British Dominion and the Fight for Independence
There was no love lost between the Dutch and the British, come the period between 17881795. The British devised tactics to launch a surprise attack on over a dozen of regions under Dutch dominion right after their successful conquest of India. Ceylon was the ultimate prize which was up for grabs. They were presented with a window of opportunity during the Winter of 1794. Holland was overridden by the French army and Prince William V. During the chaos, Dutch Stadholder (nominal Head of State) fled to England with his family. This meant that the so-called Batavian Republic which was governed by the French, was able to instate their own State’s General. This was the ideal opportunity for the British to cripple the Dutch trade, and it was taken with open arms in order to claim ownership of the opponent’s colonies. The Dutch Leader’s who were in Colombo was haphazardly figuring out what to do next. If they turned to the new Batavian Republic, they were sure to be put under the direct fire of a British attack. If they chose to remain loyal to the exiled Stadtholder the attitude of the British would be more difficult to determine.
Throughout all of this chaos and uncertainty, Governor Falck passed away in 1785 after succumbing to an unanticipated illness. His successor Willem Jacob van der Graaff (1785 – 1793) turned out to have a mean demeanor, and as an aggressive expansionist, attempted to expand Dutch control well over their comfort zones. Van der Graaf was bold enough to even think to challenge the Kandyan Kindom for open warfare come 1792. However the VOC Council of the Indies in Batavia understood the futility of this suicide mission, and the dangers of such an action was considered. Thus the Governor was commanded to stand his ground and remain patient. Agitated, Van der Graaff resigned in protest, and subsequently was succeeded by the wavering Jan Gerard van Angelbeek. He is known as the last Dutch Governor of Ceylon.
Prince William V was put under immense pressure by the British Foreign Minister, Lord Grenville to issue orders to Van Angelbeek to put his forces, forts and warships under British ‘protection’ in February 1795. He should consider the British troops ‘… belonging to a power that is in friendship and alliance with their High Mightiness (the Governors of the VOC), and who come to prevent the Colony from being invaded by the French’. The British Government extended attractive promises to restore the Colony right back to the Dutch as soon as the war came to a conclusion. Van Angelbeek initially accepted Prince William’s letter without hesitation and agreed with the British presence on the Island.
As time passed, as the aggressive military pressure from the British turned unbearable, Van Angelbeek and his Political Council took the fateful decision that as the Batavian Republic was considered the sovereign of the colonies and their troops should be ordered to resist the British occupation. Little did the Dutch Governor know that British intrigues had already irreparably undermined his military capabilities. The defense of Dutch Ceylon was overlooked and managed mainly by European mercenaries, in particular, the De Meuron Regiment: 1,000 men strong and for two-thirds consisting of Swiss soldiers. An unusual turn of events led to an act on 30 March 1795 led to the British Secret Agent Hugh Cleghorn signing a contract with the proprietor of the Regiment Count Charles-daniel de Meuron.
This contract dictates that his regiment is to be transferred into the British service for a total of ₤6,000. This acted as the nail on the coffin of the Dutch’s stay in Ceylon. After a futile attempt of resistance, Van Angelbeek had to throw in the towel and accept defeat. A majority of his own cohorts and officers and soldiers in arms considered as a betrayal from their own so-called Governor. Due to the Governors impotence, they aimed their heavy military weapons onto the Governor’s palace at the end of the siege of Colombo.
Everything was in vain, and the Dutch forces surrendered with minimum causalities and fatalities on 14th February 1796. Pierre-frederic de Meuron, brother of Count Charlesdaniel, changed his blue Dutch uniform for a red British one and became Military Governor of Ceylon in September 1797 until he was relieved by Frederic North, the first British Governor. Thereafter, under the guidance of Governor Frederic North, the British claimed the title of the only European power which managed to overcome the fight put forward by the Kandyan Kingdom. In 1815, the British conquered the kingdom, thus ensuring that they won the power to rule the entire island.
The Maritime Provinces of Ceylon came under the supervision of the British. This meant that the Dutch lost any hope of retrieving what was lost. In January 1816 the last Kandyan King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, the youngest Nayakkara prince to have ascended the throne of the Sinhala Kingdom was banished from ever returning Ceylon. He was relocated in the little Indian coastal town of Vellore as a state prisoner of the British, together with his family and relatives. The final king of Sri Lanka exhaled his last breath in 1832, at the age of 52. His son, the rightful heir to the throne, never left the shores of India and died as an unknown commoner; stripped from all rights and entitlements in 1842.
Not long after, Sri Lanka blossomed with coffee, cinnamon and coconut plantations, along with a wide network of roads and railways which were built to handle this new economic views and activities. English was instated as the new official language, and many either chose or was forced to use it at all times. Coffee was the main crop and the backbone of the colonial economy, but the birth of a leaf blight virtually wiped it out in the 1870s and the plantations quickly switched over to tea and rubber. Sri Lankans, as a stubborn nation, demolished the British’s intentions to receive work on their plantations for cheap wages and salaries. This led to the conquerors to outsourcing the jobs available to a significant number of South Indian laborers from South India. Due to these efforts, Sri Lanka is currently recognized as the world’s second largest tea exporter.
THE END OF A ROLLER-COASTER THRILL RIDE
Between the years that existed between WW I and WW II political stirrings started to push Sri Lanka towards eventual independence from Britain; however, it occurred in a considerably more peaceful and low-key manner than in India. At the end of WW II it was evident that independence was looming just around the corner. The contribution by the Sri Lankan Independence movement was another key factor that led Sri Lanka to earning its much needed independence. The Sri Lankan Independence movement was a peaceful political movement which was aimed at achieving independence and self-rule for the country from the British Empire. It was initiated around the turn of the 20th century and was led mostly by the educated middle class. It succeeded when, on 4 February 1948, Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon bringing the 443 year old roller coaster ride to an abrupt halt. The first Prime Minister of independent Ceylon was one of the leaders of the independence movement, D. S. Senanayake. He was the head of the United National Party (UNP, the former Ceylon National Congress supported by the Tamil Congress). The Dominion status within the British Commonwealth was retained for the next 24 years until 22 May 1972 when it became a republic and was renamed as the Republic of Sri Lanka.
Reliving the past makes us remember the struggle to remain independent. It also helps the reader to appreciate the positives which was left in its wake. On this Independence Day, it is best remember that we are a proud nation, and together, can overcome any obstacle which is put in our way.