First Anglo-Burmese War

The First Anglo-Burmese War began in 1824 and arose from friction along the frontier between British India and the expanding Burmese kingdom ruled by the Konbaung dynasty. Burmese expansion into territories such as Assam, Manipur, and Arakan brought it into direct conflict with the interests of the British East India Company, and disputes over border regions and contested islands brought tensions to a head.

After Burmese forces occupied the disputed island of Shahpuri, which the East India Company regarded as its own, and pressed against the company's frontier, the British formally declared war in early 1824. Rather than fight on the difficult northeastern land frontier, the British launched a seaborne expedition that captured the port of Rangoon in May 1824, intending to strike toward the Burmese heartland.

The campaign proved long and costly, with British and Indian troops suffering heavily from disease in the unfamiliar tropical climate as much as from combat. The war finally ended in 1826 with the Treaty of Yandabo, by which Burma ceded Arakan and Tenasserim, renounced its claims to Assam and Manipur, and paid a large indemnity. The conflict marked the beginning of British expansion that would eventually absorb all of Burma.