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Sri Lanka: Portrait of a Radala, or member of the Kandyan aristocracy, late 19th century.

Sri Lanka: Portrait of a Radala, or member of the Kandyan aristocracy, late 19th century.

In 1592 Kandy became the capital city of the last remaining independent kingdom in Sri Lanka after the coastal regions had been conquered by the Portuguese. Kandy stayed independent until the early 19th century. In the Second Kandyan War, the British met no resistance and reached the city on February 10, 1815. On March 2, 1815, a treaty known as the Kandyan Convention was signed between the British and the Radalas (Kandyan aristocrats). With this treaty, Kandy recognized the King of England as its King and became a British protectorate.

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