#1. The British conquest of Sri Lanka unfolded in three key stages, starting with the East India Company taking the coastal areas in __________.
#2. The golden opportunity for the British to seize the coasts arose from turmoil in Europe, specifically the __________, which destabilized the Dutch empire.
#3. After the French defeated Holland, the Dutch leader, Stadtholder William V, fled to Britain and sent the __________, asking the British to secure his territories from the French.
#4. Fearing the French might seize Sri Lanka’s strategic ports, the British acted on this opportunity and first attacked __________ in 1795.
#5. The Dutch Governor, __________, received the Kew Letter but hesitated, giving the British the opening they needed to launch their assault.
#6. Facing the British advance, the Dutch forces surrendered with almost no resistance, leading to a treaty signed on __________, which officially handed the coastal provinces to Britain.
#7. Instead of adopting the successful Dutch administrative model, the EIC brought in inexperienced __________ from India to govern the newly acquired coasts.
#8. These new rulers established the __________ as the central point for administration and tax collection, assisted by officials known as Avumildars.
#9. A major cause of friction was that the EIC completely ignored __________, creating a deep divide between the new administration and the public.
#10. Driven solely by profit, the EIC imposed harsh new taxes, such as the deeply unpopular __________, which infuriated the local population.
#11. This misrule and oppressive taxation boiled over into the widespread __________ in 1797, which the British suppressed with great violence.
#12. In response to the chaos, the British government appointed the __________ to investigate the EIC’s failures and recommend changes.
#13. To fix the situation, a __________ was established in 1798, where a new Governor handled politics while the EIC continued to collect revenue.
#14. The first official governor appointed under this new system in 1798, tasked with bringing political stability, was __________.
#15. This awkward dual-rule system finally ended in __________, when the British government abolished it and declared Sri Lanka a formal Crown Colony under its direct control.
#16. After securing the coast, Governor North’s attention turned to the independent inland kingdom of Kandy, where he tried to exploit a succession crisis involving two Nayakkara princes, Kannasami and __________.
#17. In 1800, Governor North sent the __________ with a large army to intimidate the Kandyan king into signing a treaty, but the mission failed when the king refused entry.
#18. North was determined to control Kandy because he needed a secure __________ between the key strategic ports of Colombo and Trinco.
#19. Emboldened by a false sense of confidence, the British launched a full-scale invasion of Kandy in __________, which ended in a disastrous failure and retreat.
#20. During the failed 1803 invasion, the British installed __________ as a puppet king, but he received no support from the local people and was quickly captured.
#21. The disastrous 1803 invasion taught the British that a new, more subtle strategy was needed, which was masterminded by a British civil servant named __________.
#22. D’Oyly’s brilliant strategy involved immersing himself in the local culture, even learning the language and customs by training with __________.
#23. While D’Oyly built his spy network, the Kandyan kingdom was weakening from within due to the king’s growing conflict with powerful chiefs like __________.
#24. The king’s popularity plummeted after he brutally suppressed the __________ and ordered the horrific execution of Ehalepola’s family, turning his own people against him.
#25. Using D’Oyly’s intelligence and the king’s unpopularity, Governor __________ launched the final, successful invasion of Kandy in January 1815.
#26. The 1815 invasion succeeded with almost no resistance because British propaganda had effectively painted __________ as the true enemy of the Kandyan people.
#27. After the king was captured by his own people near Medamahanuwara, the British solidified their victory by signing the __________ on March 2nd, 1815.
#28. The Kandyan Convention, which ceded the kingdom to the British, was a treaty signed between Governor Brownrigg and the __________.
#29. As a key provision of the 1815 Convention, the British promised to protect the rights of the aristocrats and the foremost position of __________, though this would later be challenged.
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