Battle of Randeniwela

The Battle of Randeniwela was a battle fought on 25 August 1630 in the Sinhalese–Portuguese War. It was fought between Portuguese Empire and King Senarth's youngest son Prince Maha Astana, who would later become Rajasinghe II against Portuguese forces commanded by then Governor Constantinu De Sá de Noronha.[3] It was fought at Randeniwela near Wellawaya, a place close to the town of Badulla. The battle broke off when Constantino de Sá launched the invasion via Badulla. The Portuguese army suffered a complete rout subsequent to a mass defection by its Lascarin (local militia) contingent.[4][5][6]

Battle of Randeniwela
Part of Sinhalese–Portuguese War
Date25 August 1630
Location
Randeniwela near Wellawaya[1]
Result Sinhalese Victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Kandy Kingdom of Portugal Portuguese Empire
Commanders and leaders
King Senarat
Prince Maha Astana		 Constantino de Sá de Noronha †
Strength
>35,000 1,500 Portuguese
20,000 Lascarins
Casualties and losses
most died with 200 POWs[2]

Background
Main article: Campaign of Danture

Battle

The loyalty of Lascarin soldiers was often doubtful. At Randeniwela the entire Lascarin contingent joined the Kandyan forces.[4][5][6] Subsequent to the betrayal, Lascarins volleyed arrows and bullets throughout the night, making it impossible for the Portuguese to erect any protection. The Portuguese army had the misfortune of relying on gunpowder weaponry, which the rain that lasted for several hours rendered the matches of their arquebuses useless.[3]

References
  1. "Impact | Sundayobserver.lk - Sri Lanka". sundayobserver.lk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  2. Goonewardena, K.W. (1958). The foundation of Dutch power in Ceylon, 1638-1658. Djambatan. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  3. Rasin Deviyo Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine - Chandra Tilake Edirisuriya (Ceylon Today) Accessed 2015-12-13
  4. The Portuguese in Ceylon: Before the war with the Dutch - Colonial Voyage Web. Accessed 2015-11-25
  5. The Historic Tragedy of the Island of Ceilāo - J. Ribeiro (AES) ISBN 8120613341 p 20, 91-92
  6. Wickramasinghe, Nira (2005). Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A History of Contested Indentities. C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd. p. 13. ISBN 978-18-5065-807-8. Retrieved 18 February 2016.

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