Battle of Mannar (1658)

Battle of Mannar
Part of the Dutch–Portuguese War
Depiction of the Battle of Mannar
Date 22 February 1658 Location Mannar, Sri Lanka Result Dutch victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic Dutch East India Company	Portugal
Commanders and leaders
Rijckloff van Goens	Antonio de Amaral de Meneses

The Battle of Mannar was a short battle fought between the Dutch and the opposing Portuguese forces on 22 February 1658. This battle, along with the subsequent capture of Jaffna would mark the end of Portuguese Ceylon. ^{[1] [2]}

Background

The Dutch, under the leadership of Gerard Pietersz Hulft, placed the main Portuguese base of Colombo under siege in 1655 and captured it. Which then allowed Rijckloff van Goens to launch a campaign, with Mannar being one of his targets.^{[ citation needed ]}

Battle

Admiral Rijckloff van Goens arrived before Mannar with a large fleet with the goal to capture the remaining Portuguese strongholds in Ceylon, Mannar being one of them. And after a short conflict between the two, the Island of Mannar was subsequently ceded to the Dutch. ^{[1] [3]}

Aftermath

After the battle, Rijckloff van Goens marched towards Jaffna and took the city after a siege. This marked the end of Portuguese influence in Ceylon, ^{[1] [2]} and would then result in the Dutch and the Kingdom of Kandy splitting the territory of the former Portuguese Ceylon.

References

1. Encyclopedia Britannica.
2. Beumer 1988, p. 93.
3. Beumer 1988, p. 88-89.

Sources

• "The Portuguese in Sri Lanka (1505–1658)". Encyclopædia Britannica .
• Beumer, Willemina G.M (1988). Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon, 1602-1796, A Comprehensive Work of Pictorial Reference with Selected Eye-witness Accounts (E-book ed.). Serendib Pulbications. pp. 88–89, 93. ISBN   9789004089792.