Portuguese Ceylon

Common card · No. 401257

Portuguese Ceylon (Portuguese: Ceilão Português; Sinhala: පෘතුගීසි ලංකාව; Tamil: போர்த்துக்கேய இலங்கை) was the territory on Ceylon, modern-day Sri Lanka, controlled by the Portuguese Empire between 1597 and 1658. In Charles Nowell's History of Portugual, he explains the history of this possession:They won the mastery of Ceylon in a curious way. Several native kingdoms existed on that large island, and the overlord of all was João Paria Pondar, a baptized Christian. Paria Pondar died in 1597, leaving a will in which he named Philip of Portugal and Spain as his heir. On the strength of this the Portuguese moved into Ceylon, but soon several of the local rulers tried to expel them and to resume full independence. A war broke out, which with changing shape and altering personnel lasted for several years. It ended with the Portuguese in control everywhere, and they held the island until the Dutch finally took it from them.Portuguese presence in the island lasted from 1505 to 1658. Their arrival...

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