Christian Missionaries in Upper Burma,1853–85

Abstract

Before the British annexation in 1886, Catholic and Protestant missionaries in Upper Burma had little success in converting the local population. A deeply-entrenched Buddhism largely frustrated their endeavours. Furthermore, while the king welcomed the contribution of the missionaries to education and sought their help in diplomatic negotiations, he also restricted their activities in order to preserve religious support for his authority. Increasingly, therefore, the missionaries favoured British intervention. But for their part, the British authorities showed little enthusiasm for the missionary cause. They saw the missionaries as an unwelcome complication as they pursued Britain's commercial and diplomatic objectives in Upper Burma.