Lascarins
Encyclopedia
Lascarins ( laskirigngna) is a term used in Sri Lanka
to identify indigenous soldiers who fought for the Portuguese
during the Portuguese era (1505 - 1658) and continued to serve as colonial
soldiers until the 1930s.
word Lashkar , meaning military camp or army - related to the Arabic ‘Askar (Arabic: عسكر), meaning 'guard' or 'soldier' (whence Askari
). The Portuguese adapted this term to lasquarin or lascarim, meaning an Asian
militiaman or seaman. The latter meaning is preserved in English
as Lascar. In Sri Lanka it was used in the military sense, which was also preserved in India as Gun Lascar. The Dutch
adapted it to lascorijn and the English to lascariin, lascarine, lascoreen, etc.
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The Portuguese first landed in Sri Lanka
in 1505 and by 1517 they were able to erect a fort in Colombo
and controlled most of the inbound and outbound trade affairs. After the historical event known as 'Wijayaba Kollaya
' in 1521 they became involved in the internal affairs and conflicts between local kingdoms. Due to the limited manpower from Portugal
, the Portuguese hired local soldiers to defend Portuguese interests and to assist in offensive purposes. Almost all of these Lascarins were Catholic
converted Sinhalese (and in some cases Tamils) under Portuguese influence. After the Portuguese imposed direct control on local kingdoms (mainly the Kingdom of Kotte
), some of these Lascarins were given ranks (Mudali, Mohandiram, Arachchies, or Kankanis) in the governing bodies.
Lascarins were crucial for the occupying Portuguese forces, during their battles against local kingdoms because they knew the local geography. In almost every battle the Portuguese fought in Sri Lanka
, the majority of their army was composed of Lascarins. On several occasions and due to various reasons, Lascarins changed sides during battles (especially at the Battle of Gannoruwa
) and supported local kingdoms. Lascarins also took part in the battles against the Dutch
during the Dutch–Portuguese War which ended the Portuguese occupation of coastal Sri Lanka
.
Lascarins served on with the Dutch during the period 1640-1796. Lascarins were divided into ‘ranchuwas’ (randje) meaning company
, each consisting of two or three native headmen
, Mohandiram, Arachchies, or Kankanis and 24 rank and file. Several ‘ranchus’ were under the Mudaliyar of a Korale.
During the British era they lost their military role becoming more of a ceremonial guard. Lascarins were maintained as small private units of powerful Mudaliyars
who maintained them with the approval of the British authorities on the grounds of personal protection.
They would provide the honour guard for visits by members of the Royal Family
and the annual Maldivian delegation bring the annual tributes (for British protection), to the Governor of Ceylon . The official practice of maintaining Lascarins stopped after the closure of the Native Department with it the appointments of Mudaliyars in the 1930's - however Lascarins were present for ceremonial duties for years after.
s and ‘sesath’ (white parasol) and marched to the beat of the tom-tom band and flutes piping military music.
) were commanded by the Mudaliyar, a rank corresponding to Captain
in European
regiment
s. Below him was the Muhandiram or Lieutenant
. The non-commissioned officers were the Cangaans (sergeant
s) or Kanganies. Soldiers occupying the rank of Private
were simply 'Lascoreens'.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
to identify indigenous soldiers who fought for the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
during the Portuguese era (1505 - 1658) and continued to serve as colonial
Colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony* Colonial history of the United States, the period of American history from the 17th century to 1776, under the rule of Great Britain, France and Spain...
soldiers until the 1930s.
Derivation
The term originates from the PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
word Lashkar , meaning military camp or army - related to the Arabic ‘Askar (Arabic: عسكر), meaning 'guard' or 'soldier' (whence Askari
Askari
Askari is an Arabic, Bosnian, Urdu, Turkish, Somali, Persian, Amharic and Swahili word meaning "soldier" . It was normally used to describe local troops in East Africa, Northeast Africa, and Central Africa serving in the armies of European colonial powers...
). The Portuguese adapted this term to lasquarin or lascarim, meaning an Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
militiaman or seaman. The latter meaning is preserved in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as Lascar. In Sri Lanka it was used in the military sense, which was also preserved in India as Gun Lascar. The Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
adapted it to lascorijn and the English to lascariin, lascarine, lascoreen, etc.
History
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1505 and by 1517 they were able to erect a fort in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
and controlled most of the inbound and outbound trade affairs. After the historical event known as 'Wijayaba Kollaya
Wijayaba Kollaya
Vijayaba Kollaya This is the historic event that happened in 1521 where the Kotte king's three sons mutinied against their father killing him and divided the Kingdom among themselves....
' in 1521 they became involved in the internal affairs and conflicts between local kingdoms. Due to the limited manpower from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, the Portuguese hired local soldiers to defend Portuguese interests and to assist in offensive purposes. Almost all of these Lascarins were Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
converted Sinhalese (and in some cases Tamils) under Portuguese influence. After the Portuguese imposed direct control on local kingdoms (mainly the Kingdom of Kotte
Kingdom of Kotte
The Kingdom of Kotte , centred on Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte was a kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century. Its king was the last native sovereign to unify all of Sri Lanka under one rule. -Etymology:The term Kotte means fortress in Sinhalese...
), some of these Lascarins were given ranks (Mudali, Mohandiram, Arachchies, or Kankanis) in the governing bodies.
Lascarins were crucial for the occupying Portuguese forces, during their battles against local kingdoms because they knew the local geography. In almost every battle the Portuguese fought in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, the majority of their army was composed of Lascarins. On several occasions and due to various reasons, Lascarins changed sides during battles (especially at the Battle of Gannoruwa
Battle of Gannoruwa
The Battle of Gannoruwa was a battle of the Sinhalese–Portuguese War fought in 1638 between the occupying Portuguese forces and the Sinhalese King's army at Gannoruwa in the District of Kandy, Sri Lanka. The Portuguese had attempted three times without success to capture the Kingdom of Kandy, in...
) and supported local kingdoms. Lascarins also took part in the battles against the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
during the Dutch–Portuguese War which ended the Portuguese occupation of coastal Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Lascarins served on with the Dutch during the period 1640-1796. Lascarins were divided into ‘ranchuwas’ (randje) meaning company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
, each consisting of two or three native headmen
Headmen
The Headmen is a group of fictional supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. They first appeared in The Defenders #21 .-Fictional biography:...
, Mohandiram, Arachchies, or Kankanis and 24 rank and file. Several ‘ranchus’ were under the Mudaliyar of a Korale.
During the British era they lost their military role becoming more of a ceremonial guard. Lascarins were maintained as small private units of powerful Mudaliyars
Sri Lankan Mudaliyars
Mudali was a colonial title & office in Sri Lanka. The Portuguese colonials created the Mudaliyar class in the 17th century by enlisting natives of different castes form the coastal areas, who were most likely to serve the Portuguese masters with utmost loyalty. The Dutch continued the practice of...
who maintained them with the approval of the British authorities on the grounds of personal protection.
They would provide the honour guard for visits by members of the Royal Family
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
and the annual Maldivian delegation bring the annual tributes (for British protection), to the Governor of Ceylon . The official practice of maintaining Lascarins stopped after the closure of the Native Department with it the appointments of Mudaliyars in the 1930's - however Lascarins were present for ceremonial duties for years after.
Uniform
The full complement of the Ceylon Government Lascoreen Guard–of-Honour consisted of thirty-six guards clad in scarlet tunics with gold embroidery, white cloth/trouser and plumed headgear. They carried lanceLance
A Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
s and ‘sesath’ (white parasol) and marched to the beat of the tom-tom band and flutes piping military music.
Command
A Lascoreen Guard was under the command of a ‘Basnayake Muhandiram.’ ‘Basnayake’- derived from Dutch (baas + naik) meaning chieftain and ‘Muhandiram’ an honorary title conferred on the native officials of the administrative hierarchy. The Lascoreens of each Korale (countyCounty
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
) were commanded by the Mudaliyar, a rank corresponding to Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in European
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
s. Below him was the Muhandiram or Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. The non-commissioned officers were the Cangaans (sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
s) or Kanganies. Soldiers occupying the rank of Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
were simply 'Lascoreens'.