histoy G-10 E

of attacks launched by king Rajasinghe II during
the period between 1670 and 1675, the Dutch
lost a number of areas that they had possessed.
Therefore, the Dutch, who realized that fighting
with the Kandyans would cause their destruction,
attempted to avoid fighting with the Kandyans
for about a hundred of years after 1670.

■ Prominent features of the Dutch
Policy regarding the Kandyan Kingdom

I. The Dutch tried to avoid the conflicts that
could bring losses to the Dutch Trading
Company and acted peacefully with the
Kandyan Kingdom.

II. Giving gifts to the king to win his goodwill,
sending representatives to meet the king,
exchanging letters with the king. The
Dutch expected to obtain the cinnamon
grown in Kandy by winning the goodwill
of the king through all these activities.

III. Providing the ships for the king’s religious
activities such as bringing the higher order.

The Dutch provided the ships to king
Vimaladharamasooriya I, King Vijaya Rajasinghe,
king Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe for such activities.

■ The Dutch’s policy of getting maximum

economic benefits

I. The Dutch impeded the king’s relations with

the other foreigners as much as possible.

II. Closing the city boundaries between up

country and low country when disputes started

with the king.

III. The Dutch tried to develop the paddy

cultivation in some of the areas in the low

country. By doing this, the Dutch expected to

minimize their expenses to import rice from

foreign countries.

IV. Getting people to grow cinnamon and taking

action to preserve cinnamon cultivation. The

Dutch implemented this policy because they

could make a huge profit from selling cinnamon.

V. The Dutch took steps to grow sugar cane,

coffee and cotton etc, which brought them

profits.

The Conflicts between the Kandyan Kingdom

and the Dutch

The low-country people, who had been

oppressed until then by the time of King Keerthi

Sri Rajasinghe, requested the Kandyan king to

intervene for them. In latter part of 1760 the

rebellions arose against the Dutch in Negambo

and Matara. The king sent an army to the low

country area and the army made several instant

attacks and captured several places including

Katuwana fort and Matara fort. Later, the Dutch

recaptured these places.

In 1764 the Dutch invaded Kandy using 6

brigades led by the Dutch governor Barron

Van Ek. But none of these brigades could reach

Kandy. The Kandyans defeated these brigades

launching their usual attacks.

In 1765 the Dutch invaded Kandy once again.

The Dutch managed to enter the city of Kandy

by facing the attacks of the Kandyans. As king

Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe agreed to have a peaceful

condition, the Dutch presented a series of

conditions advantageous for them. But the

king did not like to accept the unreasonable

conditions of the Dutch. As a result, the Dutch,

who robbed the city, stayed there more than one

month. But, they abandoned Kandy and went

back to Colombo because of the lack of food,

diseases, and rainy season.

Due to the invasion, threats of the Dutch and

the suffering of people from the prolonged war

for years king Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe signed a

peace pact with the Dutch in 1766. The Kandyan

kingdom lost one coastal area due to the peace

pact. This was a blow to the traditional trading

in Kandy. The pact acknowledged the Dutch’s

righ to the areas which they had possessed in Sri

Lanka. A number of sentences in the peace pact

gave more advantages to the Dutch. Therefore,