The Burma Wars: 1824-1886

Between 1824 and 1885 Britain and Burma fought in three deadly struggles.



The first was the longest and most expensive war in British Indian history, the second was criticized at the time as being caused by gunboat diplomacy, and the third led to the removal of Burma's Konbaung dynasty and the incorporation of Burma into the British Raj.



These wars were fraught with military blunders and incompetence.



Why did the tensions arise initially and how did the first battles begin? How were Burmese fo...