Fort Fredrick at Trincomalee | AmazingLanka.com

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Entrance to the Fort Fredrick at Trincomalee
Photo by Juan Martin Maccione

Ancient History of Trincomalee

Trincomalee which is a natural deep-water harbour that has attracted sea farers like Marco Polo, Ptolemy and Sea Traders from China and East Asia since ancient times. Trinco, as it is commonly called, has been a sea port since the days of the ancient Sri Lankan Kings. The earliest known reference to the port of Gokanna is found in the Mahavamsa stating that in the 5th century BC, when King Vijaya who had failed to convince his brother to come to Sri Lanka as his successor, got down his youngest son Panduvasdeva, who landed at Gokanna and was subsequently enthroned at Upatissagama.

Trincomalee Under Portuguese

The fort of Trincomalee was built by the former captain-general of Ceylon Constantino de Sa in the year 1622. The fort was triangular and was built from the debris of an ancient Pagoda that was destroyed by the Portuguese.

The early 17th century cartographical maps call the hill on which the fort was built as the “Land of the Pagodas“. The Portuguese named the fort “Fort of Triquillimale”. During the Dutch times, it was called the “Pagoda Hill“.

The objective for which this fort was built at this place and for which it was maintained is to prevent European enemies from putting up a fort on this side of the island and then contact the king of Kandy and from having communications with him through Kottiyarama (now Somapura Seruvila area).

The Santa Cruz bastion which is on the southern side where the sea touches it and its waves dash against it. It was the key for the defence of the bay and it was situated on the south side of the isthmus to direct contact with the waters of the bay, on this bastion were mounted 6 pieces of artillery. It is bigger than the other two and can be equipped even with 13 pieces of artillery. The bastion of Santo Antonio is on the northern side and has five pieces of artillery. The third bastion is on the side of the hill and is smaller than the other two to which it serves as a platform for three pieces of artillery. They were taken from a wrecked Danish ship which was wrecked at Kottiyarama (now Somapura Seruvila area).

Trincomalee Fort Under the Dutch

This fort was captured by a Dutch fleet under Admiral Westerwold in 1639 and then handed over to Kandyan forces for destruction in 1643 (Nelson, 1984). Not until 1665 was a new fort built here by the Dutch to defend against the advancements of the British and the French.

The Fench Connection

In 1672, the year when the Dutch Republic was attacked by France, Britain, and two German states, the French captured Trincomalee and later occupied Batticaloa. In 1672, Baldaeus states that the Dutch had relinquished this fort and rebuilt this fort several times mainly due to the war with Britain. However soon the French were forced to leave. Trincomalee was important for its large all-season secure harbor.

In January 1782, a British landing force captured the fort from the Dutch and stationed a garrison there. However, a few months later, after a surprise attack, the British surrendered the fort to the French. Trincomalee remained under French control for several months until peace was declared in 1783. As part of the Treaty of Versailles, the French ceded Trincomalee to Great Britain, which later returned it to the Dutch (De Silva & Beumer, 1988, p. 143).

The French, however, remained deeply interested in Trincomalee, and five years later, in 1787, they seized it for the third time. Following this, the French Admiralty devised an ambitious plan to completely rebuild Pagoda Hill, likely anticipating that they would retain control of the area. Their proposal included fortifying the entire peninsula with three tiers of defenses ascending the hill, while completely demolishing the existing Dutch fortifications. The plan also called for a massive extension into the sea along the southern side of the peninsula, with a complex new entry system extending beyond the western front as shown on the map below. (Nelson, 1984)

Trincomalee Fort Under the British

In 1795 the fort of Trincomalee was taken over by the British and remained a British garrison till 1948. Coastal artillery guns were added during the two World Wars. Today it remains garrisoned by a detachment of the Sri Lanka Army accessible to visitors.

Fort Fredrick is open to the public and one of the main attractions of Trincomalee, the Koneswaram Temple lies inside this fort.

A map of Trincomalee with the fort built by the Portuguese on Pagoda Hill drawn by Constantine De Sa (the Portuguese Governor of Ceylon 1618-1622 and 1623-1630) drawn between 1624 and 1628.

A map of Trincomalee Fort drawn by the portuguese <br> source : Plantas das fortalezas, pagodes & ca. da ilha de Ceilão published in 1650 — A map of Trincomalee Fort drawn by the Portuguese
source : Plantas das fortalezas, pagodes & ca. da ilha de Ceilão published in 1650

Antique print of the Trincomalee Fort, Sri Lanka by Baldaeus, printed in 1672 for the Dutch first edition of Baldaeus' work 'A true and exact description of the most celebrated East-India coasts of Malabar and Coromandel and also of the Isle of Ceylon' published in Amsterdam, 1672 by Janssonius van Waasberge en van Someren — Antique print of the Trincomalee Fort, Sri Lanka by Baldaeus, printed in 1672 for the Dutch first edition of Baldaeus’ work ‘A true and exact description of the most celebrated East-India coasts of Malabar and Coromandel and also of the Isle of Ceylon’ published in Amsterdam, 1672 by Janssonius van Waasberge en van Someren

Proposed French Reconstruction of the Fort on the Pagoda Hill (Trincomalee Fort) after conquering the fort in 1787
Source: The Dutch forts of Sri Lanka: The military monuments of Ceylon

A plan of the Dutch Fort of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka drawn in 1693 - From the National Archives of Netherlands — A plan of the Dutch Fort of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka drawn in the 17th century – From the National Archives of Netherlands

References

Abeyasinghe, T. B. H. (1995). Description of Ceylon in the Book of the Plans of all the Fortresses Cities and towns of the State of Oriental India by ANTONIO BOCARRO Dedicated to the Most Serene Royal Majesty Philip IV of the Spains and III of Portugal our Lord the King February 17, 1635. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, New Series 39, 1–83.
Baldaeus, P. (1703). A True and Exact Description of the Most Celebrated East-India Coasts of Malabar and Coromandel and Also of the Isle of Ceylon: Vol. III–III (1st ed.). A. and J. Churchill. (Original work published 1672)
De Silva, R. K., & Beumer, W. G. M. (1988). Illustrations and views of Dutch Ceylon 1602-1796. Serendib Publications.
Nelson, W. A. (1984). The Dutch forts of Sri Lanka: The military monuments of Ceylon. Canongate Publishing Limited.
Reimers, E. (1929). Selections from the Dutch Records of the Ceylon Government : No 2 : Constantine De Sa’s Maps and Plans of Ceylon (1624-1628) With an Introduction, Transcripts, Notes, and Translations. A. C. Richards, Acting Government Printer, Ceylon.

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Map of Fort Fredrick at Trincomalee

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Driving Directions to Trincomalee (Fort Fredrick)

Route from Colombo to Trincomalee	Route from Kandy to Trincomalee
Though : Ambepussa – Kurunegala – Dambulla distance : 266 km Travel time : 6-7 hours Driving directions : see on google map	Though : Katugasthota – Matale – Dambulla distance : 185 km Travel time : 3.5-4 hours Driving directions : see on google map