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The Man Who Brought The British Empire To East Asia
Opening a whole new continent to colonization
British involvement in East Asia dominated the history books from the late 19th century through World War II. Britain held colonies and fought battles in lands thousands of miles from London, including places such as Burma, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. It is hard to imagine now that there was a time when the British had minimal sway in East Asia. In fact, until 1820, the British’s reach hardly extended past the Indian coasts. The British managed to accrue a large East Asian empire in a rather short amount of time. Between 1820 and 1890, Britain would exponentially expand its holdings and its influence in the region. This expansion was largely due to the vision and actions of a single man whose legacy was bringing the British Empire to East Asia.
The man’s name was Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, and it is a name that has largely been lost to history. Yet, his contributions to British expansionism continue to resonate throughout the world to this day.
Invasion of Java (1811)
