Kingdom of Sitawaka
Kingdom of Sitawaka Sitawaka | |||||||||||
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| 1521–1594 | |||||||||||
.png) Flag | |||||||||||
Mayadunne | |||||||||||
• 1581–1593 | Rajasinha I | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Spoiling of Vijayabahu | 1521 | |||||||||
• Death of Rajasinha I | 1594 | ||||||||||
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| Historical states of Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1232–1620 | |
| 1521–1594 |
The Kingdom of Sitawaka (
History
Foundation
The
The kingdom of Sitawaka initially covered a relatively small area including Kosgama, Ruwanwella, Yatiyanthota,
Rise (1521–1551)
Soon after his ascent to the throne, Bhuvanekabahu began to strengthen his ties with the Portuguese in order to secure his throne from any potential challenge from Sitawaka. Though local resistance prevented them from completing a fortress in Colombo, from 1524 a Portuguese agent remained in Kotte under the king's protection and Portuguese naval forces began to contend with Malabari
Two further invasions of Kotte followed in the next five years. The first, beginning in 1539, failed following resistance organised by the new Portuguese Captain-General in Colombo, Miguel Ferreira. Calicut yet again provided troops and weaponry to Sitawaka; however, following defeat, Kulhenamarikkar and Pachimarikkar, two of the Zamorin's generals, were handed over to the Portuguese and the alliance between Calicut and Sitawaka ended. News in 1543 that Bhuvanekabahu had named his grandson
Conquest of Kotte (1551–1581)
Portuguese involvement in the internal politics of Kotte increased with the arrival in 1550 of viceroy Afonso de Noronha and a contingent of some 500 Portuguese soldiers. The Portuguese sacked Sitawaka later that year, but failed to retain the city. Accounts indicate that Mayadunne had adopted a policy of simply evacuating his capital and retreating into the surrounding terrain when the Portuguese approached—on occasion leaving the palace lights burning and spreading white cloth on the floor as a welcome for the invaders. Once the invaders had left the capital, the king's forces would then harass them along the route down to the Kelani river.[2]
In 1551 Bhuvanekabahu was assassinated and succeeded by Dharmapala, who relied heavily on his European allies to maintain his hold over the kingdom. A new Portuguese fortress was constructed in Colombo in 1554, and by 1556 the 70,000 inhabitants in the vicinity of Colombo Fort had converted to Catholicism.
King Dharmapala himself converted to Catholicism in 1557 and adopted the name
Kotte counter-attacked in 1562, with Lacerda leading a substantial force from
Pressing their advantage, Mayadunne and Tikiri Bandara launched a two-pronged attack on Kotte in 1564, laying siege to both Kotte and Colombo. Portuguese forces were forced to retreat from Kotte with Dharmapala, leaving Sitawaka in control of much of the kingdom. Major Sitawakan garrisons were established at Wattala, Nagalagama and Mapane. However a thin coastal strip, running from
Rajasinha I
Mayadunne died in 1581 and was succeeded by Rajasinha. In 1582, the new king invaded and conquered the kingdom of Kandy to the east, bringing the entirety of Sri Lanka into the Sitawakan fold, with the exception of the
Portuguese intrigue in Rajasinha's court had dramatic results between 1583 and 1587; numerous nobles were executed following accusations of treachery. Most importantly Rajasinha turned against the Buddhist clergy following the discovery of collaboration with his enemies; temples were destroyed,
Rajasinha redoubled his efforts at dislodging Europeans and by 1587 he had amassed a force of some 50,000 infantry, as well as war elephants, cavalry, and a number of locally manufactured cannon. The army commenced what was to become a twenty-two month siege of Colombo that year.[5][6][7] In the absence of a Sitawakan navy, the Portuguese—supplied from Goa via the sea—could hold out for extended periods of time. A shift in policy by Calicut ensured that there was no hope of rekindling the old alliance with the south Indian kingdom, and Rajasinha was forced to abandon the siege in February 1588 to deal with unrest further inland.
The last years of Rajasinha's reign were spent defending the kingdom's borders, a task made more difficult by the Portuguese invasion of the northern
Despite the kingdom's impressive successes, much of its stability was dependent on a smooth succession and a competent ruler; Rajasimha's sudden death in 1593 (the same year the Portuguese appointed their first
Successor states and legacy
In 1594 the Portuguese forces sacked the city and pressed inland in the
A resurgent
Sitawaka, once a royal residence, and a place of considerable consequence, is now merely a name. No traces of what it once was are now to be seen by the traveller passing along the road; and for a time none were supposed to exist. Only the platform remains, quite small within a moat crossed by a bridge of massive slabs. The wall of the platform is gloriously simple, with delicate flowered fillet, a garland of stone that must be seen to be appreciated. Apart from the fillet, the chief ornaments are pilasters, separated by perfectly flat areas which had to be cut away in order to leave the pilasters in relief; and on one of the flats is an odd little parrot, entirely unrelated to anything in the design. It seems obvious, and quite delightful, that the workmen got fed up with recessing that flat surface and left the birds in relief for fun, to be chiselled away on a morrow that never (John Davy, An Account of the Interior of Ceylon, 1812)
Military
The Kingdom of Sitawaka was known for its military power that could challenge Europeans in conventional warfare and succeeded in keeping the Portuguese restrained to a coastal strip but attempts at entirely expelling them were unsuccessful. According to Portuguese sources, by 1587 the Kingdom was able to raise an army of 50,000-60,000 soldiers, armed with muskets and field cannons supported by 60,000 pioneers and servants, and a logistical train of 2200 pack elephants and 40,000 oxen. Despite the possibility of exaggeration, the army likely exceeded 30,000 soldiers. The 200-strong War Elephant corps was used to devastating effect against the Portuguese on open fields but was largely ineffective against fortified targets.[8][9]
The greatest weakness of Sitawaka which stopped it from entirely removing the European foothold on the island was its inexperience in
See also
- List of Kandyan monarchs
- Mayadunne of Sitawaka
- Sitawaka fort
- Sri Lanka
- History of Sri Lanka
- List of monarchs of Sri Lanka
- Kastane
- Lascarins
References
- ^ John Davy, An Account of the Interior of Ceylon, 1812
- ^ Roland Raven-Hart,Ceylon: A History in Stone,1964
- ^ P.E.Pieris, Ceylon and the Portuguese 1505 - 1658, p95
- ^ P.E.Pieris, Ceylon and the Portuguese 1505 - 1658, p93
- ^ The British invasion of 1815 – the march to Kandy, Ananda Abayaratna (Sunday Times) Accessed 2015-10-16
- ^ The colourful king of Kandy Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Chandra Tilake Edirisuriya (Ceylon Today) Accessed 2015-10-16
- ^ Touring the Colonial battlefields: Colombo, Chryshane (Laksadun Org) Accessed 2015-10-16
- ^ Saturnino Monteiro (2011) Portuguese Sea Battles – Volume IV – 1580–1603 p. 195
- ^ a b de Silva, C. R. (1977). "The Rise and Fall of the Kingdom of Sitawaka (1521-1593)". The Ceylon Journal of Historical and Social Studies. VII: 1–43 – via University of Peradeniya.