ABSTRACT
The British attempt to conquer the Kingdom of Kandy in 1803 was a disastrous failure. In 1815 internal dissension within the kingdom and the support of a powerful faction of Kandyan chiefs enabled them to gain control of Kandy. On this occasion the military campaign which underpinned the action was carefully constructed and provided a steely backing for the facade of rhetoric and diplomacy which veiled the conquest as a “convention” or “treaty”. The patriots of the Kandyan country were seeking the status quo ante. They did not succeed. British arms ruthlessly wrested control. The Proclamation of 21 November 1818 modified the Convention. From henceforth Whitehall in London called the ultimate shots, while the British governor was the local dictator on behalf of the British colonial design.
