King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha
International Connections
Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last king of Kandy, ruled for 17 years before British annexation in 1815. His autocratic style alienated the nobility, who collaborated with the British to depose him.
Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (1798–1815) was the last king of Kandy, ruling for seventeen years before British annexation. His reign witnessed escalating conflict with the British Empire, who controlled coastal regions. Internal dissent among Kandyan nobles, exploited by British agents, weakened his authority. In 1815, a combination of British military pressure and noble betrayal led to his capture and exile. The Kandyan Convention (1815) formalized British colonial rule over the entire island, ending two millennia of independent Sinhalese kingship. His reign symbolizes the final stand and ultimate collapse of indigenous sovereignty.