lowed to train in the royal fighting arts. This dedication to learning, his ne-
gotiating skills, and a perceived pro-Burman attitude (which induced his cap-
tors to believe he could further their cause among the Thai) led to his release.
From 1811 to 1815, Burmese rebels hiding in British India led raids
into Burma. The British did little to prevent this, so between 1819 and
1823 the Burmese sent military forces into British-controlled Assam, Ma-
nipur, Cachar, and Bengal. In 1824, the East India Company had had
enough, and responded by declaring war on Burma. Rangoon was occu-
pied without resistance, the Burmese agreed to pay indemnities, and in
1825 the British withdrew.
However, this defeat embarrassed the Burmese government, and re-
volts followed. Meanwhile Anglo-Burmese relations continued to deterio-
rate, and there was a second Anglo-Burmese war in 1852–1853. During
this war the British East India Company annexed Pegu province. Finally, in
1878, Burmese insurgents attacked Manipur, and this led to a third Anglo-
Burmese war in 1885. That in turn led to the British annexation of all
Burma in 1886, followed by a decade of guerrilla warfare.
British rule over Burma lasted until World War II; its most famous po-
liceman was probably Eric Blair, who in 1934 published the novel Burmese
Daysunder the pseudonym George Orwell. During their administration,
the British outlawed headhunting and instituted a campaign intended to
Thaing 631Two Kachin tribesmen near Bhamo, Myanmar (Burma), photographed around 1886. The man on the right is armed
with a dha, the traditional sword used for the practice of thaing. (Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis)