From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
Dharmapala of Kotte
King of Kotte (r. 1551–1597)
King of Kotte (r. 1551–1597)
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Dharmapala |
| title | King of Kotte |
| reign | 1551 – 27 May 1597 |
| full name | Dom João Dharmapala Peria Bandara |
| predecessor | Bhuvanekabahu VII |
| successor | Rajasinha I of Sitawaka |
| queen | Dona Isabella |
| Dona Margarida | |
| Dona Catherina | |
| spouse-type | Consort |
| issue | Princess Alingosse queen consort of King Bayinnaung |
| royal house | House of Siri Sanga Bo |
| dynasty | Kingdom of Kotte |
| father | Lord Veediya Bandara |
| mother | Crown Princess Samudra Devi |
| birth_date | 1541 |
| birth_place | Royal Palace, Kotte |
| death_date | 27 May 1597 (aged 55/56) |
| death_place | Portuguese Fort, Colombo |
| place of burial | St. Francis Shrine, Colombo 01. (now - President's House) |
| religion | Roman Catholicism |
| signature | Signature of Dom João Dharmapala.png |
Dona Margarida Dona Catherina | spouse-type = Consort
prev. Theravada Buddhism
Dharmapala or Dom João Dharmapala Peria Bandara (1541 – 27 May 1597) was the 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 Lankan history. He is widely despised by the majority of Buddhist Sinhalese for having betrayed his religion of birth i.e., Buddhism and converting to the religion of the foreign conquerors, who they viewed as carrying a reign of terror. Dharmapala allowed Buddhist Temples in his Kingdom, including the highly venerated Temple of Kelaniya to be ransacked and burnt down by the Portuguese.
Birth
Dom João Dharmapala (Don John Dharmapala) was born as the eldest child of Weediye Bandara, a Prince from Madampe and his wife Samudra Devi, daughter of King Bhuvanekabãhu VII the King of Kotte. His exact date of birth is unknown, but the year is commonly regarded as 1541. He had a younger brother, Prince Wijayapala. A golden statue of Dharmapala was sent to Portugal by King Buvanekabahu VII to be crowned by the King of Portugal, and thus symbolizing the support of the Portuguese to the prince.
Personal life
His maternal grandfather, King Bhuvanekabahu VII, raised him under the supervision of the Portuguese.
First, he married Princess Isabella of Kandy, daughter of King Jayaweera Wickramabahu of Kandy. After she died, he married Queen Dona Isabella's niece, Princess Margarida of Kandy, who was the eldest daughter of King Karaliyadde Bandara of Kandy.
After his grandfather's assassination by a Portuguese soldier in Kelaniya in 1551, he used to reside in the Colombo fortress under the protection of the Portuguese as his conversion to Christianity was widely opposed by the largely Buddhist Sinhala population of Kotte. The Portuguese military occupation of Kotte during the reign of Don Juan Dharmapala ended in 1565 when they were forced to withdraw from Kotte by the unrelenting attacks of the Sinhalese King Sitawaka Rajasinghe.
After his conversion from Buddhism to Catholicism in 1557 he would bequeath (in 1580) his entire realm to the King of Portugal. The Portuguese takeover of Kotte, however, was resisted by the Sinhalese Buddhists and would only be completed during the captaincy of Dom Jerónimo de Azevedo (1594 - 1612).
References
References
- (Maha Yazawin Vol. 3 2006: 35): New moon of Thadingyut 934 ME = 24 September 1573
- Fernando, Mario. (2007). "Spiritual Leadership in the Entrepreneurial Business: A Multifaith Study". Edward Elgar Publishing.
- "Portuguese encounter with King of Kotte in 1517". Denis N. Fernando.
- Thomaz, Luís Filipe. (2018). "L'expansion portugaise dans le monde, XIV-XVIIIe siècles : les multiples facettes d'un prisme". Chandeigne.
- Disney, A. R.. (2009). "A history of Portugal and the Portuguese empire : from beginnings to 1807. Volume 2, The Portuguese empire". Cambridge University Press.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about Dharmapala of Kotte — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report