Sir John D'Oyly accomplished the seemingly impossible with the annexation on behalf of the British Crown of Sri Lanka's fiercely independent Kingdom of Kandy in 1815. This biography looks at his conduct and motives.
Though the overthrow and exile of Napoleon in 1815 is a familiar episode in modern history, it is not well known that just a few months later, British colonisers toppled and banished the last king in Ceylon. Beginning with that case, this volume examines the deposition and exile of indigenous monarchs by the British and French – with examples in India, Burma, Malaysia, Vietnam, Madagascar, Tunisia and Morocco – from the early nineteenth century down to the eve of decolonisation. It argues that removal of native sovereigns, and sometimes abolition of dynasties, provided a powerful strategy used by colonisers, though European overlords were seldom capable of quelling resistance in the conquered countries, or of effacing the memory of local monarchies and the legacies they left behind.
How did the British come to conquer South Asia in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries? Answers to this question usually start in northern India, neglecting the dramatic events that marked Britain’s contemporaneous subjugation of the island of Sri Lanka. In Islanded, Sujit Sivasundaram reconsiders the arrival of British rule in South Asia as a dynamic and unfinished process of territorialization and state building, revealing that the British colonial project was framed by the island’s traditions and maritime placement and built in part on the model they provided. Using palm-leaf manuscripts from Sri Lanka to read the official colonial archive, Sivasundaram tells the story of two sets of islanders in combat and collaboration. He explores how the British organized the process of “islanding”: they aimed to create a separable unit of colonial governance and trade in keeping with conceptions of ethnology, culture, and geography. But rather than serving as a radical rupture, he reveals, islanding recycled traditions the British learned from Kandy, a kingdom in the Sri Lankan highlands whose customs—from strategies of war to views of nature—fascinated the British. Picking up a range of unusual themes, from migration, orientalism, and ethnography to botany, medicine, and education, Islanded is an engaging retelling of the advent of British rule.
When European explorers went out into the world to open up trade routes and establish colonies, they brought back much more than silks and spices, cotton and tea. Inevitably, they came into contact with the peoples of other parts of the world and formed views of them occasionally admiring, more often hostile or contemptuous. Using a stunning array of sources - missionaries' memoirs, the letters of diplomats' wives, explorers' diaries and the work of writers as diverse as Voltaire, Thackeray, Oliver Goldsmith and, of course, Kipling - Victor Kiernan teases out the full range of European attitudes to other peoples. Erudite, ironic and global in its scope, The Lords of Human Kind has been a major influence on a generation of historians and cultural critics and is a landmark in the history of Eurocentrism.
In this text, Robert Colls traces the constitutional, legal, racial, cultural and geographical dimensions of Englishness, from medieval times to the present day, with a particular emphasis on the last 100 years.
Discover Sri Lanka with the most incisive and entertaining guidebook on the market. Whether you plan to explore the ancient ruins of Sigiriya, wander amid Ella's verdant tea plantations or explore the cave temples of Dambulla, The Rough Guide to Sri Lanka will show you the ideal places to sleep, eat, drink, shop and visit along the way. - Independent, trusted reviews - written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and insight, to help you get the most out of your visit, with options to suit every budget. - Full-colour chapter maps throughout - to find your way amid Colombo's bustling bazaars or the museums and temples in Kandy without needing to get online. - Stunning images - a rich collection of inspiring colour photography. Things not to miss - Rough Guides' rundown of the best sights and experiences in Sri Lanka. - Itineraries - carefully planned routes to help you organize your trip. - Detailed coverage - this travel guide has in-depth practical advice for every step of the way. Areas covered include: Colombo, Kandy, Ella, Galle, Sigiriya, Mirissa, Arugam Bay, Kataragama, Weligama, Horton Plains, Jaffna, Dambulla. Attractions include: Adam's Peak, Temple of the Tooth, Yala National Park, World's End, Anuradhapura, The Pettah. - Basics - essential pre-departure practical information including getting there, local transport, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, outdoor activities, national parks, culture, shopping, travelling with children and more. - Background information - a Contexts chapter devoted to history, Sri Lankan Buddhism, Buddhist art and architecture, wildlife, tea and books, as well as a helpful language section and glossary. About Rough Guides : Escape the everyday with Rough Guides. We are a leading travel publisher known for our "tell it like it is" attitude, up-to-date content and great writing. Since 1982, we've published books covering more than 120 destinations around the globe, with an ever-growing series of ebooks, a range of beautiful, inspirational reference titles, and an award-winning website. We pride ourselves on our accurate, honest and informed travel guides.