History of Srilanka
The earliest historical record is the remarkable account of the arrival of the prince Vijaya from Southern India sometime in the 5th century BC, forms the basis of Sinhalese tradition and understanding of the Sinhalese people ‘s roots in the Island. Sinhalease tradition status the third king of the Vijaya dynasty ,Pandukhabaya, founded the city of Anuradhapura which was to be the seat of government for over a thousand years. The remains of this remarkable city were rediscovered by the British in the 19th century. This is the city where , according to Buddhist legend ,a sapling of the bo-tree under which theBuddha achived enlightenment was planted. Anuradhapura was eventually abandoned as the capital in the 11th century .King Vijayabahu 1 chose Polonnaruwa further to the south-east as his new capital. Because it was further away from India and less vulnerable to attack.
Both Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa relied on a sophisticated artificial irrigation system of canals and large man-made reservoirs or Tanks .Constant feuding and even foreign adventures such as that of King Prakramabahu 1 (1153-86) ,who attacked Burma ,led to the decay of the irrigation system and eventually to the abandonment of Polonnaruwa. There then followed a prolonged period of confusion as rival Sinhalese rulers fought each other and various intruders. These internal conflicts made the Island easy prey for invaders .In 1247 and again in 1258 the Island was raided by Malay pirate sultans and 1411 the Chinese admiral Chen Ho abducted a local king Internal divisions and factional dynastic quarrels meant that by the early 16th century the Island was divided into three kingdoms : a Tamil Kingdom in the north, with the sinhalease kingdoms of Kandy in the centre and Kotte in the south and along the coastlione.
Then in 1505 a storm blew into Colombo a Portuguese fleet. What they were seeking was access to the spices of the east. They assisted the king of Kotte in their struggles with their neighbours ,and then ended up controlling Kotte. They tapped into the sophisticated trade network that existed. The most profitable trade was in spice ,mainly in the form of cinnamon and later ginger ,nutmeg and pepper. They also came with mission to spread the Roman Catholic faith. But their control of the coast ended in 1658 when they were ousted by Dutch. Like the Portuguese Dutch never controlled the whole of the Island . They also were attracted by the spice trade ,and the island was also an important staging point on the VOC’s trade routes to the east India ,China and Japan. When the Dutch republic declined at the end of the 18th century, its possessions overseas became natural targets for Britain ,which seized the Island in 1796, renaming it Ceylon.
The congress of Vienna (1815) confirmed the British in possession of SrLanka, and they turned their attention to conquring Kandy .They built military roads to make the inland kingdom accessible ,and Kandy was quickly conquered, ending more than 2000 years of independence. The British response to riots and disturbances in 1915 was repression, followed by concessions to nationalist demands. In 1919 the creation of the Ceylon National Congress united previous Sinhalese and Tamil organizations agitating for greater involvement in government. A new constitution which took account of those demands was implemented in 1920, and then amended in 1924.That response was developed in 1931 with further constitutional changes which created a universal franchis and the inclusion of Sinhalese and Tamil in government.WWII, and the nationalist cause was rewarded by the 1945 Soulbury Commission which drew up a constitution based on the Westminister model,and would confer independence.Elections were held at the end of 1947,and the country was granted independence on 4th February 1948.
(Source – Travel Guide SriLanka)