chaptre 03-3

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For free distribution

3 THE ARRIVAL OF THE PORTUGUESE

IN SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka an attractive, prosperous island centrally situated in the Indian Ocean has

constantly captivated the attention of foreigners. Accordingly, it appears that beforethe 16 th century mainly the Eastern nations , and after the 16 thcentury Western

nations focussed their attention on Sri Lanka. We will now study the factors that led

to the arrival of the Western nations in the East, the policy followed by the Portuguese

in Sri Lanka and the impact of their activities on Sri Lankan society.

The Europeans who came to the East

From very ancient times Muslim traders carried goods from the Eastern

countries to Europe.

From ancient times Muslim traders carried a variety of merchandise from

Eastern countries to Europe. The Europeans obtained these items from the Muslim

intermediary traders, but never thought of coming to the East in search of them. The

main trading centre from which the Europeans bought the goods brought by the Muslims

from the East was Constantenople.

Motherland NationEastern

Headquarters

Portugal

Holland

France

Britain

Portuguese

Dutch

French

British

Goa

Batavia

Pondicherry

Calcutta /Madras

Bombay ( Mumbai)

Cloves, cardamoms, nutmegs

Pepper , opium, textiles, rice ,

diamonds, tanned hide, cotton,

Silk, gold, musk,tea,

Silver,

Cinnamon, arecanut, pearls, gems,

Tusks, elephants

Countries from which Merchandise transported

merchandise was obtained

The East Indies

India

China

Japan

Sri Lanka

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Factors which influenced the arrival of the Europeans in the

East

The crusade, the wars that lasted between the Muslims and the Christians for a

long period ended in 1453, bringing victory for the Muslims. They captured

Constantinople which caused various obstacles to the Europeans in obtaining

merchandise. The Muslims made large profits in selling goods and the prices were

constantly raised. They could not provide goods on time and levied high tariffs on

goods. These reasons made the western powers unhappy.

The Europeans realized that the economic strength gained by obtaining goods

from the East, helped in the victory of the Ottoman Turks in the crusades.

Therefore they decided to go to the East and breakdown their trade monopoly.Futhermore they intended to monopolize the Eastern trade.

The defeat of the Christians who were dominant in Europe for centuries at the

hands of the Muslims brought great dishonour to them. In order to overcome this

humiliation they intended to come to the East and expected to establish a state

with Christian subjects .

Trade routes between East and West

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The arrival of the Portuguese in the East

The Potuguese knew that if a route to India could be found by sailing round

Africa, it would be possible to acquire the trade that was in the hands of the Muslims.

In order to achieve their ambition the kings encouraged Portuguese citizens and

provided them with necessary help for navigation. Since Lisbon harbour in Portugal is

situated facing the Atlantic Ocean , its citizens fearlessly came forward to undertake

travel by sea. King Henry, who became known as Henry the Navigator due to his

experiments in navigation persuaded the people to undertake voyages.

In 1488, Bartholomew Diaz sailing along the Atlantic Ocean was able to reach

the Cape of Storms (Cape of Good Hope) on the south coast of Africa.

In 1497, Vasco da Gama began his journey to the East. Following the routetaken by Bartholomew Diaz he passed the Cape of Storms and was able to

reach the port of Calicut in India

Route taken to the East by Vasco da Gama

Route taken to the East by Vasco da Gama

British

Islands

United

Kingdom

Europe

LisbonMediterraneanSea

RedSea

Persia

Asia

IndiaGoa

Calicut

China Pacific

Ocean

TimorIndian Ocean

Madagascar

Cape Town Nathaliya

Mozambique

Sri LankaColombo

BojadorCrome

EasternIndianIslands

Cape of Good

Hope

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The king was very pleased that Vasco da Gama had brought many valuable

treasures on his return to Portugal. The king desired to make profits by trading with

India. With this in view, he decided that storehouses and fortresses should be erected

along the coast of India. In order to achieve this intention he dispatched a large fleet of

ships to India.

On March 24,1505 , the Portuguese general Francisco de Almeida reached India.

He took steps to get rid of the Muslim traders in the Indian Ocean and wrest the

trade from them. At this time the trade in the Indian Ocean was in the hands of the

Muslims. They obtained spices from Malacca ,

then reached Constantinople through the

Maldives, Aden and Persia making great profits.

In order to secure the trade in the Indian Ocean,

Francisco de Almeida sent a fleet of ships

towards the Maldives under the command of hisson Lourenco de Almeida. This fleet caught in a

fierce storm was tossed in another direction and

landed in the harbour of Galle.

Albuquerque , who came as the ruler of the East

in 1507, captured Ormuz , Malacca and Socotra

and established their trading supremacy in the

Indian Ocean. Goa which was captured in 1510,

was made the trading centre of the East.

The Portuguese who had first arrived in India , in 1498, were able to establish

their trading supremacy around the coast of India and the Indian Ocean by 1510.

They endeavoured further to obtain commercial supremacy in the East as well as

spread Christianity.

Exercise

1. Name five countries situated in the Indian Ocean.

2. Name five harbours situated in the Indian Ocean.

The political background of Sri Lanka at the time of the

arrival of the Portuguese

In 1505 there were three main administrative centres in Sri Lanka.

01. Kotte

02. Kandy

03. Jaffna

Portuguese ship

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In addition , there were the Vanni states in the North Central , Eastern and

South Eastern regions under provincial rulers. The Vanni states were located in the

Vanni, Tamankaduwa, Nuvara Kalaviya, Panama and Yala regions.

THE KINGDOM OF KOTTE

Kotte, also known as Sri Jayawardhanapura, was established by an able

general named Alagakkonara . The city of Kotte surrounded by the Kolonnawa and

Diyawannawa Oya can be regarded as a water pass ( jala durga )

The Kingdom of Kotte was the largest in size and the greatest in power and its

ruler was recognized as the supreme ruler of Sri Lanka. He was given the epithet

"Lankadisvara Chakrawarthi" ( Overlord or Emperor of Lanka ) When powerful kings

ruled in Kotte there existed a tradition that the rulers of other administrative centres

should pay tribute to them in recognition of their sovereignty. By the 16 th century thisstatus which existed with regard to the Kotte Kingdom earlier seemed to have been

gradually deteriorating. The Kingdom of Kotte was economically the richest

administrative unit. It was self - sufficient in food.

.......

Plan of the city of Kotte

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Sri Lanka at the beginning of the 16 th Century

Jaffna

Mullaitheevu

Vanni

Mannar

MalvatuOya

Nuwara Kalaviya

Kottiyarama

Puttalum

Chilaw

Sath Koralaya

Harispattuwa

Tamankaduwa

Kandy

Udunuwara

Yatinuwara

Batticaloa

Dumbara Bintenna

HewahetaKelaniya

Colombo

Negombo

KelaniGan

ga

Vellassa

Yala

Panam

a

Hambantota

Matara

Galle

Kalutara

Kotte

Walaw

eganga

Palugama

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North Malvathu oya

West Indian Ocean

East Western slope of the central hillsSouth Walawe Ganga

The boundaries of the Kingdom of Kotte

When the Portuguese set foot in the island in 1505 , the ruler of Kotte was King

Weera Parakkramabahu VIII.

The Kandyan Kingdom

At the time of the arrival of the Portuguese , the ruler of the Kandyan

Kingdom was Sena Sammata Vikramabahu.

The provincial Kingdom of Jaffna

The Jaffna Kingdom was consisted of the Northern region and the neighbouring

islands. From the 14 th century , the descendants of the Arya Chakravarthi lineage

were its rulers.

When the Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka , the ruler of Jaffna was

Pararajasekaram.

Four KoralesThree

KoralesSeven

Korales

Regions under the

Kingdom of Kotte

Denawaka Matara

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The Vanni administrative region

The Vanni administrative region was consisted of areas from North Central and

Eastern provinces of the country.

The rulers of the Vanni region were called Vanniars.

Activity

01. Complete the following table

02. Mark the information contained in the above table on a map of the world.

03. Complete the following table.

04. Mark the following places and rivers on a map of Sri Lanka.

1. The city of Kotte 8. Jaffna2. The city of Kandy 9. Kelani Ganga

3. Tamankaduwa 10. Walawe Ganga

4. Kottiyarama 11. Malwathu Oya

5. Palugama 12. Kumbukkan Oya

6. Yala 13. Gal Oy

7. Panama 14. Mahaweli Ganga

Motherlands of the

Western nations who

came to the East

Capital Eastern Headquarters

01.

02.

03.

The main administrative

units in Ceylon when thePortuguese arrived in the

island

Rulers Regions under each

administrative unit

01.

02.

03.

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The Establishment of Portuguese Power in the Kingdom of

Kotte

When Lourenco de Almeida who came to the port of Galle by accident

realized that he had set foot in Sri Lanka he was overjoyed. The Portuguese had

heard of Sri Lanka as a country which was abundant in cinnamon , pepper , pearls

and gems. With the intention of visiting the king and obtaining the merchandise he

desired , Lourenco de Almeida reached Colombo on 15 November 1505. The Muslims

who were agitated by the arrival of the Portuguese , set upon them and tried to chase

them away. However the Portuguese were able to repel the Muslims by

firing the cannon fitted to their ships. The Sinhalese who had never heard the firing of

cannon before were extremely surprised and frightened and ran to the king to report

the matter.

There is in our harbour of Colombo a race of people , fair of skin and comelywithal. They don jackets and hats of iron; rest not a minute in one place but

walk here and there. They eat hunks of stone and drink blood .. The report

of their canon is louder than thunder when it bursts upon the rock of Yugandhara

( Rajavaliya)

On hearing this, the king invited the Portuguese to meet him. Lourenco de

Almeida who accepted the invitation made arrangements to send an emissary to the

king's court. The Sinhalese who escorted the Portuguese emissary took him on a

circuitous route and reached the court after three long days. The Portuguese emissarywho heard the report of the cannon realised that there was only a short distance

between Colombo and the king's court in Kotte. The folk adage" As the Portuguese

went to Kotte", would have come into use based

on this incident. Lourenco de Almeida who was

overjoyed that his emmissary had been well received

decided to send another emissary to the king to

enter into a permanent treaty. After the cordial

discussion between the king and the emissary, the

first treaty between the king and the Portugueseensued.

Lourenco de Almeida with the permission

of the king set up a storehouse and a chapel. As a

token of their visit to Sri Lanka he got the Portuguese

Coat of Arms inscribed. You can see this memorial

in Gordon Gardens today.The Portuguese Coat of Arms

in Gordon Gardens

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The Muslims who did not approve of the erection of the storehouse objected

to it and protested against it with the help of the Sinhalese. The Portuguese who

closed down the storehouse in the face of opposition , retuned to India. However,

they came back to Sri Lanka from

time to time to purchase cinnamon.

After the death of King

Weera Parakramabahu VIII,

Dharma Parakramabahu IX became

king. On 10 th September 1518, a

strong fleet of ships under the

command of general Lopo Soares

de Albergaria reached Colombo. In

this instance too, with the assistance

of the Sinhalese, the Muslimsattacked the Portuguese.

The Portuguese were successful in repelling the enemy by firing their cannon.

Subsequently, the Portuguese put up a fort on the small headland adjoining the Colombo

harbour.

The Sinhalese who were agitated by the erection of the fort demolished it with

the help of the Muslims . Although the Portuguese informed the king of this situation he

failed to find a solution for it.King Vijayabahu VI who came to power in 1519,

followed a policy hostile to the Portuguese.

The King surrounded the fort of Colombo with the help of the Muslims. In

1521, the Portuguese started Constructing another fort, but the King openly

protested against it. The Sinhalese got together with the Muslim army and

attacked the Portuguese but they were unsuccessful.

Vijayaba Kollaya (Spoiling of Vijayabahu ) 1521

King Vijayabahu VI had three sons by his first marriage named Bhuvanekabahu,

Raigam Bandara ( Pararajasingha ) and Mayadunne. Queen Kiravella, whom the king

married second , had a son named Devaraja by her first marriage. The princes who

came to know that the king intended to make Devaraja the heir to the throne, at the

request of his second queen, became hostile to the king. The king was murdered in

the palace itself. This event is know as the Vijayaba Kollaya. As the result of the

Vijayaba Kollaya, which took place in 1521, the Kingdom of Kotte was divided into

three parts.

The Colombo Fort

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Attempts made by Mayadunne to capture the Kingdom of Kotte

Year King ofKotte

Assistance

Obtained

from

King

MayadunneAssistance

obtacned

Result

1528 Bhuvanekabahu VII

Viceroyof Goa

AttacksKotte

On the requestof King

Mayadunne

the Zamorin of

Calicut attacks

Colombo fort

The defeatof

Mayadunne

1537

Bhuvaneka

bahu VII

Captain

general

Afonsode Souza

The Zamorin's

fleet which

came to assistMayadunne

was defeated

in the Battle of

Vedalai

King

Mayadunne

arrived at atruce with

King

Bhuvaneka

bahu VII

1539 Bhuvaneka

bahu VII

Miguel

Ferreira

The Zamorin

assists

Mayadunne

There arose

dissension

between

Myadunne and

the Zamorinbecause he

agreed to Miguel

Ferreirai demand

for the surrender

of the Zamorin's

generals.

Bhuvaneka

bahu VII1543

Anotonio

BarretoThe deafeat of

Mayadunne

KingDharmapala1557 Lacerda Prince Tikiri KingMayadunne The defeat ofMayadunne

1562

The Battle

of

Mulleriyava

Prince Tikiri King

MayadunneKing

Dharmapala

De

LacerdaThe rout of the

Potuguese

1564

King

Dharmapala

Attacks Colombo

fort and Kotte at

the same time

The shift of the

capital from Kotte

to Colombo

Attacks

Kotte

Attacks

Kotte

Seige of

Kotte

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The ruler of Kotte was constantly suspicious of his younger

brother. King Bhuvanekabahu was aware that Myadunne would not be satisfied with

being the ruler of Sitawaka alone. King Bhuvanekabahu who realized his brother's

strength often sought the assistance of the Portuguese. The partitioning of Kotte led

to the decline of his power. It was as a result of this situation that the opportunity arose

for the Portuguese to frequently interfere in the affairs of the Kingdom of Kotte andfinally become the possession of the Portuguese.

All the attempts made by Mayadunne to capture the Kingdom of Kotte for

twelve years between 1527 and 1537 were unsuccessful. During every such

attempt King Bhuanekabahu had to obtain the assistance of the Portuguese.

Therefore the Portuguese were able to establish their power in the Kotte

Kingdom.

From 1537 to 1547 there prevailed a peaceful environment between Kotte

and Sitawaka.

Prince Dharmapala

King Bhuvanekabahu's sole intention was to make his grand son Prince

Dharmapala the ruler of Kotte. King Buvanekabahu who knew that Mayadunne

would obstruct him in achieving his goal, sought the help of the Portuguese for the

protection of Prince Dharmapala.

King Buvanakabahu got a statue of Prince Dharmapala made and sent it withtreasures and tributes to the king of Portugal reqesting him,

To recognize Prince Dharmapala as the heir to the state after him and to

help him to obtain his royal heritage.

In oder to please the Portuguese king further, King Bhuvanekabahu requested

that a few missionaries should be sent to propagate Christianity among people.

In 1543 the effigy of Dharmapala was crowned with much grandeur in the

city of Lisbon.

According to the request of King Bhuvanekabahu, five Franciscan friars arrived

in 1543. These priests were enthusiastic in propagating their faith successfully with

royal patronage. To a large extent, the people of Negombo, Modara (Mutwal)

Moratuwa, Panadura, Maggona and Beruwala embraced the Catholic faith.

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The Portuguese were displeased with King Bhuvanakabahu because he

refused to embrace the Catholic faith and also due to the fact that he did not wish

to betray Mayadunne.

The death of King Bhuvanekabahu VII

King Bhuvanekabahu came to his palace in Kelaniya to relax in his old age.

He regretted his father's assassination and the constant need to obtain the assistance

of the Portugucse. The king died of a gunshot injury while he was pacing on the top

story of his palace in Kelaniya. On the death of the king in 1551 , the heir to the throne,

Prince Dharmapala was still a child . Therefore, his father Vidiya Bandara took over

the administration. He developed conflicts with Mayadunne and the Portuguese and

fled to Jaffna . During a conflict that ensued subsequently, Vidiya Bandara died inJaffna. With the demise of Vidiya Bandara the young prince Dharmapala became the

King of Kotte .

In 1557 King Dharmapala was baptized as Don Juan Periya Bandara.

The Buddhist monks and a large number of Buddhist layman who were

displeased that their king was a non Buddhist took the Sacred Tooth Relic and

moved to Sitawaka, the Kingdom of Mayadunne.

Mayadunne and Prince Tikiri who won the battle of Mulleriyawa attacked

Kotte and Colombo fort simultaneously . The Portuguese who realized that it was

difficult to defend both Kotte and Colombo at the same time abandoned Kotte and

shifted to Colombo taking King Dharmapala with them.

The Kingdom of Kotte which had been the capital for over 150 years declined

swiftly with the abandoning of Kotte by the king in 1565.

King Dharmapala who reached Colombo became a puppet ruler in the hands

of the Portuguese.

On 12 August 1580, due to the insistence of the Portuguese, King Dharmapala,

vested the Kingdom of Kotte in the Portuguese by a deed of gift.

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One clause in the deed of gift was that , should King Dharmapala have no

heir, the Kingdom of Kotte would pass into the hands of the Portuguese. As King

Dharmapala, known as Periya Bandara did not have any offspring at the time of his

death on 29th May 1597 , the Kingdom of Kotte came under Portuguese possession.

Two days after the demise of the king, General Jeronimo De Azevedo held an

assembly in Malwana and hoisted the Portuguese flag and proclaimed that the Kingdom

of Kotte was now under the King of Portugal .

The Captain General promised the chieftains assembled at Malwana that the

administration would be carried on according to the traditional laws and customs that

had hither to existed. From then onwards the Portuguese became the lawful heirs to

the Kingdom of Kotte.

Activity

01. The actions of Mayadunne and those of King Bhuvanekabahu VII led to the

establishment of the power of the Portuguese in the Kingdom of Kotte.

Briefly express your idea on this view.

02. Prepare an article for a wall newspaper describing the factors that led to the

acquiring of the Kingdom of Kotte by the Portuguese.

03. On a map of Sri Lanka indicate how the Kingdom of Kotte was partitioned.

The relations between the Portuguese and the Kingdom ofSitawaka

The Kingdom of Sitawaka came into existence as a result of the Vijayaba

kollaya. The first ruler of Sitawaka was the valiant Mayadunne. Though he hoped tocapture the Kingdom of Kotte, the King of Kotte, constantly seeking the assistance of

the Portuguese was an obstacle to it. Mayadunne who realized that he could not get

rid of the Portuguese without a naval force sought the assistance of the Zamorin of

Calicut for this purpose.

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In 1538 after the death of Raigam Bandara, Mayadunne extended the territoryof Sitawaka by annexing Raigama.

Since all his attempts to capture Kotte between 1527 and 1539 had failed

Mayadunne changed his policy and entered into a truce with King Bhuvanekabahu.

Causes which led to the growth of the power of Sitawaka The valour of king Mayadunne and his son Prince Rajasinha.

The baptism of King Dharmapala in 1557.

A large number of Buddhist priests and lay Buddhists leaving Kotte and moving to

Sitawaka.

People accepted Mayadunne as the guardian of Buddhism.

The taking of the sacred Tooth Relic to Sitawaka.

Mayadunne gaining custody of the Tooth Relic which was considered as the symbol

of royal inheritance.

The Tooth Relic being protected and venerated.

The sacred Tooth Relic was placed in a "Kurahan gala" at Delgamu Viharaya.

Kotte

Colombo

KandaU

darata

Upcountry

Sitawaka

Raigama

Kotte

Area annexed

to Kingdom of

Kotte in 1565

Kotte - Bhuvanekabahu VII

Raigama-Raigam Bandara

Sitawaka- Mayadunne

became the rulers of thethree divisions.

The rise

of the

Kingdom

of Sitawaka

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Mayadunne, became the overlord of the whole of the Kotte Kingdom, except

Colombo Fort. Accordingly , Kotte, Sitawaka, Raigama, Denawaka and Seven

korales came under his rule. Sitawaka which originated as a small provincial state in

1521 , became the most powerful kingdom in the island by 1579.

The Battle of Mulleriyawa - 1562

Mayadunne who acted with great determination to expel the Portuguese from Sri

Lanka launched attacks on the Portuguese. His valiant son Prince Tikiri was in

the forefront in these. The Portuguese who could not tolerate his rise, sent an

army under de Lasarda to invade Sitawaka. Mayadunne too sent an army under

Prince Tikiri and the two armies faced each other at Mulleriyawa where a fierce

battle took place when the Portuguese were ruled. The debacle experienced by

the Portuguese at the Battle of Mulleriyawa is considered their worst defeat during

that period. It was a landmark in the expansion of Portuguese power.

The Annexation of the Territories of the Kotte Kingdom

By the invasion of the Kingdom of Kotte by Mayadunne and Prince Tikiri in 1565

all areas of the kingdom except Colombo fort were annexed to Sitawaka.

King Rajasinha I

Mayadunne passed away in 1580 and Prince Tikiri became the king of Sitawaka

as King Rajasinha. He showed great prowess in the battle field from his childhoodand his sole determination was to expel the Portuguese from the island.

The Annexation of the Kandyan Kingdom

The Annexation of the Kandyan Kingdom by King Rajasinha I in 1582 was the zenith

in the rise of the Sitawaka Kingdom.

The siege of the Colombo fort

In 1587, King Rajasinha I attacked the Colombo fort with an army consisting

of fifty thousand soldiers. He was able to confine the Portuguese to the Colombo fort

for twenty two months. Those within the fort underwent immense hardships, due the

shortage of food. The main reason for the defeat of King Rajasinha I, was the

assistance which the Portuguese received from Goa which enabled them to recover

their vigour.

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The decline of the Kingdom of

Sitawaka

With the accession of King

Wimaladharmasuriya I in Kandy, KingSitawaka Rajasinha faced challenges from

Kandy. The 1 st chapter showed how he was

defeated by King Wimaladharmasuriya I in

1592 . King Rajasinha I was embittered by

the failure of his effort, which he carried out

with great dedication and untold hardships.

His anger made him resort to a violent course

of action.

He embraced Saivism and embarked

on an anti-Buddhist policy. He indiscriminately

eliminated everyone whom he thought were

opposed to him.

On his return after his defeat at the hands

of King Wimaladharmasuriya I at Pethangoda

Gardens, a sharp bamboo thorn pierced the sole

of his foot and caused his death. You too can

see the thorny bamboo trees at " PethangodaUyana."

As there was no legitimate heir to the

Kingdom of Sitawaka at the time of the death of

King Rajasinha I, it caused great dissension

within the kingdm. In the end the Portuguese who

united the Kingdoms of Kotte and Sitawaka

collected the treasures of the city of Sitawaka

and maintained it as a garrison.

Exercise

1. Describe the causes that let to the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Sitawaka.

2. If King Rajasinha I had naval power he would certainly have defeated the

Portuguese. Collect facts for or against this view.

3. Write a folk song (ck lhla) which describes the piercing of King

Rajasinha I s foot with a bamboo thorn.

4. Write a short account of the Berendi Kovil.

Thorny bamboo tree

Garrison

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The relations between the Portuguese and the Kingdom of

Kandy

The Kings of Kandy were in the habit of seeking the assistance of the

Portuguese against the threats from Kotte and Sitawaka.

One such instance was when Mayadunne and Bhuvanekabahu VII invaded

Kandy, Jayaweera Bandara I sought the assistance of the Portuguese.

The Battle of Danture 1594

The Portuguese had extensive relations with the Kandyan Kingdom only after

the accession of King Wimaladharmasuriya I to the throne. We studied in the 1 st

chapter, how King Wimaladharmasuriya ascended the throne. King

Wimaladharmasuriya I gave up Christianity and embraced Buddhism and workedtowards the development of Buddhism. This course of action greatly displeased the

Portuguese. As Wimaladharmasuriya had been brought up under the Portuguese, learnt

warfare from them and had become a worrior, they thought that his actions were

treacherous. In order to punish King Wimaladharmasuriya and place Dona Catherina

as the queen of the Kandyan Kingdom an expedition was sent to Kandy under the

leadership of Pero Lopes de Souza. King Wimaladharmasuriya fled and with the

blessings of the people Dona Catherina was acclaimed the queen of Kandy. However,

the people became hostile when the Portuguese began to spread their power in Kandy,

under the guise of serving the Queen. Souza who realized that staying in Kandy wasnot safe , left for Colombo taking queen Dona Catherina with him.

King Wimaladharmasuriya who was supported by the people , routed Souza

and his party at a place called Danture. A large number including Souza were killed.

The Battle of Balana

The Portuguese who were defeated at Danture invaded Kandy in 1602, under

Captain General Don Jeronimo de Azevedo King Wimaladharmasuriya retaliated andat the "Balana" pass the Portuguese were completely routed.

Azevedos second expedition to Kandy

Azevedo, invaded the Kandyan Kingdom for the second time in 1610. King

Senerat retreated and Azevedo pillaged and burnt the city and returned to the low

country. Subsequently King Senarth entered into a treaty with the Portuguese.

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The Lascarin army consisted of the

natives who served under the

Portuguese for pay,

The Treaty between King Senerat and the Portuguese in 1617

To provide two elephants per year as tribute to the Portuguese.

The Kandyan King had to recognize the overlordship of the King of Portugal

in all the areas of the former Kotte Kingdom.

The people of Kandy expressed their displeasure over the king entering into a

treaty with the Portuguese. However this treaty was not implemented.

Constantine de Sa prepares to invade Kandy

Constantine de Sa who was appointed Captain General in 1618 , accepted

the necessity of invading Kandy and made preparations for it.

Several steps were taken in this regard.

01. He restored the forts under the command of the Portuguese. Accordingly,

he constructed a wall for the fort of Colombo and installed cannon on it.

he reconstructed the forts at Galle and Menikkadavara.

02. Erection of new forts.

In Trincomalee in 1623 and Batticloa in 1628.

03. Construction of a gun powder factory on the bank of the Beira Lake.

04. In 1625, he set up settlements near Wattala and Mutwal.

05. Making aware that preparations were being made to punish the families of thelascarins in the event of their deserting the Portuguese forces.

The King of Kandy expressed his

opposition to the building of the fortresses

by the Portuguese, while they expressed

their displeasure at the king's discussions

with the Dutch.

The Battle of Randenivala

De Sa who organised the affairs of the lowland area systematically attacked

Kandy in 1630. King Senerat and his son Prince Maha Astana jointly defeated De

Sa's forces at Randenivala, a place close to Badulla town. De Sa was killed in the

battle.

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The Battle of Gannoruwa

In 1638 , the Portuguese invaded Kandy under the leadership of Diogo de

Mello de Castro. The Portuguese were routed by King Rajasinha II at the battle

which took place at Gannoruwa and Diogo de Mello too died in this battle. This wasthe final invasion of Kandy undertaken by the Portuguese.

Exercise

01. " King Wimaladharmasuriya I, was a diplomatic valiant king." Explain this

statement with examples.

02. What factors led the Portuguese to attempt to capture Kandy ?

03. Complete the following table correctly.

The relations between the Portuguese and the Kingdom of Jaffna

When the Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505 , the ruler of Jaffna was

Pararaja Sekaram.

In the early period the Portuguese did not pay attention to Jaffna as there

were no valuable items such as cinnamon and pepper in that region. Due to the

internal conflicts in the Kingdom of Jaffna, an opportunity arose for the Portuguese to

focus their attention on Jaffna.

YearPortuguese

General

King Name of

Battle

BalanaConstantine de Sa

1638

Wimaladharmasuriya I

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The reasons that led the Portuguese to focus their attention on Jaffna.

01. To continue without hindrance the trading activities that were conducted with

India,through Jaffna, and to spread the Catholic faith among the Hindus in the

Jaffna Kingdom.

02. In 1519 , Sankili killed Pararaja Sekaram and seized the throne. In fear

Pararaja Sekaram's son pleaded for the assistance of the Portuguese to

obtain his royal heritage.

Focusing on these two reasons a large army reached Jaffna , under the

command of Martin Afonso de Souza in 1543. Sankili tactfully entered into an

agreement with the Portuguese. He agreed.

To supply the Portuguese annually with 500 Furdao and two elephants.

To grant permission to propagate the Catholic faith in Jaffna.

The Portuguese who were satisfied that their hopes were easily fulfilled initiated

their conversion activities from Mannar in terms of the agreement, and were able to

spread the Catholic faith in the entire Jaffna region within a short time. The Hindu

priests objected to this. Sankili too feared this situation. Therefore Sankili ordered

the converts to give up the Catholic faith and declared that those who did not accede

would be punished by death.

Braganza's expedition to Jaffna

In order to punish Sankili for his actions the Portuguese invaded Jaffna under

the leadership of Braganza in 1560. The people of Jaffna attacked the Portuguese

who came to the city of Nallur. Sankili set fire to his palace at Nallur and fled to Kopai.

Braganza suppresed the people of Nallur ransacked the city and set up his main office

there.

Sankili requested the Portuguese to restore his Kingdom once again. In return

he undertook to execute the earlier agreement uninterrupted and give his son as a

hostage to the Portuguese. The Viceroy of Goa who accepted these condititions agreed

to restore Sankili as King once again.

Meanwhile the Portuguese erected a fortress in Mannar for their future security.

The people of Jaffna who were oppressed by Sankili's tyrannical behaviour revolted

against him and deposed him.

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The people did not approve of the loyalty shown to the Portuguese by Periya

Pulle or Chegaraja Sekaram who ascended the throne next. The people revolted

against him too and deposed him. In this revolt the attempt to slay the son of

Chegaraja Sekaram was prevented by a Portuguese named Pinha. You can see

this incident sculptured on a slab at the Maha Saman Devale, at Ratnapura.

Sankili's son Purviraja Pandaram who came to power followed a policy hostile

to the Portuguese. He sent a squadron to expel the Portuguese who were in

Mannar.

In order to curb Purviraja Pandaram's activities a large a number of troops reached

Mannar under Furtado de Mendonca. Mendonca who arrived in Mannar put

Puviraja Pandaram to death. Subsequently, he entered into the Nallur Convention

in 1591.

According to the Convention the King of Portugal was acclaimed as the suzerain

of Jaffna.

Pararaja Sekaram or Hendaramana Sinha , the son of Periya Pulle, became the

ruler of Jaffna in the name of the King of Portugal. Since he was rescued from

death and also made the ruler of Jaffna, Hendaramana Sinha was very loyal to the

Portuguese.

In 1615, Hendaramana Sinha died and Sankili II assumed power. HoweverSankili, began to work against the Portuguese. Accordingly, he delayed the tribute

paid by the kings of Jaffna to the Portuguese. He also began dealing, with the Dutch

against the Portuguese.

The annexation of Jaffna by the Portuguese

To stop Sankili's treacherous activities, Constantine de Sa the Viceroy

despatched a force to Jaffna under Philip de Oliveyra. In 1619 , Sankili was capturedand banished to Goa where he was put to death. With this Jaffna became a territory

under the Portuguese.

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Activity

01. Make a list of the kings who ruled in Jaffna.

02. What are the resons that led the Portuguese to take an interest in the

Kingdom of Jaffna.

03. Mark the following places on a map of Sri Lanka.

Mannar, Kopai, Nallur, Kayts.

04. The cause of the decline of the Jaffna Kingdom was the dissension that

prevailed there. State facts in support of this.

The Economic, Political, Social and Cultural affairs in the

coastal regions of Sri Lanka under the Portuguese

Administration

When the Portuguese

arrived in Sri Lanka the

system of government was a

monarchy. Kotte the main

kingdom was divided into

four units (disa) for thepurpose of administration .

In 1597, at the Malvana Convention Jeronimo de Azevedo agreed to govern

the Kotte Kingdom according to the Sinhalese customs and traditions.

The Portuguese realized that the existing administrative system in Sri Lanka

was sufficient to achieve their objectives. Therefore they governed the territory which

was under them according to the local administrative system.

The special characteristics of Portuguese rule

01. In the regions under Portuguese dominance in Sri Lanka the head of the

administration was the King of Portugal. To carry out his orders a centre was established

in the East. This was situated in Goa in India. It was under a Viceroy and he appointed

The Kingdom

of Kotte

Sabaragamuva

Seven

Korales

Four

Korales

Matara

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a Captain General to administer the regions under the Potuguese in Sri Lanka.

Accordingly the Captain General was the head of the territory under Potuguese

domination in Sri Lanka. There were a number of officers to assist him.

02. The territory under the Captain General was divided into regional administrative

units (according to the monarchical system ) and were placed in charge of officials.

03. The direction of religious activities was under a priest designated as the Vicar

General.

04. Colombo which was known as the Saint Lawrence city was administered by atown council.

05. The distribution of the powers of the Disava among other officers. (This system

prevailed under the Monarchy )

Disavani - Disava

Rata - Rate Mahattaya

Korale - Korala

Pattu - Atukorala

Village - Village headman

Trade

The Portuguese made every possible effort to acquire trading opportunities which

was their main objective in coming to the East.

Treasurer

Vidorda

Pasanda

(Headman)

Commander

of the forcesDisava

Captain General of Sri Lanka

Viceroy in Goa

King of Portugal

Judge

Udors

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The Portuguese government took over the entire cinnamon trade.

A separate department known as the Malabadda was set up to collect Cinnamon.

The head was known as Captain of the Mahabadda.

Only the Portuguese government could sell arecanut and pepper.

The Portuguese government had the monopoly of exporting elephants and gems.

The Portuguese were able to gain immense benefits from their trading activities in

Sri Lanka.

Catholicism

The Portuguese made a great effort to spread Catholicism in Sri Lanka .

01.The first step in the spread of Catholicism in Sri Lanka was the arrival of seven

Franciscan friars on the return journey of the envoys who went to Lisbon for thecrowning of the statue of Prince Dharmapala in 1543. This group of friars who

arrived at the request of King Bhuvanekabahu VII moved about in the coastal

region , with the knowledge of the king spreading Christianity.

02. Due to the efforts of the Dominican and Jesuit priests who arrived subsequently,

propogation of the faith expanded and a number of churches were erected in

the coastal areas.

03. When King Dharmapala was baptized in 1557, a number of leading nobles

embraced Christianity.

King Dharmapala vested the properties that belonged to the Buddhist temples

and Hindu Kovils in the Catholic churches and extended his patronage by

providing the priests with sufficient lands for their sustenance.

04. With the support of the rulers of Jaffna, Catholicism spread throughout the

region.

05. The unwavering dedication of the missionaries also led to the spread ofCatholicism. They learnt the Sinhala and Tamil languages in a short time and

moved closely with the village folk, waiting on the sick and destitute, thus aiding

the propogation of the Catholic faith.

06. Offering government positions , honours and titles and tax concessions paved

the way for the spread of the Catholic faith. For example the death duty was

not levied from those who embraced Catholicism.

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07. Since it was possible to obtain high positions, titles and honours in society ignoring

caste differences , some embraced Christianity in anticipation of these benefits.

08. People were attracted to the festivals related to the Catholic religion.

09. The parish school affiliated to the Catholic church provided the opportunity to

spread the Catholic faith.

At the time, the Portuguese left the country there were converts to the Catholic

faith had spread to most areas.

Education

The parish schools which were established adjoining the church taught subjects

such as Arithmetic , Latin and Music in addition to Theology. The medium of instruction

in the parish schools was the mother tongue. The number of students and teachers

increased swiftly and a training institute was established to train the teachers.

Hospitals

Treatment was provided according to the Western medical system. In order

to give a training in nursing patients , a small hospital which was called espirital was

set up in 1552. The sinhala word ispirithalaya is considered a derivative of this

name. The hospitals constructed by Oliveyra in Jaffna and Father Joseph Vaz in

Mannar were used mostly for treating soldiers.

Misari kosiya (Convents)

This can be described as the social service unit attached to the church. The

work carried out by the convents were looking after the destitute , teaching orphans

and burying the dead. There were convents in Colombo, Galle, Mannar and Jaffna.

Literature

An anecdote was dramatised so as to draw the attention of people and also

create faith in God.

Books on Theology have been written in the Tamil language. Alagiyavanna

Mukaveti who wrote in praise of Constantine de Sa's battle is regarded as one

who studied literature under the Portuguese.

Music was a distinctive feature in the field of literature. The main aspects are

"Baila and Kaffrinna" which are popular even today.

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By registering marriages a more stable system was introduced to marriage customs.

Collecting information on lands according to the Thombo tradition was another

task undertaken by the Portuguese.

Through the following table study several other aspects of the influence of

Portuguese rule in Sri Lanka.

Furniture almari , kanappu (stool)

Dress kamisa, saya, kabakuruttu,kalisama

Food bread , wine, salad , achcharu , (pickle) pastela

(patties)

Personal names Catherine, John , Silva , Perera,Mendis ,

and Surnames de vaz , Almeida

Arts Architecture,Sculpture, Art

The Potuguese who arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505, subjugated the coastal areas

and governed them until 1658. The King of Kandy, together with the Dutch

expelled them from this country. This era is considered a significant chapter in the

history of Sri Lanka.

Activity

Prepare a folder indicating the results of Portuguese rule in Sri Lanka.

Summary

Under the chapter on the Arrival of the Portuguese in Sri Lanka check whether

you were able to summarise the following.

The Interest of the Western Powers towards the East

The arrival of Portuguese in year 1505

Establishing relationships with Kotte, the major powerful kingdom at that

time

Eventually conquering Kotte, consolidating Kotte after the death of KingDharmapala.

Being unable to conquer Kandy after several unsuccessful attempts facing

many challenges.

In 1658 the Portuguese had to leave the country. However, they were able to

leave their traces in the fields of politics, economy, society and in culture

which are visible even to this day.

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chaptre 03-3

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