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The First Anglo-Burmese War arose from friction between Arakan in western Burma and British-held Chittagong to the north. After Burma's defeat of the kingdom of Arakan in 1784-85, Arakanese refugees went north into British territory and from their sanctuaries in Bengal formed armed contingents and recrossed the border, attacking Burmese garrisons in Arakan. At one point, Arakanese patriots recaptured the provincial capital of Mrohaung. In retaliation, Burmese forces crossed into Bengal, withdrawing only when challenged by Bengal authorities.

In 1823 Burmese forces again crossed the frontier; and the British responded in force, with a large seaborne expedition that took Rangoon (1824) without a fight. The British hope of making the Burmese submit by holding the delta region and threatening the capital failed as Burmese resistance stiffened. In 1825 the British Indian forces advanced northward. In a skirmish south of Ava, the Burmese general Bandula was killed and his armies routed. The Treaty of Yandabo (February 1826) formally ended the First Anglo-Burmese War. The British victory had been achieved mainly because India's superior resources had made possible a sustained campaign running through two rainy seasons. But in the fighting the British-led Indian troops had suffered more than 15,000 fatalities.

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Myanmar then conquered Arakan and occupied the princely state of Assam to the northwest of Manipur, thus coming face to face with British power in India. The result was the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26), in which the Siamese fought on the British side. Myanmar eventually had to sue for peace and lost Assam, Manipur, Arakan, and Tenasserim.

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Barrackpore Mutiny 

also spelled BARRACKPUR MUTINY (Nov. 2, 1824), incident during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26), generally regarded as a dress rehearsal for the Indian Mutiny of 1857 because of its similar combination of Indian grievances against the British, caste feeling, and the ineptitude of its handling. During the war, Indian forces of the 47th regiment were ordered to march to Chittagong by land because caste taboo forbade high-caste men to go by sea. Under the regulations they had to transport their personal effects, also subject to caste rules, but had no bullocks available because the army had already engaged the supply. The men's complaints and petitions were disregarded, and their grievances increased when camp followers were offered higher pay than the troops themselves. When the regiment refused to march, it was surrounded on the parade ground, bombarded by the artillery, and forced to flee under fire.

The regiment's name was erased from the army list, the ringleaders were hanged, and others were imprisoned. The incident nearly led to the recall of the British governor-general, Lord Amherst, and the military authorities were criticized for their rigidity and vindictive harshness.