Kusumasana Devi [1594 CE]: Dona Catherina

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Queen Dona Catherina (Kusumasana Devi) being welcomed by the General Conquistador Pedro Lopez de Souza

Predecessor		Successor
Rajasinghe I [1581-1591 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Kusumasana Devi (Dona Catherina) [1594 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Vimaladharmasuriya I [1592–1604 CE] -House of Dinaraja-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA

The life of Dona Catherina, born as Kusumāsana Devi (r. 1594), stands as one of the most poignant and transformative episodes in the history of the Kandyan Kingdom. As the daughter of King Karalliyadde Bandāra and the sole legitimate heiress to the Kandyan throne, her passage from royal exile within a Portuguese fort to sovereign of the central highlands shaped the political and religious struggles of late sixteenth-century Sri Lanka. Her marriages to two successive monarchs, Vimaladharmasūriya I and Senerat, provided the dynastic legitimacy that enabled Kandy to survive as the last stronghold of indigenous rule against European expansion.

Royal Lineage and Early Childhood

Kusumāsana Devi was born into the Savuḷu dynasty as the daughter of King Karalliyadde Bandāra (r. 1551–1581). Her early years unfolded during a period of deep instability. Her father had converted publicly to Roman Catholicism and stationed a Portuguese garrison in Kandy to counter the growing power of the Kingdom of Sītāvaka.

In 1581, the Sītāvaka ruler Rājasinha I launched a large-scale invasion of the highlands. Karalliyadde’s army was decisively defeated at the strategic Balana Pass. With capture imminent, the king fled toward the eastern coast with his queen, his infant daughter Kusumāsana Devi, and his nephew Yamasinha Bandāra. They sought refuge in Trincomalee, hoping for Portuguese protection. However, both the king and queen died of smallpox shortly after arrival. Before his death, Karalliyadde appointed Yamasinha as his successor and as guardian to the young princess.

Life under the Portuguese

The princess and her cousin were eventually taken to the Portuguese fortress at Mannar. Under Portuguese patronage, Kusumāsana Devi was baptized as Dona Catherina, after the Queen of Portugal, while Yamasinha was renamed Dom Phelipe.

Raised within a Catholic European environment, Dona Catherina received her education from Franciscan friars and remained a committed Catholic throughout her life, reportedly never visiting Buddhist shrines even after returning to Kandy. For more than a decade, the Portuguese used her and Dom Phelipe as political instruments, advancing their claims to the Kandyan throne in an effort to weaken the Sītāvakan presence in the highlands.

The Rise to Power: The Expedition of 1594

After the death of Rājasinha I in 1592 and the collapse of the Sītāvaka state, a former Portuguese ally, Konappu Bandāra, who ruled as Vimaladharmasūriya I, seized the Kandyan throne. Viewing this as betrayal, the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa launched a major expedition in 1594 under Pero Lopes de Souza.

The primary aim of the campaign was to depose Vimaladharmasūriya I and place Dona Catherina on the throne as the legitimate monarch. The Portuguese intended to marry her to one of their noblemen to ensure control over the Kandyan crown. Their forces occupied a deserted Kandy and formally proclaimed her queen. However, by surrounding her with foreign guards and ignoring local customs, they alienated the Kandyan population.

Battles and Relationships with the Royals

The Portuguese success proved short-lived. Vimaladharmasūriya I exploited divisions within their ranks and encouraged the desertion of their Sinhalese allies. As the Portuguese retreated toward Colombo with the queen, they were intercepted at Danture in October 1594. The entire Portuguese army was destroyed in what became known as the Battle of Danture. De Souza was killed, and Dona Catherina was captured by Vimaladharmasūriya I.

To legitimize his rule, the king married the captive queen on the battlefield in front of his troops. This marriage, celebrated with 110 days of festivities, is recorded as the first kasada marriage in the Kandyan court, reflecting a Catholic rite adapted to royal tradition.

Regency and Second Marriage

Vimaladharmasūriya I died in 1604, leaving Dona Catherina a widow with young children. A power struggle followed between the Prince of Uva and Senerat, a relative of the late king and a former Buddhist monk. At this moment of crisis, Dona Catherina assumed the role of regent for her son, preventing an immediate civil war.

Eventually, Senerat emerged victorious. After eliminating the Prince of Uva, he renounced his monastic life and compelled Dona Catherina to marry him in order to secure legitimacy. Their union produced several children, including Rājasinha II. Despite being queen to a Buddhist ruler, she retained her Catholic faith and reportedly ensured that her children received Franciscan instruction.

The Children

By her marriage to Vimaladharmasūriya I, she had four sons and two daughters. Rājasuriya drowned in the Mahaweli, and Udumale Asthana died young. Kumarasinghe served as sub-king of Uva from 1631 to 1634, while Wijayapala ruled Matale from 1631 to 1640. Both married daughters of Pararajasekeran, sub-king of Jaffna. According to Historic Matale, Wijayapala fled to Goa fearing Rājasinha II and converted to Christianity as Don Thiogosdo. His three sons escaped into the forests of Asgiriya, where two were killed by royal troops, leaving only one, Konara, to survive in hiding. Kumarasinghe also fled to Goa and died as a Christian. The daughters Suriya and Sama became queens of Mayadunne of Sītāvaka.

Her second marriage to Senerat produced two sons, the warrior king Rājasinha II of Senkadagala and Deva Rājasinha. Through these marriages, she maintained dynastic links with Jaffna.

The Eventual End

Overcome by grief and disillusionment with Senerat, Dona Catherina’s health deteriorated rapidly. On her deathbed, she is said to have told him, “You are the cause of my death,” a statement that reportedly caused him great anguish. She died on July 20, 1613, at approximately thirty-five years of age and was cremated with full royal honors. Her death ended the direct Luso-Kandyan royal line, though her descendants continued to be acknowledged as the legitimate heirs of the Kandyan throne.

Ancient Manuscripts Detailing the Sovereigns of Sri Lanka

Sovereigns of Sri Lanka are chronicled in several ancient manuscripts. These texts not only record the lineages of kings but also the significant events and developments of their reigns. Some of the most significant ancient sources are:

Dipavamsa: compiled between the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, and the earliest known historical chronicle
Mahavamsa: Initially compiled by Mahanama Thero in the 5th or 6th century CE, this chronicle was later expanded upon by other authors who added additional chapters. Covers events up until the reign of King Mahasena of Anuradhapura
Culavamsa: Starts where the Mahavamsa stops and records the history of Sri Lankan rulers from the 4th century to 1815. Mahavamsa and Culavamsa are often seen as one extended chronicle, commonly referred to simply as the Mahavamsa.
Pujavaliya: Written by a monk in or around 1266 during the reign of King Panditha Parakrama Bahu of Dambadeniya Kingdom
Rajavaliya: A 17th-century historical chronicle of Sri Lanka, covering the history of the island from its beginnings up to the accession of King Vimaladharmasurya II in 1687.

References

De Silva, C. R. (1977). The rise and fall of the Kingdom of Sitawaka (1521-1593). The Ceylon Journal of Historical and Social Studies, 7(1), 1-43.
Dewaraja, L. S. (1988). The Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka 1707-1782. Stamford Lake (Pvt) Ltd.
Gunasekera, B. (Ed.). (1900). The Rájávaliya: Or, a historical narrative of Sinhalese kings. George J. A. Skeen, Government Printer.
Ilangasinha, H. B. M. (1992). Buddhism in medieval Sri Lanka. Sri Satguru Publications.
Knox, R. (1681). An historical relation of the island Ceylon in the East Indies. Richard Chiswell.
Obeyesekere, G. (2022). The many faces of the Kandyan Kingdom 1591-1765. Sailfish.
Queyroz, F. (1930). The temporal and spiritual conquest of Ceylon (S. G. Perera, Trans.). Government Press.
Valentijn, F. (1726). François Valentijn’s description of Ceylon (S. Arasaratnam, Trans. & Ed.). Hakluyt Society (Reprint 1978).
Wickremasekera, C. (2004). Kandy at war: Indigenous military resistance to European expansion in Sri Lanka 1594-1818. Manohar.

Predecessor		Successor
Rajasinghe I [1581-1591 CE] -House of Siri Sangabo-	Kusumasana Devi (Dona Catherina) [1594 CE] -House of Dinaraja-	Vimaladharmasuriya I [1592–1604 CE] -House of Dinaraja-
COMPLETE LIST OF RULERS OF SRI LANKA