Battle of Mannar (1658)
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (September 2024) |
| Battle of Mannar | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Dutch-Portuguese War | |||||||
 Depiction of the Battle of Mannar | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 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
[edit]Before the battle, the Dutch and Portuguese ended a truce in 1652 in which they could continue fighting in Ceylon, general Gerard Hulft would then besiege and capture Colombo. Which then allowed Rijckloff van Goens to launch a campaign, with Mannar being one of his targets.[citation needed]
Battle
[edit]Admiral Rijckloff van Goens arrived before mannar with a large fleet with the goal to capture the ramaining Portuguese strongholds in Ceylon, Mannar being one of them. And after a short conflict between the two, the Portuguese governor Antonio de Amaral de Meneses was killed in action and the Island of Mannar was subsequently ceded to the Dutch.[1][3]
Aftermath
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ a b c Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ^ a b Beumer 1988, p. 93.
- ^ Beumer 1988, p. 88-89.
Sources
[edit]- "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.