Medieval history of Sri Lanka
The Medieval history of Sri
Lanka is dated from the end the of Anuradhapura Kingdom, in 1017, to the
start of BritishColonial occupation in 1815.Contents [hide]1Kingdom of Ruhun2Kingdom of
Polonnaruwa3Jaffna kingdom4Kingdom of Dambadeniya4.1From Yapahuwa4.2From
Kurunegala5Kingdom of Gampol5.1From Dedigama5.2From
Raigama6Kingdom of Kotte6.1From
Kelaniya7Kingdom of Sitawaka8Kingdom of Kandy9See also10References11External
links
//
[edit]Kingdom of Ruhuna
Main article: Kingdom of
Ruhuna[edit]Kingdom of
Polonnaruwa
Main article: Kingdom of
Polonnaruwa
The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa was the second
major Sinhalese kingdom of Sri Lanka. It lasted from
1055 under Vijayabahu I to 1212 under the rule of Lilavati.
The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa came after the Anuradhapura Kingdom was invaded by Chola forces under Rajaraja I and
after the Kingdom of
Ruhuna, where the Sinhalese Kings ruled during Chola occupation.Vijayabahu I (1055-1110), recaptured
the whole Island, and established Polonnaruwa as the new capital. King Vijayabahu
married from the Kalinga (Orissa) Royal Family a second queen, and
had a son Vikramabâhu I and a daughter Ratnavali. His sister, Mitta, married a Pandya Prince who had three sons, the eldest being Manabharana.
He married Ratnavali. Their son was Parākramabāhu I
(1153-1186) Grandson of Vijayabahu I, Prince of Sinhala-Pandyan-Kalinga descent, son of Manabharana and
Vijayabahu’s sister, Mitta. He was a very powerful king, noted for his
engineering,[1] naval power, art,
culture, many Sinhala inscriptions, and even a Tamil edict in Uruthota (Kayts). The Chulavamsa was written by
Dharmakirthi, updating the Mahavamsa to include Parakramabahu. It was a great
age since the epic Anradhapura period.[edit]Jaffna kingdom
Main articles: Jaffna kingdom and Aryacakravarti dynasty
The Jaffna kingdom, also known as Kingdom of Aryacakravarti came into
existence after the invasion of Magha, who is said to have been from Kalinga, in South
India. It eventually became a tribute paying feudatory of the Pandyan
Empire in modern South
India in 1250, but later become independent with the fragmentation of the
Pandyan control. For a brief period, in the early to middle fourteenth century,
it was an ascendant power in the island of Sri Lanka when all regional kingdoms
accepted subordination. However, the kingdom was eventually overpowered by the
rival Kotte Kingdom, around 1450.
It was freed of Kotte control in 1467; its subsequent rulers directed their
energies towards consolidating its economic potential by maximising revenue from
pearls and elephant exports and land revenue. It was less feudal than most of other
regional kingdoms in the island of Sri Lanka of the same period. During this
period, important local Tamil literature was produced and Hindu temples were built including an academy for
language advancement.
The arrival of the Portuguese colonial power to the island of
Sri Lanka in 1505, and its strategic location in the Palk Strait connecting all interior Sinhalese kingdoms to
South India, created
political problems. Many of its kings confronted and ultimately made peace with
the Portuguese colonials. In 1617, Cankili II, an usurper to the throne, confronted the
Portuguese but was defeated, thus bringing the kingdom’s independent existence
to an end in 1619.[edit]Kingdom of
Dambadeniya
This section requires expansion.
Main article: Kingdom of
DambadeniyaDambadeniya is an ancient
capital of Sri Lanka. Four kings ruled from here, Vijayabâhu
III (1220-1236), Parâkkamabâhu
II (1236-1270), Vijayabâhu
IV (1270-1272), Bhuvanaikabâhu
I(1272-1283).
The first king to choose Dambadeniya as his capital was Vijayabâhu III. He
was able to bring about the unity among the sangha that had fled in various directions due to the
hostile activities of the invader Kalinga
magha & succeeded in holding a Buddhist convention in 1226 to bring about peace among the Buddhist clergy. king Parâkkamabâhu II
inherited the throne from king Vijayabâhu. He is considered a genius who was a
great poet & prolific writer. Among the books he wrote are Kausilumina,
which is considered a great piece of literature. Unifying the three kingdoms
that existed within Sri Lanka at that point of time is regarded as greatest
achievement.
King Bosath
Vijayabâhu, as the eldest son of king Parâkkamabâhu II, was crowned in 1270. He was well known for his modest
behaviour & for his religious activities. He was killed in the second year
of his reign by a minister called Miththa.
After the demise of his elder brother Vijayabâhu, king Bhuvanaikabâhu I, as
the next in line to the throne, shifted the capital to Yapahuwa for reasons of security. He
followed his father's footsteps as a writer & continued with the religious
activities started by his brother Vijayabâhu.[edit]From Yapahuwa
Main article: Kingdom
of Yapahuwa[edit]From Kurunegala
Main article: Kingdom
of Kurunegala[edit]Kingdom of Gampola
Main article: Kingdom
of Gampola[edit]From Dedigama
Main article: Kingdom
of Dedigama[edit]From Raigama
Main article: Kingdom of
Raigama[edit]Kingdom of Kotte
Main article: Kingdom of
Kotte[edit]From Kelaniya
Main article: Kingdom
of Kelaniya[edit]Kingdom of Sitawaka
Main article: Kingdom of
Sitawaka[edit]Kingdom of Kandy
Main article: Kingdom of
Kandy[edit]See also