The Dutch East India Company's Secret War in Ceylon

In this episode of The Rise of Colonialism, Lucas and Luna dive into the Dutch East India Company's little-known campaign to conquer Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) from the Portuguese in the 17th century. They explore the strategic importance of the island's cinnamon trade, the unlikely alliance between the VOC and the Kingdom of Kandy, and the brutal siege of Colombo in 1656. Along the way, they discuss the role of the 'thombos' — the Dutch land surveys that transformed Ceylonese society — and the controversial figure of Rijckloff van Goens, the VOC governor whose ambition nearly bankrupted the company. This episode offers a fresh perspective on colonial rivalry in Asia, revealing how the Dutch replaced the Portuguese as the dominant European power in the Indian Ocean. #VOC #Ceylon #DutchColonialism #Kandy #SiegeOfColombo #RijckloffVanGoens #CinnamonTrade #PortugueseEmpire #SriLanka #Thombos #DutchEastIndiaCompany #ColonialWarfare #IndianOceanHistory #17thCentury #SpiceTrade #History #FexingoHistory #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo