03/02/2024
The Colonization of Sri Lanka began with the Portuguese in 1505. It ended in 1948 after the British gave Independence to Sri Lanka. During this period of 443 years, Sri Lanka has been under the rule of Portuguese (1505-1658), Dutch (1658-1796), British (1796-1948) and Trincomalee Harbour was under the French for few months in 1796. Only the coastal areas of Sri Lanka were colonized until the British conquered the whole island in 1815.
During the famous Napoleonic Wars, fearing the French's control of the Netherlands would mean that Sri Lanka would be a French colony, the British took over the country with little difficulty in 1796, automatically naming "Zeylan" to "Ceylon". In 1802, the Treaty of Ameins temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Dutch part of the island was bequeathed to the British, which then meant the island became an official British Crown colony. In 1803, the British invaded the Kingdom of Kandy in the 1st Kandyan War. In 1815, the 2nd Kandyan War resulted in the end of Sri Lanka's independence.
on 4 February 1948, Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. 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 the Republic of Sri Lanka.
