Dutch Ceylon

Friedrich der Große

Friedrich der Große

In OTL, during the Napoleonic Wars, the Netherlands lost Ceylon to the British Empire. The British then defeated the Kingdom of Kandy, which was a kingdom in Ceylon (The Dutch only owned the coastal areas of Ceylon).

But what if in an alternate timeline, the Netherlands defeated the Kingdom of Kandy before the Napoleonic Wars. This would mean they would achieve 100% colonial dominantion in Ceylon.

What would have happened? Would the British interest in Ceylon have been prevented? And would this mean that the Netherlands would get Ceylon back after the Napoleonic Wars?

Thoughts?
 

Emperor-of-New-Zealand

Kicked
If we assume the Napoleonic Wars still go on as OTL, or close to it, then I doubt the Dutch conquest of Kandy will have much of an effect on the British taking Sri Lanka.
 

Parma

Gustaaf Willem baron Von Imhoff was from 1736 VOC gouvernor of the VOC posessions of Ceylon. He pacified the coastal regions and introduced printing press in Ceylon which resulted in the first printed works in Sinhala and spread of the Christian religion. He had very good connections with the Sinhala King of Candy. This king was followed up, after his death in 1739, by his son who were reagrded as a Tamil by the Sanhil population (Imhoff was one of the first who recorded about this etnic division). Imhoff was concerned about the position of the VOC on Ceylon since the new King had close connections with the South Indian mainland and could theathen the VOC trade monopoly.
He saw an opportunity to use the tensions between the new Tamil King and the Sinhala population in a policy of devide and conquer with the goal to conquer the Kingdom of Candy.
In OTL the VOC directors did not wat to get involved in an other war and Von Imhoff was transfered to Batavia.
Suppose he get the free hand of the Directors he might succeed in complete or partial conquest of Candy.
If complete Ceylon was under VOC rule since the 2nd half of the 18th Century the British will not invest heavily during the Napoleontic was. If there is no heavy investment by the British they might give Ceylon back after the defeat of Napoleon at the treaty of London in 1814.

Just to know, Von Imhoff urged the VOC directors to sent more pastors to the Cape Colony in order to stop the alianation of the fatherland and to educate and guide the souls of the inhabitants who moved even further inland and civilisation.
 
Friedrich der Große

Friedrich der Große

Parma said:
Gustaaf Willem baron Von Imhoff was from 1736 VOC gouvernor of the VOC posessions of Ceylon. He pacified the coastal regions and introduced printing press in Ceylon which resulted in the first printed works in Sinhala and spread of the Christian religion. He had very good connections with the Sinhala King of Candy. This king was followed up, after his death in 1739, by his son who were reagrded as a Tamil by the Sanhil population (Imhoff was one of the first who recorded about this etnic division). Imhoff was concerned about the position of the VOC on Ceylon since the new King had close connections with the South Indian mainland and could theathen the VOC trade monopoly.
He saw an opportunity to use the tensions between the new Tamil King and the Sinhala population in a policy of devide and conquer with the goal to conquer the Kingdom of Candy.
In OTL the VOC directors did not wat to get involved in an other war and Von Imhoff was transfered to Batavia.
Suppose he get the free hand of the Directors he might succeed in complete or partial conquest of Candy.
If complete Ceylon was under VOC rule since the 2nd half of the 18th Century the British will not invest heavily during the Napoleontic was. If there is no heavy investment by the British they might give Ceylon back after the defeat of Napoleon at the treaty of London in 1814.

Just to know, Von Imhoff urged the VOC directors to sent more pastors to the Cape Colony in order to stop the alianation of the fatherland and to educate and guide the souls of the inhabitants who moved even further inland and civilisation.
Click to expand...
So they could also keep the Cape Colony?
 

Parma

PBErik said:
So they could also keep the Cape Colony?
Click to expand...
Well, I am not sure.....
If the VOC directors listened to the advice of Van Imhoff and sent more pastors there would be some changing in the attitude of the Burghers of the Cape.
First this pastors would try to educate the wandering Burghers at the fringes of the Cape. Secondly this pastors would discover the reason why this burgherswere living so far inland ; to avoid the authority of the VOC rule of the Cape. The reason why they avoid VOC rule was the feudal attitude of the VOC over the burghers and the ever harsher rule and limitations of freedoms implemented by the VOC.
It could be possible that these pastors change the way the Cape is ruled, and give the burghers much more freedom and self rule. This could bind the Cape burghers more to the Netherlands. If the British occupy the Cpae during the French revolution and Napoleontic wars the opposition to this British rule could be larger and much more supported by the Burghers. This broad resistance agianst British rule might encourage the British to leave this colony after 1814 since it gave to much fuss.
In OTL the opposition against the British was not much supported by the Burghers living at the outskirts of the Cape since it was regarded as one oppressor is exchaged for an other.
 

Emperor-of-New-Zealand

Kicked
PBErik said:
Yes, so that is why I say, they own the Cape Colony, so Ceylon is not important for the British.
Click to expand...
My point is that in your proposed scenario nothing has changed from OTL - in OTL the British had the Cape Colony and still took Ceylon, and still kept Ceylon. Why would they do anything differently here? Why would the Dutch conquest of Kandy make things different? If anything, a pacified native kingdom makes it easier for the British to keep it, because they don't have to do the hard work themselves.
 
J VonAxel

J VonAxel

Have the British fleet that OTL captured the Cape meet a massive storm, driving their ships massively off course and into the empty coastline north of Walvisbaai. By the time the RN is certain that things have gone horribly wrong and starts assembling a second attempt at least a year will have passed. This could spawn entire flocks of butterflies, perhaps reinforcements for the Dutch, maybe a collapse of the current coalition forcing the Brits to stay at home, maybe six or so Dutch and French frigates hunt down the passing British Indiamen stripping the RN of needed funds, ships, and crews.

Though should Ceylon remain Dutch, do note that the VOC has gone belly up, and after the Napoleonic wars the Netherlands will also be near destitute. Nor can one overlook the different approaches to colonization that the Dutch had from the British. At that time the Dutch weren't really interested in actually conquering the hinterlands of their trade posts, much easier to control a few local bigwigs.
 

Parma

Emperor-of-New-Zealand said:
My point is that in your proposed scenario nothing has changed from OTL - in OTL the British had the Cape Colony and still took Ceylon, and still kept Ceylon. Why would they do anything differently here? Why would the Dutch conquest of Kandy make things different? If anything, a pacified native kingdom makes it easier for the British to keep it, because they don't have to do the hard work themselves.
Click to expand...
In 1814 civilised nations did not stole properties of friendly nations. The Cape was compensated by a large sum.
 
Comte de Dordogne

Comte de Dordogne

At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, England and the Netherlands signed a Convention in 1814 and a Treaty in 1824, dealing with colonial disputes (Malaya, Ceylon, the Cape, Surinam).
Could we see a different agreement between London and The Hague where Ceylon is kept under Dutch control in exchange for something else? For example the whole of Surinam becoming British?
 
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