Vie for dominance.
Native Singhalese kings (Rajasinha I, others) and Portuguese puppet king (Dom Jao Dharmapala) vie for dominance.,The Battle of Mulleriyawa, fought in 1559, stands as a pivotal moment in the long-running war between the Sinhalese kingdoms and the Portuguese colonizers. The struggle for power in Sri Lanka fueled the conflict. The Portuguese, led by Jorge de Menezes, sought to expand their control over trade routes and resources, directly challenging the Sinhalese kingdoms' resistance. King Wickramasinghe Mudali of Sitawaka rose to meet this threat.,Historical accounts differ on the exact role of Don Juan Dharmapala in the battle. Some sources suggest he may have been a Sinhalese leader allied with Sitawaka, while others portray him as a Portuguese collaborator. Regardless of his allegiance, the battle itself became a turning point.,Initially, the Sinhalese forces under Wickramasinghe Mudali clashed with the Portuguese in open fields and faced difficulties. However, they cleverly lured the Portuguese into a strategic retreat. Utilizing fortified positions within the marshy terrain of Mulleriyawa, the Sinhalese, likely including forces under Don Juan Dharmapala if he was a Sinhalese ally, repelled repeated Portuguese attacks. This decisive victory inflicted heavy casualties on the Portuguese and established Sitawaka as a major power capable of challenging Portuguese dominance in Sri Lanka.
Following the division of the Kotte Kingdom, a fierce power struggle erupted between the brothers. The most ambitious of them, Mayadunne of Sitawaka, sought to reunify the island under his rule. This led to decades of warfare, with the Portuguese playing a decisive role in the conflict.
The Rise of Sitawaka
Mayadunne was a brilliant military strategist. He quickly consolidated his power in Sitawaka and launched a series of campaigns against his brother, Buvanekabahu VII of Kotte. His goal was not just to defeat his brother but to drive the Portuguese out of Sri Lanka.
The Portuguese Factor
Realizing they could not defeat Mayadunne alone, the kings of Kotte turned to the Portuguese for protection. This alliance came at a heavy price: the Kotte kings became puppets of the Portuguese, and the kingdom was slowly stripped of its sovereignty.
A Relentless War
The conflict between Sitawaka and the Portuguese-Kotte alliance raged for years. Mayadunne, and later his son Rajasinha I, inflicted several defeats on the Portuguese, notably at the Battle of Mulleriyawa. However, they were never able to completely dislodge the Europeans from their coastal strongholds.
