The Treaty of Yandabo was signed on February 24, 1826, between the British East India Company and the Burmese Kingdom. It ended the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826) and marked the beginning of British rule in Assam and other northeastern regions.
Events Leading to the Treaty
- Decline of the Ahom Kingdom
- The Ahoms ruled Assam for 600 years, successfully repelling 17 Mughal invasions.
- Purandar Singha, the last Ahom king, faced internal conflicts and Burmese invasions.
- Burmese monarch Bodawpaya intervened, leading to the occupation of Assam.
- Burmese Rule & Atrocities in Assam
- The Burmese installed Jogeswar Singha as a puppet ruler.
- Widespread destruction, killings, and forced migration led to a sharp decline in Assam’s population.
- British Response & the Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826)
- The Burmese expansion into Cachar and Jaintia Hills alarmed the British.
- The British, under Lord Hastings, retaliated and invaded Burma, leading to Burmese defeat.
Terms of the Treaty of Yandabo
- Burma ceded Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Arakan, and the Tenasserim coast to the British.
- Agreed to withdraw troops from Cachar and Jaintia Hills.
- Paid a war indemnity of 1 million pounds to the British.
- Allowed the British to establish a diplomatic presence in Burma.
Impact of the Treaty
- On Assam
- Ended Ahom sovereignty, placing Assam under British rule from 1826 to 1947.
- Assamese nobles, including Chandrakanta & Purandar Singha, sought restoration but failed.
- The British later made Purandar Singha a tributary prince (1832-1838) to pacify Assamese resentment.
- On Burma
- Burmese pride was shattered; the kingdom suffered a severe financial crisis.
- The British gradually annexed Burma completely by 1885.
- On Northeast India
- The treaty changed the political landscape, bringing the entire Northeast under British control.
- The British used divide-and-rule policies, which later contributed to regional insurgencies.
The Treaty of Yandabo permanently altered Assam’s history, ending its centuries-old independence. Despite resisting the Mughals, internal power struggles led to Burmese intervention and eventual British colonization. Today, the treaty is remembered for shaping the geopolitics of Northeast India and Burma.
