Kingdom of Sitawaka

Kingdom of Sitawaka Sitawaka
1521–1594
Flag
Capital	Sitawaka
Common languages	Sinhala
Religion	Theravada Buddhism
Government	Monarchy
King
• 1521–1581	Mayadunne
• 1581–1593	Rajasinha I
Historical era	Transitional period
• Spoiling of Vijayabahu	1521
• Death of Rajasinha I	1594
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Kotte Kingdom of Kandy Portuguese Ceylon

Part of a series on the
Historical states of Sri Lanka
Sinhala kingdom Kingdom of Tambapanni 543–437 BCE Anuradhapura kingdom 437 BCE–1017 CE Anuradhapura from Rohana 1017–1055 Kingdom of Polonnaruwa 1055–1232 Kingdom of Dambadeniya 1232–1341 Kingdom of Gampola 1341–1371 Kingdom of Kotte 1371–1597
Transitional period Jaffna kingdom 1232–1620 Kingdom of Sitawaka 1521–1594
Kandyan period Kingdom of Kandy 1469–1815 Portuguese Ceylon 1597–1658 Dutch Ceylon 1658–1796
British Ceylon period British Ceylon 1815–1948
Sri Lanka since 1948 Dominion of Ceylon 1948–1972 Republic of Sri Lanka 1972–present
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The kingdom of Sitawaka (Sinhala: සීතාවක, Tamil: சீீீதாவாக்கை இராசதானி) was a kingdom located in south-central Sri Lanka. It emerged from the division of the kingdom of Kotte following the Spoiling of Vijayabahu in 1521. Over the course of the next seventy years it came to dominate much of the island. Sitawaka also offered fierce resistance to the Portuguese, who had arrived on the island in 1505. Despite its military successes, Sitawaka remained unstable, having to contend with repeated uprisings in its restive Kandyan territories, as well as a wide-ranging and often devastating conflict with the Portuguese. Sitawaka disintegrated soon after the death of its last king Rajasimha I in 1593.