Portuguese Ceylon ( pt, Ceilão Português,
Sinhala: පෘතුගීසි ලංකාව ''Puruthugisi Lankawa'',
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
: போர்த்துக்கேய இலங்கை ''Porthukeya Ilankai'') is the name given to the territory on Ceylon, modern-day
Sri Lanka, controlled by the
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...
between 1597 and 1658.
Portuguese presence in the island lasted from 1505 to 1658. Their arrival was largely accidental, and the Portuguese sought control of commerce, rather than territory. The Portuguese were later drawn into the internal politics of the island with the political upheaval of the
Wijayaba Kollaya, and used these internal divisions to their advantage during the
Sinhalese–Portuguese War, first in an attempt to control the production of valuable cinnamon and later of the entire island. Direct Portuguese rule did not begin until after the death of
Dharmapala of Kotte
Dharmapala or Dom João Dharmapala Peria Bandara (1541 – 27 May 1597) was last king of the Kingdom of Kotte, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 1551 until 27 May 1597. He is also known as Dom João Dharmapala, the first Christian king in Sri Lan ...
, who died without an heir, and had bequeathed the
Kingdom of Kotte
The Kingdom of Kotte ( si, කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය, Kottay Rajadhaniya), named after its capital, Kotte, was a Sinhalese kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century.
Kotte, under the rule of Ming-backed ...
to the Portuguese monarch in 1580. That allowed the Portuguese sufficient claim to the Kingdom of Kotte upon Dharmapala's death in 1597. Portuguese rule began with much resistance by the local population.
Eventually, the
Kingdom of Kandy sought help from the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
, with whom they initially entered into agreement. After the
collapse of the Iberian economy in 1627, the
Dutch–Portuguese War saw the Dutch conquest of most of Portugal's Asian colonies – Ceylon included, between 1638 and 1658. Nevertheless, elements of Portuguese culture from this colonial period remain in Sri Lanka.
History
Arrival and establishment of the Portuguese (1505–1543)
Portuguese knew Sri Lanka by the name
''Seylan''. In 1505 King of Portugal instructed General
Dom Francisco de Almeida
Dom Francisco de Almeida (), also known as the Great Dom Francisco (c. 1450 – 1 March 1510), was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the ...
to find the island of
''Seylan'' when he was appointed as the emperor of the East by the Portuguese. When the Portuguese were trying to establish relations with Ceylon,
Dom Lourenco de Almeida, son of
Dom Francisco de Almeida
Dom Francisco de Almeida (), also known as the Great Dom Francisco (c. 1450 – 1 March 1510), was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the ...
, and others arrived by chance in 1505 AD. So, the first contact between Sri Lanka and the Portuguese was established by
Dom Lourenço de Almeida in 1505. It was largely accidental and it wasn't until 12 years later that the Portuguese sought to establish a fortified trading settlement.
The Kingdom of Kotte as a Portuguese vassal (1543–1597)
Annexation of Kotte and war with Kandy (1597)
Direct Portuguese rule began after the death of
Dharmapala of Kotte
Dharmapala or Dom João Dharmapala Peria Bandara (1541 – 27 May 1597) was last king of the Kingdom of Kotte, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 1551 until 27 May 1597. He is also known as Dom João Dharmapala, the first Christian king in Sri Lan ...
who bequeathed the
Kingdom of Kotte
The Kingdom of Kotte ( si, කෝට්ටේ රාජධානිය, Kottay Rajadhaniya), named after its capital, Kotte, was a Sinhalese kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century.
Kotte, under the rule of Ming-backed ...
to the Portuguese monarch. By 1600 the Portuguese had consolidated the main centers of rebellion, the
Kelani and
Kalu ganga basins, leaving the border regions to Sinhalese resistance.
[De Silva (1981), p. 115]
Conquest of Jaffna (1619)
Dutch conquest (1638–1658)
Administration
Administrative structure
Administrative divisions
Taxation
Military
Demographics and ethnicities
Economy
Legacy
Food
There are many foods of Portuguese influence that are still popular in Sri Lanka. For example, lingus and pastries.
Language
Sinhala words for certain types of Western attire/ furniture/ food & drink are derived from the Portuguese. Some examples are below:
See also
*
Portuguese India
*
Dutch Ceylon
*
British Ceylon
*
Sinhalese%E2%80%93Portuguese War
References
*
*C. Gaston Pereira, ''Kandy fights the Portuguese''. Sri Lanka: Vijitha Yapa Publications, July 2007.
*Channa Wicremasekera, ''Kandy at War''. Sri Lanka: Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2004.
*Michael Roberts, ''Sinhala Consciousness in the Kandyan Period''. Sri Lanka: Vijitha Yapa Publications, 2004. ,
*
*
*
Senaka Weeraratna, Repression of Buddhism in Sri Lanka by the Portuguese (1505 - 1658)
External links
Ceylon and the Portuguese, 1505–1658 y Paulus Edward Pieris (American Ceylon Mission Press, 1920)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portuguese Period In Ceylon
Kingdom of Kotte
Former Portuguese colonies
Former countries in South Asia
States and territories established in 1597
States and territories disestablished in 1658
1597 establishments in Asia
1658 disestablishments in Asia
16th-century establishments in Sri Lanka
17th-century disestablishments in Sri Lanka
1597 establishments in the Portuguese Empire
1658 disestablishments in the Portuguese Empire
Transitional period of Sri Lanka