Cinnamon & Sale of Elephants In order to stop the Dutch from gaining monopoly on the trade of these two products, Lankan King prohibited the peeling of cinnamon and the sale of elephants.

1736 Fines for Children not attending Christian schools ; New Dutch laws creates more civil unrest In order to create more collaborators, the Dutch introduced fines for children not attending Christian schools. They also increased other taxes. These unfair taxes led to continuous civil unrests.

1736 New Dutch Governor's peacepact is rejected both by Kandy & Bethavia New Dutch Governer Baron Van Imhoff, offered the King of Lanka some trade concessions and 3 vessel loads of trade per year from Puttalam to India, only for items which were not on Dutch monopoly. Lankan King rejected this. Bethavia also rejected this idea as it could reduce the Dutch income.

1736 Dutch expect anarchy in Kandy after the death of the sick king Then the Dutch governor in Colombo, proposed a quick military operation helped by Burghers and collaborating Sinhalese, to raid Kandy and to take the king as a prisoner. But Betavia rejected this, saying since the king was very sick and had no heir, it would not be unnecessary. Dutch expected anarchy soon, which they thought could help them to take Kandy easily.

1736 Van Imhoff - the only Dutch Governer to encourage other plantations He encouraged Lankans to cultivate coffee, pepper, and coconut which can be used for making arrack.

1736 Governer Van Imoff control corruption This Governer controlled the widespread corruption by the officers themselves, to a great extent.

1737 A printing press starts publishing Christian propaganda in Colombo A printing press started publishing Christian propaganda in Colombo. They printed both in Sinhala and in Tamil.

1739 Persian army enters Delhi The Persian Army invaded the crumbling Moghul empire. The Persian army defeated the Moghuls, and entered Delhi which they looted. India was then divided into smaller local kingdoms, which were mostly hostile to eachother. That was why it was easier for the Europeans like the British, to take over India kingdom by kingdom.

1739 Death of Last Sinhalese king - 13 the May, 1739 King Narendrasinghe died with no one to succeed him. In a classic example of the fair and non-discriminatory system the Sinhalese were maintaining, the ministers appointed the younger brother of the South Indian Queen, to the throne as Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe. He would never break this trust the Sinhalese had in him. He was a Hindu, a different religion. He was a South Indian, a different culture. Yet he would rule according to the Buddhist philosophy, under which over 180 Sinhalese Kings and Queens had taken Sri Lanka to the developed world. It is a classic example to show what kind of a role the minorities could play, in the multi-cultural system the Sinhalese had maintained at great peril to themselves.

1739 First Non-Sinhalese King : He ruled 8 years without disappointing the Sinhalese Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe was the younger brother of the Nayakkar Queen. They were from a Teligu speaking Nayakkar community, who had moved to Coromandel coast when the Muslims invaded. Nayakkars spoke Teligu, not Tamil. Understanding the role of the true Sinhala Kings, he remained religious and loyal to Buddhism, respecting the enormous trust placed on him by the Lankans. He would never disappoint the Sinhalese who chose him. He also brought a wife from Madura in South India. Unknown to the Sinhalese, they were taking a huge National risk, for they didn't have any insurance against the king in case he gets on the wrong path. The enormous risk they took, became evident when the 4th Nayakkar King, Sri Vickrama Rajasingha went on the wrong path, Lanka didn't have a system to challenge the king. It finally led to the fall of Lanka.

1740 Nayakkar King's revival of Buddhism New King held a huge annual festival for the tooth relic. He sponsored Buddhist monks on their writing, and practices. He built more Buddhist temples. He initiated "the festival of lamps" where all temples in all towns, including Samantakuta, Anuradapura, Mahiyanganaya, all had offering of lamps. The one in Mahiyanganaya was a magnificent festival of 796,600 lamps. Like the true Great Sinhalese Kings before him, this great Nayakkar king also tried to rebuild Anuradapura and Polonnaruwa. He was met with big problems in dense jungles. Malaria and lack of resources made his efforts unsuccessful.

1740 Fatal dependence on Dutch money As cinnamon prices doubled in Europe, Dutch ordered only cinnamon to be cultivated. Dutch quickly imposed severe restrictions on the use of land for anything else other than Cinnamon. This led to long term consequences. There would be severe shortages of rice. Famine would strike when people were deprived of export income. It created a society that depended on the Dutch trade contacts. At this point, even if Lanka were united, Lankan king in Kandy, would hardly be able to feed the people in low country as they did not grow the essential commodities in sufficient quantities.

1740 Proof of Lanka's weapon-manufacturing By this time, clever Lankan tradesmen had started to manufacture European weapons. The five feet long, 0.55 calibre gun that uses a flint-lock, now in display in Windsor castle in Holland, is a classic proof of the good weapon-manufacturing trade in Lanka.

1741 Hoping the Nayakkar King would ignore them, Catholic Missionaries starts dirty tactics on Buddhists The Portugese Catholic missions started bribing, to lure people into Christianity. They publicly criticised Buddhism, showing no respect. They hoped that the new Nayakkar king, who was a non-Buddhist, would ignore these acts. But the good King ordered the properties of such organizations, to be destroyed along with the books.

1742 Dutch helps the King with ships Dutch responded to a request by the king. They helped the king to bring in Buddhist monks from Thailand and Burma to revive Buddhism.

1743 "You dirty missionaries are responsible for several disasters"-First Nayakkar king persecutes Christian Missionaries Noticing certain religious missions were involved in unpatriotic, competing and predatory tactics, the good king persecuted several Christian missions before they created disharmony between religious faiths. He declared that "they were responsible for several disasters that the country could not avoid".

1743 Dutch ban all religions except Calvinism. In respond to the King's actions against dirty Missionary tactics, the Dutch banned all major religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Roman Catholism. Only Calvinism, which was the Dutch Christian Church was allowed.

1743 Government jobs are offered to calvinists only This saw an increase of the Calvinism from 53219 Christians to over 200,000 by 1758 in just 15 years. In Jaffna alone there were 37 Calvinist churches.

1745 Dutch appoints Muhandirams to rule villages These collaborating headmen in villages collected taxes and maintained labour services. They controlled the villagers under the Dutch. In turn they were amply rewarded. Again, collaboration was the only way to prosper.

1746 "Finest harbour in the world" -Horatio Nelson. British finds out that Trinco is the safest harbour in the region British Eastern fleet took shelter in Trinco during the Monsoon storms for the first time. It was then that they realised that it was the safest harbour in the region. Horatio Nelson, the British admiral of the 18th century had on arriving at the Trincomalee harbour described it as the finest harbour in the world.

1747 First public display of anti-Christian feelings Sinhalese begin to realise the danger in the aggressive expansion methods of the Christian Missionaries. Kandyan public were the first to rise up in protest to stop erection of a church and a catholic school.

1747 Death of first Nayakkar King- Sri Vijaya Rajasinghe On 11th August 1747, first Nayakkar king died after 8 years of rule. He never let down the Lankans. He never broke the trust the Sinhalese had so boldly placed in him.

1747 World's biggest Esala Perahera, starts in Kandy The biggest Esala Perahera in the world today is held in Lanka annually in August. It was held when the tooth relic was first brought in during Anuradapura era in 301 AD.

1747 Classic example of Buddhist tolerance even after so much of betrayals : Nayakkar king orders Hindu temples to take part in Perahera In order to show religious tolerance, The Nayakkar king ordered the 4 Hindu Kovils in Kandy, who had a reputation for predominant religious activities, to participate in the Buddhist Perahera. This excellent tradition continues even today. Showing the tolerance and the openness of Buddhists, the 4 Hindu Devales get the honour of leading the Perahera with the procession from Dalada Maligawa following them. This is another great example for the classic multi-culturism the Sinhalese had practised

1747 Second Nayakkar King - Kirti Sri Rajasinghe rules for 35 years Another brother of the same Nayakkar Queen of the last Sinhalese king, became the king after the death of his brother, as Kirti Sri Rajasinghe. He also ruled for 35 years without disappointing the Sinhalese.

1749 2nd Nayakkar king also improves Buddhism with help from Thailand, He disrobes bad monks. On advise received from many wise people and Buddhist monks, he cleaned the Buddhism in Lanka by disrobing all ill-disciplined monks. Some monks had resorted to fortune-telling, astrology and sorcery. Realising that there weren't enough Buddhist monks to ensure the future of Buddhism, this good King sent a delegation to King Dammika of Thailand using Dutch ships. ( The Dutch were happy to lend their ships as long as Lankan king allowed them the business opportunity). King of Thailand, was deeply moved by the sad state in Lanka. He handpicked many learnt Thai Bikkus, books, and many Buddhist art and statues received in the past from Lanka. He sent them over to Lanka, hoping that would help the Lankans to revive Buddhism. This good king also tried to rebuild Anuradapura and Polonnaruwa. The task was too much for one king. The dense jungle, malaria and the lack of resources made his efforts unsuccessful. But he managed to repair all Buddhist temples in the Kandy kingdom.

1749 Deserted Ruined City of Anuradapura Anuradapura at this time was mainly deserted. But many Buddhist pilgrims dared to visit and some even stayed there looking after the place. There are records of these pilgrims fighting the wild elephants who threatened to topple the sacred Bo-tree. Some brave people lived permanently in the deserted ruined city of Anuradapura. They collected firewood in rosters as many would get killed in the jungles. They move about in columns of processions to scare away the wild animals. They light firewood every night around the sacred tree area.

1749 2nd Nayakkar King builds the present stone wall around SriMahaBodiya A Buddhist monk named Attadassi Thero, brings the issue of the security of the sacred tree to the attention of the king. The good king quickly ordered a new protective wall to be built around the sacred Bo-tree. It was 10 feet high, and 5 feet wide, and was 338 feet long north to south, and 274 feet long east to west.

1750 Japanese Shogun rule is challenged by the pro-imperialists Tokugawa family rule began to weaken under commercialisation. The rule over agricultural rural areas, failed to control the city people. City people asked for a rule by the Emperor. Tokugawa family began to punish merchants who challenged them by confiscating their wealth. The commercial revolution created Rice riots in villages, and peasants moved to the cities. Samurais couldn't find enough masters, and became poor.

1751 British wins South India from French : The Legend of Robert Clive 19 year old Robert Clive arrived in Madras in 1744 as a writer, the lowest position of the clerical employees in the British East India Company. He got into many fights with the locals and the British alike, and even tried to commit suicide. In the same year, war broke out between France and England. Madras fell to the French. Clive joined the British army in 1747. His break came in 4 years, as in 1751, with a small force of about 500 British and Indian soldiers, Captain Robert Clive captured Arcot, 105 km west of Madras. It was a stronghold of France's Indian allies. This forced the French to abandon their siege on the British-held town of Trichinopoly (now Tiruchirappalli). A 10,000 strong force of the French and their Indian allies then attacked him in Arcot. During the next 11 weeks of fighting in the citadel of the town, Clive and his small army defeated the French. Battles like this helped the British to chase the French from South India. Robert Clive later became the British Governer Bengal.

1752 3000 young men become Buddhist monks Good second Nayakkar King participated in an Esala fullmoon Poyaday ceremony where the Thai monks and the good Lankan monks held a ceremony of admission in Kandy. Thai monks conducted lectures and classes. They also visited the 16 sacred Buddhist places in Lanka. New temples and monasteries were also built.

1757 Battle for Chandernagore - Last French city in India: British takes India from the French The Indian leader Siraj-ud-Dawlah was the "nawab" of Bengal and the area viceroy under the Moghul empire. He managed to recapture Calcutta from the British. Within 6 months, Captain Robert Clive recaptured Calcutta, with little resistance from the Indians. Robert Clive went on to take Chandernagore, the main French city in India. Though French resistance continued for 4 more years, that was the end of the French rule in India.

1757 Battle of Plassey : British takes India After chasing the French out, Robert Clive broke the peacepact with the Indian leader Siraj-ud-Dawlah ( who was the "nawab" of Bengal and the area viceroy under the Moghul empire). On June 23, 1757, the 50,000 strong Indian Army under the Indian leader Siraj-ud-Dawlah met Robert Clive's army of 3000 troops. Thanks to the help of a traitor within the Indian army, the British won the battle. After this battle, there was no one single army in India who could challenge the British power in India.

1760 Dutch forces the Roman Dutch Law on Sinhalese who needed no laws due to the fine Sinhala Buddhist philosophy Noticing that the Sinhalese did not have laws written ( unlike the Tamils having Thesavalami, and Muslims having the Islamic law) Dutch forced the Roman Dutch Law on the Sinhalese. These foreign rules controlled registry of marriage, monogamy, inheritance of property. Sinhalese didn't like these laws. They would obey only the laws of Lanka. They have been practising their good principles and philosophy for centuries. From the birth, everybody learnt and knew what was good and what was bad. It was a society based on principles, which the invaders changed, using the ill-disciplined collaborators.

1760 Sinhalese Revolt against New Dutch Laws A violent protest spread in the western low country areas against the new rules imposed by the Dutch Governer Jan Schreuder.

1761 Sikhs & Marathas defeat Mughals for good Disintegration of the Mughal empire into smaller local kingdoms helped Europeans to manipulate them and conquer whole of India.

1762 British visits the Lankan King in Kandy The British mission led by John Pybus, arrived in Trincomalee and visited the Lankan king in Kandy in 1762.

1762 Dutch captured Chilaw & Puttalam from Lankan King Angry Dutch captured Chilaw and Puttalam from Lankan King, depriving Lanka of the trade access.

1763 British gets French Canadian Colonies French gave up their colonies in Canada, and handed over them to the victorious British.

1763 Dutch Army is defeated in Guerrilla warfare Dutch army who was trying to reach Kandy for two years, was beaten in classic guerrilla warfare.

1764 Star fort in Matara is built Star fort in Matara is built by Governer Baron Van Eck

1764 Current Fortress in Matara, is built He also built Matara fort which was a display of classic military architecture. Beautifully placed between the sea and the Nilwala river, it had two walls separated by a canal. Many Dutch government offices were built inside.

1764 Lankan King starts talks with the British KirtiSriRajasinghe, second Nayakkar king, started talks with the Madras based English East India Company. British already had access to Trinco in an agreement with the Dutch. British were only interested in their supremacy in the coastal areas, and were reluctant to give any coastal area to the Lankan King in Kandy.

1765 Dutch launches the biggest attack ever using Javaka mercenaries Angered by the King's talks with the British, Dutch finally made their decision to take Kandy by force. Governer Baron Van Eck attacked Kandy from two fronts. He himself led the Dutch army from Colombo and won Galagedara. Another Dutch front from Puttalam reached Katugastota. Both fronts used local collaborators and the Javaka mercenaries brought from Java-Sumatra areas.

1765 Dutch captures the famous Cannon from Kandy It was in this operation that the Dutch captured the famous Lankan-made cannon that is still on display in Raix museum in Holland. Dutch captured this locally made cannon ( made in 1745AD by Lankan tradesmen) from the Lankan Army. They were surprised of the quality of the make and presented it to the Governer. Dutch Governer gifted it to a Dutch noble in Holland.

1765 Kandy falls to the Dutch : Dutch destroys the beautiful Kandy temple Lankan king KirtiSri Rajasinghe fled from Kandy. The Dutch, helped by the well-paid secret collaborators living in Kandy, while it was taken to the mountains, captured the Tooth relic. Dutch took it to Colombo. The invaders destroyed beautiful Rajamaha Viharaya on Mahaveli Ganga. Governer Eck spent 3 weeks in Kandy, expecting the Sinhalese counter-attack. Then he came to Colombo & died of a disease within few days. Meanwhile, the Lankan Army surrounded the Dutch army in Kandy.

1766 Famine hits Lanka as Dutch occupies Kandy Years of gradual neglect on agriculture, and dependence on imports and on the income on export, created a famine during the war in Kandy.

1766 Dutch troops in Kandy die of Starvation & disease Hit by famine and cut off by the Sinhala patriots, the Dutch began to take casualties.

1766 Using famine as a tactic, Dutch force the king into an unfair peacepact Dutch Governer Falck managed to get Lankan king( second Nayakkar king) into a deal favourable to the Dutch. According to the deal, Lankan King lost all coastal areas and will depend on the discretion of the Dutch to trade. Kandy got cut-off completely from the sea. Dutch were happy that the king could no longer freely communicate with foreign powers.

1766 Dutch tries to cultivate rice due to the food shortage Decades of neglect had caused rice shortages and price hikes. Rice had to be imported from India. Dutch then decided to cultivate rice, which the Lankans had been doing from the beginning.

1766 Urubokka Dam by the Dutch - Only irrigation project since Polonnaruwa era Finally realising the damage caused, Dutch tried to revive the agriculture in order to fight the famine. Dutch built the dam in Urubokka, in order to boost the rice production in the area. Dutch also realised that importing rice was not a cost-effective idea. They also start a second irrigation project In Akkaraipattu.

1769 Napoleon Bonaparte is born in Corsica. One of the most gifted and exceptional human leaders the world had ever seen, Napoleon was born in this year in a small island named Corsica, near France. His father was a guerrilla fighter who was fighting the French for the freedom of Corsica. Napoleon was able to enter the French Military Academy because of the outstanding results he obtained during the school career.

1769 First practical Steam engine by James Watt James Watt, a Scottish inventor and an engineer, introduced the world's first practical steam engine.( Other steam engines had been designed, but his was the first practical design). The new steam engines were used to pump water from the mines. Watt later modified and introduced a steam engine that could drive machinery. Then it went on to drive machinery and trains.

1770 British introduce Opium addiction to China Manchurians military power declined due to constant fighting. Villagers revolted as taxes were increased to fill the empty treasury. This was the reason why Europeans were able to manipulate the weakened China. The British who were buying tea by paying silver, introduced opium into China from India. As expected the Chinese masses got addicted to opium. As Opium became popular in China, Europeans collected more profits in trade. Chinese Beijing government tried to fight the addiction by limiting European trade to a few ports.

1770 Proof of a large dagaba in Achchuveli, Jaffna Phillipus Baldaeus was a Dutch living in Jaffna for 9 years. He spoke of a Great Dagaba in Achchuveli, where the Portugese army beat the Last Sinhala army unit in the Jaffna peninsula.

1770 James Cook lands on Australia : They are surprised that the locals were not interested in the gifts and trade goods that the crew offered them. In April 1770, James Cook on the ship "Endeavour", became the first Europeans to arrive in the east coast of Australia. They sailed into a large bay to collect fresh water. The ship's botanist, Joseph Banks, collected so many samples of plants unknown to the European scientists that Cook named the place Botanist's Bay ( Today's Botany Bay). Cook was surprised that the natives, although very poor in material wealth, seemed very happy as they were, and were not interested in the gifts and trade goods that the crew offered them. It was Joseph Banks who recommended to the British government that Botany Bay should be developed as a European settlement and a penal colony. The fate of Australia and the Aborigines, was sealed.

1772 "Art of Warfare" By Sun Tzu is introduced to the western world In 100 BC, the Chinese emperor ordered a scholar to collect and list all literary work for the imperial library. He noted a classic "The Art of War" written by a Sun Tzu on 3 rolls of thin wooden slips. He mentioned that there were 82 chapters of the classic, each describing tactical philosophy in various aspects of warfare. Men of every Chinese family studied this book. This is the earliest record of the existence of the classic believed to be written around 500 BC in China by the warrior Sun Tzu. By 200 AD, 69 chapters had been lost. Father J.J.M.Amiot, a Jesuit missionary in Peking, first introduced the remaining 13 chapters, which survive even today, to the western world. He translated the classic into French and published in Paris in 1772. 12 years later, a 16 year old poor cadet officer named Napoleon Bonaparte, who couldn't afford to attend parties, read this with so much interest and passion. Around 1000 AD, it was compulsory for the Chinese officer cadets to master it. The rest is history. Today, even undergraduates in business studies learn it.

1775 War of Independence begin in America Out of 20 British colonies in North America ( including Canadian and Caribbean colonies), 13 decided to fight for independence from the British Government rule. The English settlers mainly populated these 13 colonies. The other settlers included Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French and German migrants, and the African slaves.

1776 World' First Submarine HMS Eagle warship, harboured in New York harbour, was devastating the American freedom fighters by constant bombardment. An American named David Bushnell developed a submarine to destroy this British warship. On 7th september 1776 it did.

1781 Britain declares war on Dutch The inevitable war broke out between the British and the Dutch for supremacy. The Dutch in Lanka banned all British ships from entering Trinco.

1782 Death of Second Nayakkar King, KirtiSri Rajasinghe Second Nayakkar King, KirtiSri Rajasinghe, fell off the horse and died. After ruling for 35 years without disappointing the Sinhalese, he died without an heir.

1782 January- British captures Trinco from the Dutch In January, 1782, Dutch lost Trinco to the British. British would lose it in 7 months to the French.

1782 August - French captures Trinco from the British British became desperate to re-capture Trinco, as it was a safe harbour during the monsoon storms between October and April. British eastern Fleet took shelter in Trincomalee, 15 out of 40 monsoons between 1746-1795.

1782 Third Nayakkar King - Rajadi Rajasinghe Younger brother of the last king, took over and continued in the good religious ways, improving Buddhism.

1782 Non-Sinhalese King even writes a Jataka Poem Though being a Non-Sinhalese, the 3rd Nayakkar king, who followed the good example set by his 2 brothers before him, learnt and had thorough respect and solid knowledge of Buddhism. He even wrote a Jataka poem named Asadisa Jatakaya.

1782 Second British arrival : King questions the real motives of foreign delegations A second British diplomatic mission arrived in Kandy, seeking Lanka's help to feed their army who would fight to take Trinco from the French. In return the British offered military support against the Dutch. Good King with wisdom, asked them to produce more convincing proof of good faith before agreeing to any treaty.

1783 Hot Air Balloons : First Human to fly Two Frenchmen named Joseph Michel and Jacques Etienne Montgolfier, noticed the small woodchips becoming airborne in a fire. They thought if the heat could lift a woodchip, it could lift a container made of fabric. They built a balloon. Then they heated the air inside with a fire of straw and wood. Then they flew 6,000 feet into the air. They were the first humans to fly in the recorded history. Then they demonstrated their balloon for King Louis XVI, carrying a duck, a sheep, and a cockerel. Thus, hot-air balloons became the first aerial vehicles for humans.

1785 A poor second Lieutenant Napoleon Bonaparte is thinking of committing suicide…. After his father's death, 2nd Lt.Napoleon looked after all 9 members of his family with his meagre pay. This was the difficult time the starving masses in France were organising themselves to overthrow the ruling class. In severe financial shortage, he even considered suicide before switching to self-studies on history, philosophy, politics and literature.

1785 Dutch pretends to be strong, when they are hopelessly weak. De Graaf, the new Dutch Governer proposed that he could solve all trade problems if he was permitted to take Kandy. But Betavia who this time warned him that there were no resources left to wage war of that magnitude rejected his proposal. He was asked to maintain false friendly relationship with the king. Lankan king didn't realise the golden opportunity he had at this stage to get rid of the Dutch forever. Thus, Lanka missed the bus again......!

1787 First Fleet set off for Australia with 759 convicts 17 years after Captain Cook landed in Australia, the First Fleet set off for Australia with 759 convicts on board. Britain used this transportation as a punishment for convicted prisoners. Often they had been imprisoned for debt or other comparatively minor breaches of the law. These convicts were the backbone of Britain's Australian colonies. Within 63 years, they would grow into a large population of one million by 1850. Unfortunately, their increase in numbers, see the disappearance of many Aborigines of Australia.

1788 Settlement of Sydney : The first fleet arrives in Australia When the First Fleet, arrived in Australia, they found the land in Botany Bay unsuitable for habitation. They chose to settle in another bay, 8 km to the north of Botany Bay. That is known as Sydney today.

1789 Family War in Vietnam Two most powerful aristocrat families in Vietnam, Trinh in the North and the Nguyens in South, battled for supremacy.

1789 Two year French Revolution begins : “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heaven !"- English poet William Wordsworth on that day By 1789 the cost of fighting, in the American War of Independence and in colonial India, had ended France seriously in debt. French King Louis XVI demanded more revenues from the French parliament to fill an empty treasury. The parliament demanded reforms to the rule by the two privileged classes of the clergy and the nobility. Both ordinary people and the newly powerfuls had no power and were unrepresented. When the parliament (met after 175 years), at Versailles on May 5, 1789, the commons of the parliament convened in a tennis court, announced themselves as the National Assembly. ( This was called the Tennis Court Oath). The king initially agreed to their demands. But when the king sacked a popular minister who was admired by the people, hell broke out. On July 14, angry mobs stormed into a prison called the Bastille where those who challenged the ruling class had been imprisoned. As the two years passed by, under the attacks by the Royalists and the European invasions, the control by the National Assembly became more radical. Even some leaders of the revolution would be killed because they were "too moderate".

1789 French Revolution : Why was it important ? Despite two years of civil unrest, terror and the bloodshed, the French Revolution was a step towards replacing the rule by the powerful Kings and his aristocrats, with more open, fair and elective governments. French Revolution inspired the whole western world in that path. That was why the English poet William Wordsworth said “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heaven !".

1789 French Revolution : Why it didn't apply to Sri Lanka ? Many attempts have been made by the enemies of the Sinhalese, as part of the campaign to discredit and downsize their proud history, to criticise the rule by the Sinhalese kings. French Revolution was a step towards replacing the rule in Europe by powerful Kings and his aristocrats, with people's governments. Sri Lanka didn't have such a problem of excessive rule by Kings and nobles, because they already had a philosophy under which the good kings had to work. Sri Lankan Kings and the nobles had to prove their worthiness, by example. They had to act according to a National philosophy, under the advice of the wise, selfless and patriotic individuals like Theravada Buddhist monks. It was only under the Kings who grabbed power by collaborating with invaders or corrupt conspirators, Sri Lanka had problems. Such kings didn't respect the golden philosophy of the country. But Sri Lankans would defy such rulers at any cost, to reinstall their good system back again.

1789 French Revolution and Napoleon Napoleon, a Lieutenant of the French Army, witnessed the power of the angry people in Paris. As the French Armed forces mainly stayed neutral, the mobs arrested nobles who had subjected masses to the ultimate poverty and misery.

1789 Fierce rebellion in Matara against the Dutch Dutch pressurise Lankans to increase production. People rose up in anger.

1789 Power-hungry Pilimatalawe passes information to the Dutch A power-hungry Pilimatalawe started to pass information to the Dutch, hoping to become King one day with the Dutch help. Based on secret information he gave, the Dutch intercepted a letter the Lankan king was sending to the British requesting a deal with the French, to get rid of the Dutch.

1790 Europeans invade France to reinstall the power of the king & the ruling elite French Revolution created the world's first modern republic. This alarmed the other European Kings. They wanted to destroy this people power. They all decided to invade France, to re-install the king's authority over the National Assembly ( The People's representative).

1790 22 years old, Capt. Napoleon Bonaparte is noticed by the Govt. A 22 year old Captain Napoleon Bonaparte of the French Artillery used new tactics against the invaders with outstanding success. Some members of the new government noticed him.

1790 Governer De Graaf resigns in protest as Betavia advised him to relax his harsh laws As the rebellion spread to Chilaw and Puttalam, Betavia advised the Governer De Graaf to relax his harsh laws. He then resigned in protest. This was another indication that it was extremely difficult for the Dutch to hold on to Lanka without harsh laws.

1791 French King is captured while trying to flee the country When it was clear that he had to, French King Louis tried to introduce reforms. But it was too late. People had no more patience for him. With his aristocrats facing people's court for the crimes and injustices done to the masses, king tried to flee France with his family. But he was captured and imprisoned in Paris. He would be executed in two years time.

1792 First European country to abolish the slave trade Denmark became the first European country to abolish the slave trade in 1792.

1792 Arrival of the Baptists Baptists Christian mission arrived in Lanka. They would go on to spread Christianity.

1793 French King is executed Imprisoned French King and the Queen Marie Antoinette ( a few months after the King's execution), were executed as a reign of terror was sweeping France. Thousands of men and women identified as culprits or collaborators of the oppressive old regime, were executed. As the revolution grew more radical, even moderate leaders of the revolution, like Robespierre - one of the earliest leaders, would be killed. Despite all this terror and the bloodshed, the French Revolution was a step towards replacing the rule by the selfish arrogant Kings and his aristocrats, with more open elective governments. It inspired the whole western world in that path.

1795 26 year old Napoleon is promoted as a Brigadier after he defended the people's government A Royalists rebellion in Paris threatened the new people's government. The French Army was busy on all fronts trying to stop the invading European armies. Some of the Government ministers who had noticed Napoleon of the French Artillery, consulted him. Napoleon took the responsibility to guard the National Assembly against the attacking Royalist rebels. He defended the people’s government against rebels with unbelievable success. The Government quickly promoted him to the rank of Brigadier. He was only 26 years old.

1795 British take Trinco, Jaffna & Battie The Dutch were so unwilling to fight, that the British took Trinco, Jaffna and Batticaloa in August,1795 without resistance from the Dutch.

1796 Napoleon becomes famous in Europe Out of all the invading European armies, the Italian army was advancing rapidly towards Paris. The French Government gave Napoleon Bonaparte the command of the Italian front. That was his first assignment. Military Officers who had spent over 20 years of service in the French Army were surprised to see a 26 year old General arriving to command them. Again, with unbelievable success, Napoleon not only stopped the Italian advance, he forced the mighty Italian army to withdraw, and then chased them all the way into Italy. Napoleon then became a household name in Europe.

1796 Bashing the Sinhalese culture Today, Sinhalese-bashing has become the favourite hobby for the armchair pundits who lost their artificial position in the Lankan society after the British left. They have developed many theories supporting the arguments that criticise and despise the true Sinhalese culture. The invaders created a Sinhalese collaborating class who deviated away from the original true SInhalese philosophy and the original discipline. Due to the damage done to the Sinhalese culture by this corrupt Sinhalese who collaborated with the invaders, these critics have many opportunities to criticise. One of their favourite subjects is the Sinhalese discipline, which tolerated no nonsense or hypocrisy.

1796 European Laws & Sinhalese Discipline Unlike the Greeks, Sri Lankans developed a society based on pure Theravada Buddhism without worshipping Gods. They only believed in the discipline and philosophy introduced by Buddha. Therefore they could get along very well even without any laws as such. Whole society knew what was bad and what was good. But the many foreigners who lived in Lanka, didn't always respect this discipline. They tried to justify their wrong-doings with twisted words and arguments. They conspired to install bad kings in power so that they could exploit the resources of the country. Under European Laws, where many culprits could escape by twisted arguments and evidences, the effort is made to make the society disciplined by laws rather than by philosophy and by example. Under Sinhalese discipline, whole society, including the ruling class, is disciplined by philosophy and by example, rather by laws. Few would dare to be ill-discipline enough to commit a crime and even them could hardly get away with excuses.

1796 Third British delegation arrives in Kandy & king falls into the trap by believing their lies Led by Robert Andrews, they arrived at a good time when King was very unhappy with the Dutch for their desperate attempts to keep monopoly. British offered an outlet for Kandy to obtain salt and fish, and to operate 10 ships. King wanted more ports and an assurance that the Dutch areas do not fall into British control. What the British really wanted was for the King to keep at least some of the Dutch troops tied down in the forts, enabling the British to take on the scattered Dutch military resources with the least casualties. They also frightened the king about the fall of the monarchs, giving French revolution as an example, and said that only the British could help Kings in the world.

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