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History of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia that became a republic in 1972.. 6 eras, 1017 to today.

Kingdom of Polonnaruwa, 1017–1236 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was the Sinhalese kingdom that expanded across the island of Sri Lanka from 1070 until 1232. The kingdom unified the island and started expanding its overseas influence during the reign of Parakramabahu the Great. The royal court was embroiled with factionalism chiefly between the Pandya and Kalinga bloodlines of the Polonnaruwa kings. In 1212, the capital was seized by Parakrama Pandyan, a rival claimant who took power via Pandyan assistance.

Seat of power: Polonnaruwa

Rulers

Kingdom of Kandy, 1469–1815 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Kingdom of Kandy was a Sinhalese monarchy on the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom of the Kingdom of Kotte, Kandy gradually established itself as an independent force during the tumultuous 16th and 17th centuries. The kingdom was absorbed into the British Empire as a protectorate following the Kandyan Convention of 1815, and definitively lost its autonomy following the Uva Rebellion of 1817.

Seat of power: Kandy

Rulers

Dutch Ceylon, 1640–1796 Draft, not yet reviewed

Dutch Ceylon was a governorate established in present-day Sri Lanka by the Dutch East India Company. Although the Dutch managed to capture most of the coastal areas in Sri Lanka, they were never able to control the Kingdom of Kandy located in the interior of the island. Dutch Ceylon existed from 1640 until 1796. The Dutch were invited by the Sinhalese to help fight the Portuguese.

Seat of power: Colombo

British Ceylon, 1815–1948 Draft, not yet reviewed

British Ceylon refers to the imperial possessions of the United Kingdom in the island of Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka, between 1796 and 4 February 1948. Initially, the area it covered did not include the Kingdom of Kandy, which was a protectorate, but from 1817 to 1948 the British possessions included the whole island. The British Ceylon period follows the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom into the hands of the British Empire, ending over 2300 years of Sinhalese monarchy. The British rule on the island lasted until 1948 when the country regained independence following the Sri Lankan independence movement.

Seat of power: Colombo

Rulers

Dominion of Ceylon, 1948–1972 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Dominion of Ceylon, officially Ceylon, was an independent country in the Commonwealth of Nations from 1948 to 1972, that shared a monarch with other dominions of the Commonwealth. In 1948, the British Colony of Ceylon was granted independence as Ceylon. In 1972, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and its name was changed to Sri Lanka. Don Stephen Senanayake became the first prime minister of Ceylon.

Seat of power: Colombo

Rulers

Sri Lanka, 1972 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. In 1948, Sri Lanka gained independence as the Dominion of Ceylon, eventually becoming a republic in 1972. Sri Lanka's recent history has been marred by a prolonged civil war between the Tamil separatist militant organisation of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, which lasted from 1983 to 2009, and ended with the defeat of the separatists. It has the highest level of human development in South Asia and the second-highest GDP per capita in the region.

Seat of power: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

Rulers

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.