The Anglo-Burmese Wars were three military conflicts fought between the British Empire and the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma (present-day Myanmar) during the 19th century. The British fought these wars to gain complete control over Burma and incorporate it into British India.
First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826)
The First Anglo-Burmese War was an act of aggression on the part of Burma that compelled Britain to take up arms to silence the aggressors, and this was the primary cause of the conflict. In the middle of the eighteenth century, a Burmese chief named Alompra conquered Pegu and founded a strong dynasty. His successors expanded their dominion in different directions and began pushing toward the eastern frontier of India. In 1784, the Burmese came very close to Chittagong after overrunning the independent kingdom of Arakan. Several refugees, in panic, crossed into Indian territory, and the Burmese demanded that the British surrender these fugitives. However, the British authorities in Chittagong refused to comply, straining Anglo-Burmese relations.
In 1813, the Burmese occupied Manipur, and in 1818, the King of Burma sent an unacceptable letter to Lord Hastings, demanding the British possessions of Chittagong, Dhaka, Murshidabad, and Kashimbazar. The situation reached a crisis in 1822 when Burma conquered Assam, making the British northeastern frontier vulnerable. Lord Amherst deemed it necessary to declare war in 1824.
The British, under Sir Archibald Campbell, captured Rangoon (1824) but faced difficulties advancing further due to a shortage of supplies and heavy rainfall. Intense fighting ensued, and a British detachment was defeated by Burmese General Bandula, who was later killed in another encounter. The British forces eventually reached Yandabo, threatening the capital city of Burma. As a result, Burma surrendered and signed the Treaty of Yandabo (February 1826), under which Assam, Cachar, and Manipur became British protectorates. This fighting led to more than 15,000 fatalities among the British-led Indian troops.
Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852–1853)
The Treaty of Yandabo did not bring real friendship between England and Burma. The Burmese people became increasingly arrogant, and in 1840, the British Resident in Burma had to leave the country. British merchants in Rangoon were subjected to ill-treatment, prompting Lord Dalhousie to demand compensation from Burma. The Burmese rejected the demand after a ship belonging to the King of Burma was detained by the British. In response, Dalhousie declared war in 1852. Through a brief and straightforward military operation, Burma was taken by the British. The city of Rangoon was captured, and the Great Pagoda was stormed. The entire province of Pegu came under British control. As the Burmese authorities refused to formally cede Pegu through a treaty, the province was annexed in 1852 by proclamation.
Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885)
Despite suffering defeats in the two preceding wars, Burma did not accept the outcomes passively. Relations between Burma and England grew increasingly strained. When Thibaw ascended the Burmese throne, Anglo-Burmese relations worsened. He leaned more towards France than England. In 1883, a Burmese mission was sent to Paris, followed by the visit of a French envoy to Mandalay two years later. The crisis deepened when Thibaw imposed a heavy fine on a British commercial enterprise known as the British and Burma Trading Company and even ordered the arrest of several of its officers. The underlying motive behind Thibaw’s actions was to shift trading rights from the British to the French. A trade treaty between Burma and France, concluded in 1883, further confirmed these intentions.
The British government objected and demanded that the matter be referred to arbitration by the Governor-General. The Burmese government refused, prompting Lord Dufferin to issue an ultimatum. It demanded that Thibaw receive a British envoy in Mandalay, suspend actions against the British company until the envoy’s arrival, and refrain from entering any foreign agreements without British consent. When the ultimatum was ignored, Britain declared war on Burma. Within twenty days, Mandalay was occupied, and Thibaw was captured and deposed. Upper Burma was annexed (January 1, 1886), and together with Lower Burma, it became a new province under British control, with its headquarters in Rangoon, ending the Konbaung dynasty and Burmese independence. This marked the furthest northeastern expansion of the British Indian Empire. British policy in Burma was driven by fear of French influence, just as its policy towards Afghanistan was shaped by concerns over Russian ambitions.
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