Anglo-Burmese Wars

Anglo-Burmese Wars
(1824–26, 1852, 1885) Conflicts between the British and the Burmans (Burmese) in present-day Myanmar.

King Bodawpaya's conquest of Arakan, which bordered on British-controlled territory in India, led to border conflicts between Arakan freedom fighters and the Burmans. When the Burmans crossed the border into Bengal, the British responded in force, taking Rangoon (now Yangôn). The resulting two-year conflict ended with a treaty that gave Britain Arakan and Assam and required the Burmans to pay an indemnity. Another war erupted 25 years later when a British naval officer seized a ship that belonged to the Burman king; the British advanced into and soon occupied all of Lower Burma. A third war was sparked by threats to the British teak monopolies in Lower Burma and Burman overtures to the French; as a result, the British annexed Upper Burma (formalized in 1886), thus ending Burman independence.

* * *

▪ British-Myanmar history
      (1824–26, 1852, 1885), three conflicts that collectively forced Burma (now Myanmar) into a vulnerable position from which it had to concede British hegemony (British Empire) in the region of the Bay of Bengal. The First Anglo-Burmese War arose from friction between Arakan in western Burma and British-held Chittagong to the north. After Burma's defeat of the kingdom of Arakan in 1784–85, Arakanese refugees went north into British territory and from their sanctuaries in Bengal formed armed contingents and recrossed the border, attacking Burmese garrisons in Arakan. At one point, Arakanese patriots recaptured the provincial capital of Mrohaung. In retaliation, Burmese forces crossed into Bengal, withdrawing only when challenged by Bengal authorities.

      In 1823 Burmese forces again crossed the frontier; and the British responded in force, with a large seaborne expedition that took Rangoon (1824) without a fight. The British hope of making the Burmese submit by holding the delta region and threatening the capital failed as Burmese resistance stiffened. In 1825 the British Indian forces advanced northward. In a skirmish south of Ava, the Burmese general Bandula was killed and his armies routed. The Treaty of Yandabo (February 1826) formally ended the First Anglo-Burmese War. The British victory had been achieved mainly because India's superior resources had made possible a sustained campaign running through two rainy seasons. But in the fighting the British-led Indian troops had suffered more than 15,000 fatalities.

      After 25 years of peace, the British Indian government sent a naval officer, Commodore Lambert, to Rangoon to investigate British merchants' complaints of extortion. When Lambert seized a ship that belonged to the Burmese king, another war began.

      By July 1852 the British had captured the ports of Lower Burma and had begun a march on the capital. Slowly but steadily the British-Indian forces occupied the central teak forests of Burma. The new king Mindon Min (ruled 1853–78) requested the dispersal of British forces. The British were unreceptive but were hesitant to advance farther northward; with both sides at an impasse, the fighting simply ceased. The British now occupied all Lower Burma but without formal recognition of the Burmese court.

      Mindon tried to readjust to the thrust of imperialism. He enacted administrative reforms and made Burma more receptive to foreign interests. To offset the British, he entertained envoys from France and sent his own emissaries there. Those moves aroused British suspicions, and Anglo-Burmese relations once again worsened. During the reign of Thibaw (1878–85), the British were willing to ignore Upper Burma and to concentrate on French moves in Laos, Vietnam, and Yunnan.

      The ensuing Anglo-French tension was the result not so much of French design as of Burmese initiative. A letter to the French premier from the Hlutdaw (ministerial council) suggesting a bilateral treaty posed a direct threat to British teak monopolies in Lower Burma. Meanwhile, the Hlutdaw fined the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation for underreporting its extractions of teak from Toungoo. That action provoked British forces to strike. The annexation of Upper Burma was announced on Jan. 1, 1886, ending the Konbaung dynasty and Burmese independence. The Third Anglo-Burmese War formally ended before it had even developed, but resistance to British rule continued for another four years.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Anglo-Burmese Wars — There have been three Burmese Wars or Anglo Burmese Wars:*First Anglo Burmese War (1823 to 1826) *Second Anglo Burmese War (1852 to 1853) *Third Anglo Burmese War (1885 to 1886)War with Britain and the fall of BurmaThe expansion of Burma had… …   Wikipedia

  • Anglo-Burmese Wars — (1824–1826, 1852, 1885)    Three short campaigns to extend British control over Burma as part of the larger British imperial regime in India. The first was launched in response to disputes along the border between Manipur and south central Assam …   Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914

  • Anglo-Mysore Wars — The Anglo Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought in India over the last three decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, represented chiefly by the Madras Presidency. The fourth war resulted in …   Wikipedia

  • Anglo-Burmese people — ethnic group group=Anglo Burmese poptime=1.6 million worldwide, including 52,000 in Burma popplace=Australia,United Kingdom,United States, Burma langs=English, Burmese religions=Buddhism, Christianity related=English, Bamar, Anglo Indians, Dutch… …   Wikipedia

  • Anglo-Burmese War, First —    (1824 1826)    War between Burma and British India broke out on two fronts in January 1824: Cachar in northeastern India and the border between Burmese ruled Arakan (Rhakine) and British Bengal. The latter had been the site of border clashes… …   Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar)

  • Third Anglo-Burmese War — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Third Burmese War caption= date=1885 place=Burma–India result=British victory, Burma annexed into British India casus=Burmese expansion drift combatant1=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom combatant2=Burma… …   Wikipedia

  • First Anglo–Burmese War — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=First Burmese War caption=The Storming of one of the principle stockades on its inside, near Rangoon, on the 8th of July 1824. date=1823–1826 place=Burma–India result=British Victory, Treaty of Yandabo… …   Wikipedia

  • Second Anglo-Burmese War — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Second Burmese War caption= date=1852 1853 place=Burma India result=British Victory casus= Treaty of Yandabo combatant1=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom combatant2=Burma commander1=Commodore Lambert… …   Wikipedia

  • Anglo — /ang gloh/, n., pl. Anglos, adj. n. 1. a white American of non Hispanic descent, as distinguished esp. from an American of Mexican or Spanish descent. 2. (sometimes l.c.) an English speaking person in a place where English is not the language of… …   Universalium

  • Guerres anglo-birmanes — On appelle guerres anglo birmanes (en anglais Anglo Burmese wars) les trois conflits qui, en 1824–26, en 1852 et en 1885, ont opposé la Birmanie aux forces britanniques établies en Inde. D abord menées pour des raisons d hégémonie régionale,… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”