From the 17th century, East India Company of the British (EIC) has expanded territory and controlled India, especially in the capital, Calcutta near Ava. Myanmar was early the side of EIC, it was important to trade, but it is more important to strategies. No other European powers gained influence and it is believed that the Burmese government had acknowledged the power of the British in India, the two sides facilitated to improve trade relations. However, after the conquest of Ayuthaya in 1767, in 1820 they continued to extend control over areas next to the Bay of Bengal, the refugees in Arakan have fled across the border of India and then organized the war against the Burma. Finally, the Burmese king had asked the British brought the refugees back, in exchange for the British increasing their attention to the political instability in the eastern border of their Indian colony.
Burmese dynasty had underestimated the strength of the EIC, in 1822 the armed forces of the Burmese occupied Bengal and threatened to enter the Chitagong demanding the return of the refugees Arakan, á the result, the British came into Burma, the war between British – Burma lasted two years, from 1822 to 1824, finally, with the advantage of strategies and weapons as well as supported from Bengal, the British was winner, the Burmese forced to cede a large portion of territory on the coast of the Bengal Bay, over the next two decades, EIC has been exploited agricultural potential of this new land, increasing rice production and development of export trade of rice, timber and shipbuilding.
Although defeated in the first war with the British and lost territorial land, however, the dispute in the next decade led to 2nd wars between the British and Burma in 1850, as the result, the British won again and they collect the lowlands of Burma, the British annexation continued to 1885, when the Burmese king and the royal family was arrested and exiled to Calcutta, Burma was officially annexed into Britain in 1886.