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Battle of Randeniwela

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Battle of Randeniwela
Part of Sinhalese–Portuguese War
Date25 August 1630
Location
Randeniwela near Wellawaya[1]
Result Sinhalese victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Kandy Kingdom of Portugal Portuguese Empire
Commanders and leaders
King Senarat
Prince Maha Astana		 Constantino de Sá de Noronha †
Strength
>35,000 1,500 Portuguese
20,000 Lascarins
Casualties and losses
Unknown Most died with 200 POWs[2]

The Battle of Randeniwela was fought on 25 August 1630 in the Sinhalese–Portuguese War. It was fought between Portuguese Empire and King Senarth's youngest son Prince Maha Astana, who would later become Rajasinghe II against Portuguese forces commanded by then Governor Constantinu De Sá de Noronha.[3] It was fought at Randeniwela near Wellawaya, a place close to the town of Badulla. The battle broke off when Constantino de Sá launched the invasion via Badulla. The Portuguese army suffered a complete rout subsequent to a mass defection by its Lascarin (local militia) contingent.[4][5][6]

Background

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Main article: Campaign of Danture

Battle

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At Randeniwela the entire Lascarin contingent joined the Kandyan forces.[4][5][6] This was followed by a rain of arrows and bullets, in the night, against which it was impossible for the Portuguese to erect any protection. Into the bargain the torrential rain that poured down drenched the Portuguese army for several hours rendering the gunpowder and matches of their arquebuses useless.[3]

Dom Cosmo, one of the four Lascarin captains who eventually rebelled against the Portuguese, is said to have begun the native revolt by 'striking off the head of a Portuguese and holding it aloft on his lance'.[7]

For this service, Dom Cosmo was awarded several Nindagams (tributary villages) [8] and the Katugaha Walauwa by King Senarath.[citation needed] His daughter married (Binna) from a prominent family in the area. Keppetipola Dissawa is believed to be a direct descendant of his.

Aftermath

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The Portuguese suffered a devastating defeat in this battle.

References

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  1. ^ "Impact | Sundayobserver.lk – Sri Lanka". sundayobserver.lk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  2. ^ Goonewardena, K.W. (1958). The foundation of Dutch power in Ceylon, 1638–1658. Djambatan. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b Rasin Deviyo Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine – Chandra Tilake Edirisuriya (Ceylon Today) Accessed 2015-12-13
  4. ^ a b The Portuguese in Ceylon: Before the war with the Dutch – Colonial Voyage Web. Accessed 2015-11-25
  5. ^ a b The Historic Tragedy of the Island of Ceilāo – J. Ribeiro (AES) ISBN 8120613341 pp. 20, 91–92
  6. ^ a b Wickramasinghe, Nira (2005). Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A History of Contested Indentities. C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd. p. 13. ISBN 978-18-5065-807-8. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  7. ^ Ribeyro, João (1681). History of Ceylon. Archive.org. p. 108.
  8. ^ Pieris, Kamalika. "Land tenure in 16th Century Sri Lanka". The Island.
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