Fact book of Thilinesia

[Thilina]

                                                         
                                    The Royal Flag of the Kingdom of Thilinesia
 
Government:

• Type: Monarchy
• King: Sri Veera Prakrama Rajasingha
• Chief Adviser: Veera Alakeshvara
• Chief Justice: Lord Ahalepola
• Disawe's (regional rulers): 10 persons appointed by the king to rule 10 regions of the country till the end of their lives or the king's consent chosen from the general populace.
• Note:All these titles except that of the king are non-hereditary titles.

Demographics:

• Population: Approximately 1,150,000
• Ancestry: Approximately 80% Sinhala, 7.5% Tamil, 2.5% Muslim,10% other
• Major Languages: Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit, Tamil.
• Religion:Approximately 75% Buddhism, 7.5% Hindu, 3% Islam, 15.5% other
• Major Settlements: Colombo, Anuradhapura, Negambo, Matara, Galle, Jaffna, Polonnaruwa, Kotte
• Capital: Kandy

Economy:

• Mixed Agricultural/Mining
• Major Products: Paddy, gems, pearls, elephants, fish, cinnamon, pepper, areca nut, timber, iron weapons etc.
• Major imports: Silk, tea, sugar.

Military forces:

• Total acting personal : 28700
• Armed with swords and other melee weapons: 8000
• Armed with bows and arrows and rock throwers :6000
• Armed with light flintlocks and hand held cannons(Kodithuwakkuwa):6000
• Soldiers mounted on horses: 235
• Soldiers mounted on chariots:170(85 chariots)
• Soldiers mounted on elephants:170 (85 elephants)
• Sword masters: 80
• Sharp shooters: 65
• Royal guard: 900
• Light cannons: 44
• Heavy cannons:22
• Elite fighters (trained in local martial art named Angampora):1500
• Light frigates:7 (manned by 700 personal)

• 100 personal per ship
• Long range weapons including arrows,fire-arrows, flintlocks, hand cannons and 1 medium cannon each.
• short range weapons including swords , spears ,pikes etc.
• swift and agile 2 double mast ship.

• Battle ships:4 (manned by 3200 personal)

• 800 personal per ship
• Long range weapons including arrows,fire arrows, flintlocks, hand cannons , ornagers, spike throwers, 2 heavy cannons each for 3 ships and 1 heavy bombard cannon for the last ship.
• short range weapons including swords , spears, pikes, fire pots, ramming spikes etc.
• Heavily armored, durable four masted siege ships. 

• Unmanned light frigates : 50 (harbored at Trincomalee harbor)
• Unmanned Caracks; 20 (harbored at Trincomalee harbor)

• Can be manned by 300 personal per ship.
• Left overs of European invasions.
• Unarmed till times of war.
• Fast three masted ships.

• Malay mercenaries : 1500
• European military advisers: 20 (including a master gunner)
• Indian military advisers:30
• Local military advisers: 44

 Special notes regarding Thilinesian military:

• The Kingdom of Thilinesia do not maintain a large standing army, although the King maintain a full-time Royal guard at the Palace.
• In the provinces, local garrisons are maintained to guard strategic mountain passes, ports and cities or to suppress rebellions.
• During times of war or military campaign these would be supplemented with local militia.
• Thilinesian forces, throughout their history, rely heavily on the mountainous terrain of the kingdom and primarily engaged in guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks, ambushes, and quick raids.
• Much of the kingdom's territory is located in  mountainous and thickly forested interior, with mountain passes to the capital providing plenty of opportunities for defenders to stage ambushes.
• Routes to the city of Kandy are kept secret, and spreading information concerning them could often result in death.
• As for the armies, each of the local chieftains could call upon a militia which often accompany them on their journeys around the kingdom.
• The bulk of the Thilinesian militia consist of local peasant conscripts -irregulars pressed into service in times of war - who tend to bring with them around twenty days' worth of supplies and function in discrete units often out of contact with each other.
• Thilinesian gunsmiths specialize in manufacturing light flintlocks with smaller bores than European guns, with their barrels extended for accuracy.
• The Thilinesians also developed a unique form of hand-held cannon, the kodithuwakkuwa.
• These innovations allowed the kingdom to produce heavy artillery on the scale and quality of European forces.

Edited March 19, 2013 by Thilina