Thammanna Nuwara
Upatissa Nuwara
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura Chola
Ruhuna
Polonnaruwa
Dambadeniya
Yapahuwa
Kurunegala
Gampola
Kotte
Sitawaka
Kandy
Portuguese
Dutch
British
Monarch of Ceylon
181
King Don Juwan Dharmapala
Kingdom of Kotte
1551 AC - 1597 AC

After the death of his maternal grandfather, King Bhuvanekabahu VII—who was killed by gunfire—the prince Don Juan Dharmapala was crowned King of Kotte.

He was also known as Don Juan Periya Bandara. Although he held the title of King of Kotte, he did not possess real political authority. In practice, he functioned as a puppet ruler under Portuguese control.

In 1557 CE, when the king formally adopted Catholicism, many Sinhala nobles became reluctant to accept his authority. A large number of Buddhist monks abandoned Kotte, leading to widespread unrest. As a result, a rebellion involving both the Sangha and the local population broke out.

The Portuguese suppressed this uprising with extreme severity and are said to have executed thirty monks by hanging.

Due to continuous warfare with the Kingdom of Sitawaka, the king eventually abandoned Kotte and moved to the Colombo fort. At the same time, much of the Catholic population also distanced themselves from him.

In August 1580 CE, the king formally transferred the sovereignty of the island—formerly held by Bhuvanekabahu VII—to the King of Portugal. As a result, except for Kandy, Uva, and Jaffna, the rest of the island came under Portuguese control.

Although he continued to live until 1597 CE, his status as “king” existed only in name and was acknowledged by very few people around him.

Isura Wickramarachchi
Mahawansa Pradeepikawa

 
 
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