Background
The Portuguese first landed in Sri Lanka in 1505. The aim of the Portuguese was to capture the entire island. which was split into several kingdoms. By 1619, they were in control of the kingdoms of Kotte, Sitawaka and Jaffna. Kandy was the only remaining kingdom under the native king's rule. The Portuguese attempted to capture Kandy in 1594, 1603 and 1630, but were defeated on all three occasions. In 1635, with the death of King Senarath, the kingdom was split into three parts. His son became the king of Kandy as Rajasinghe II, and Rajasinghe's cousins, Wijayapala and Kumarasinghe, were given control of the Matale and Uva areas. Rajasinghe, earlier known as Maha Asthana, had fought against the Portuguese at the Battle of Randeniwala along with his father and cousins in 1630. Rajasinghe II began negotiations with the Dutch to get their help in defeating the Portuguese. As a result of this, the Portuguese hastened their attempts to capture Kandy. Diogo de Melo de Castro was the Portuguese Captain General in Colombo, having been appointed to that position in 1633.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Gannoruwa
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