Exploitation of the Sinhala Royal Youth in the Portuguese Extension of Power

Abstract

"The cannon fire employed by the Portuguese was a new startling and often decisive element in warfare in the island (of Ceylon), but the warfare also called into play an unceasing battle of wits and cloak and dagger diplomacy no less than the use of armed soldiers in the field". Into this type of conflict, a technique of catching "young" was used for figures connected to Sinhala royalty with specifically the thrones of Kotte, Jaffna and Kandy. They were required to be converts to the new Christian faith. The paper will examine the following specific personages from Sinhala royalty thus exploited don juan Dharmapala, Karaliyadde Bandara alias Jayaweera, the sons of the lesser queens of Bhuvenekhabahu VII, Prince of Batticaloa, Yamasinghe Bandara alias Don Phillipe, Nikapitiya Bandara, Dom Jaoa (son of Yamasinghe Bandara), Don Juan of Austria alias Konappu Bandara alias Vimala Dharma Surya 1, Dona Catherina alias Princess Kusumasana Devi. The paper concludes by listing the general characteristics of such techniques of psychological warfare and their "successes" and failure in the Sri Lankan context.