Buddhism and The Portuguese

A Global Empire and Three Small Kingdoms

In complete contrast to the Portuguese Empire which was at the height of its power in the early 16th century, Sri Lanka was a country fragmented into three small rival kingdoms. Taking advantage of their discoveries in
navigation, marine technology and firearms, the Portuguese assembled the first global empire in history.
Already in control of parts of Africa, India and South America, the Portuguese arrived in 1505, landing at the port of Colombo. They were looking for opportunities to expand their spice trade to fulfill the huge and growing demand in Europe. The Portuguese also sought to convert to Christianity the people in the territories they conquered. Their motto was ‘God, Glory and Gold’.
                                                                                  With the arrival of the Portuguese, Buddhism was to suffer more than four centuries of almost continual oppression by the European colonial powers, coming close to extinction more than once. This pressure was to last until the late 19th century when it made a huge and astonishing revival. The three kingdoms that the Portuguese encountered were the kingdom of Kotte along the south-west coastline, the Tamil kingdom of Jaffna in the north, and the Kandyan kingdom located in central mountainous region. Ruled by Vira Parakramabahu VIII, Kotte was considered the most important
of the three, and the one which the Portuguese first had dealings with.
                                                                                                    The Portuguese promised Vira Parakramabahu military aid against his rivals, and also a share of the riches from the spice trade they proposed to establish. In return, he gave them permission to build a trading post in Colombo, which they quickly converted into a fortress. Other Portuguese settlements followed, and the coastal regions soon came under their control.
                           Sri Lanka’s strategic location enabled them to protect their other territories in India and also to control the Indian Ocean. Therefore, they began to look towards extending their power, and a golden opportunity presented itself to them within just a few decades.

The Catholic King of Sri Lanka

By about 1521, the kingdom of Kotte had split into three parts, each ruled by the brothers Bhuvanekabahu, Mayadunne and Madduma Bandara. King Bhuvanekabahu VII ruled in Kotte while Mayadunne was in control of the Sitawaka region. The third brother, Madduma Bandara, died soon after. Mayadunne, the younger and more capable of the two surviving brothers, began to set his sights on Kotte. Powerless on his own, Bhuvanekabahu sought the help of the Portuguese to defend his kingdom.
                                                                    They exploitedthese developments to the full and eventually made Bhuvanekabahu their puppet. Just before his death, the king obtained an agreement from the Portuguese that his grandson, Moha Bandara, was to be his successor. The Portuguese also pledged to protect his kingdom from attack. In return, they were to be given a continuous payment in cinnamon, and permission to enlarge and strengthen their fort in Colombo.
                                                                                       After the death of Bhuvanekabahu, Moha Bandara while still a child, was placed in the care of Portuguese Franciscan monks. Moha Bandara converted to Catholicism in 1557 and took the name Don Juan Dharmapala. Sri Lanka then had its first and only Catholic king. Don Juan Dharmapala allowed Franciscan monks to preach their Catholic faith, and Christian communities began to be established along the coastal areas. The Portuguese converted many of the local people to Christianity, either by force or by enticement. A puppet wholly under the control of the Portuguese, Don Juan Dharmapala was made by the Franciscans to sign a deed donating his kingdom to
them. After he died in 1597, the Portuguese took formal possession of the kingdom.