Peter I of Serbia vs Rajasinha II

Peter I Kara

King Peter I led Serbia during the First and Second Balkan Wars, which resulted in the expansion of Serbian territory and the expulsion of the Ottoman Empire from most of the Balkans. Serbia emerged as a regional power.

After the Austro-Hungarian and German invasion of Serbia, King Peter I led the Serbian army and government on a retreat through the mountains of Albania to the Adriatic coast. The retreat was a humanitarian disaster but preserved the army for future campaigns.

Following the end of World War I, King Peter I was proclaimed King of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). This united South Slavic peoples under a single monarchy.

Rajasinha II signed a treaty with the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to expel the Portuguese from Sri Lanka. The treaty promised the Dutch a monopoly on cinnamon trade and control of captured Portuguese forts.

Rajasinha II's forces, allied with the Dutch, captured Colombo from the Portuguese after a long siege. This ended Portuguese rule in Sri Lanka.

After the capture of Colombo, the Dutch refused to hand over the fort to Rajasinha II, as stipulated in the 1638 treaty. This led to a breakdown in relations and subsequent conflict between the Kandyan kingdom and the Dutch.

Dutch forces, in retaliation for Rajasinha II's attacks, captured and sacked Kandy. The king fled to the mountains, and the Dutch briefly occupied the capital.