Kingdom of Sitawaka
This article is about the specific polity Kingdom of Sitawaka and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics
Was a Kingdom in Sri Lanka that emerged from the division of Kotte in 1521. The Kingdom was conquered by the Portuguese in 1593.
Establishment
January 1522: In 1521, the three sons of the Kotte king Vijayabahu VII rebelled against their father. After killing Vijayabahu, his sons (Bhuvanekabahu, Pararajasingha and Mayadunne) divided the kingdom among themselves in the 'Spoiling of Vijayabahu'. Mayadunne received the Kingdom of Sitawaka.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
In 1521, the three sons of the Kotte king Vijayabahu VII rebelled against their father. After killing Vijayabahu, his sons (Bhuvanekabahu, Pararajasingha and Mayadunne) divided the kingdom among themselves in the 'Spoiling of Vijayabahu'. Mayadunne received the Kingdom of Sitawaka.
Were a series of wars between the native kingdoms of modern-day Sri Lanka and the Portuguese Empire.
2.1.Growth of the Sitawaka kingdom
Were a series of military campaigns by the Sinhalese Kingdom of Sitawaka to expand its territories.
January 1539: Kingdom of Raigama annexed by Sitawaka in 1538.
January 1566: By 1565 the Portuguese were unable to hold the capital city of Kotte. They abandoned Kotte and moved to Colombo (which was guarded by a powerful fort and the Portuguese navy) with their puppet King Dharmapala.
January 1566: Areas annexed by Sitawaka from the Kotte Kingdom by 1565.
June 1587: Siege of Colombo 1587-1588.
January 1588: Areas annexed by Sitawaka from the Kotte Kingdom by 1587.
February 1588: A large Portuguese fleet of eighteen galleys commanded by Manuel de Sousa Coutinho arrived in Colombo, after raiding Sitawakan shores in northwestern Ceylon.
2.2.Attempt to conquer Kandy
In 1592 the Portuguese unsuccesfully invaded the Sinhalese Kingdom of Kandy.
January 1593: In 1592 the Portuguese intervened in Kandy, placing their protégé Yamasinghe Bandara on the throne.
2.3.Conquest of Sitawaka and Riagama Kingdoms
Portuguese conquest of the Sinhalese Sitawaka and Riagama Kingdoms.
January 1594: In 1593 Sitawaka forces attempted to re-take Kandy, but were repulsed and their king Rajasinha I died of disease contracted during the fighting. One of the rival claimants to his throne defected to the Portuguese, enabling them to take complete control over Sitawaka.
January 1540: Sitawaka invasion of Kotte.
February 1540: The Sitawaka invasion of Kotte failed following resistance organised by the new Portuguese Captain-General in Colombo, Miguel Ferreira.
January 1544: In 1543, the Kingdom of Kotte faced an invasion after Bhuvanekabahu named his grandson Dharmapala as his successor. The invasion was repulsed with the help of Portuguese forces. Bhuvanekabahu was a ruler of Kotte, while Dharmapala was his chosen heir. The Portuguese were allies of the Kingdom of Kotte at the time.
February 1544: In 1544, the Kingdom of Kotte faced another invasion after Bhuvanekabahu named his grandson Dharmapala as his successor. The invasion was repulsed with the help of Portuguese forces. Bhuvanekabahu was a prominent ruler of the Kingdom of Kotte, while Dharmapala was his chosen heir. The Portuguese were allies of the Kingdom of Kotte during this time.
January 1566: 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, 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 Negombo to Galle and including the fort in Colombo, was kept provisioned from the sea by the Portuguese.
January 1575: The Kingdom of Kandy, ruled by King Karaliyadde Bandara, was invaded in 1574 by the Kingdom of Sitawaka, led by King Mayadunne. This marked the beginning of a series of invasions and conflicts between the two kingdoms in the 16th century.
February 1575: The Kingdom of Kandy, ruled by King Karaliyadde Bandara, was invaded twice in the 1570s and 1580s. The first invasion occurred in 1574 by the Portuguese, led by Dom João Dharmapala. The Kingdom of Kandy successfully defended its territory against the Portuguese forces.
January 1582: The newly crowned king of Sithawaka Rajasinghe I. Rajasinghe succeeded in annexing the Kingdom of Kandy. The Kandyan king Karalliyadde Kumara Bandara (also known as Jayavira III) fled north to the Jaffna Kingdom.
January 1588: The Kingdom of Sitawaka annexed areas from the Kotte Kingdom by 1587.
Disestablishment
January 1594: In 1593 Sitawaka forces attempted to re-take Kandy, but were repulsed and their king Rajasinha I died of disease contracted during the fighting. One of the rival claimants to his throne defected to the Portuguese, enabling them to take complete control over Sitawaka.
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