Kusumāsana Devi (died 10 July 1613), also known as , was ruling Queen of Kandy in 1581. She was deposed, but queen consort of Kandy by marriage to Vimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy from 1594 to 1604.

Life

In her infancy she and her father Karaliyadde Bandara fled the kingdom to the Portuguese. Later she was baptised by the Portuguese and named .

Queen regnant

After the death of her father in 1581, the Portuguese installed her as a

client ruler A client state, in international relations, is a state that is economically, politically, and/or militarily subordinate to another more powerful state (called the "controlling state"). A client state may variously be described as satellite state, ...

in the Campaign of Danture. She was at this point a teenager. She succeeded her father Karaliyadde Bandara as king of

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

. The attempt was a disaster, with Portuguese forces completely wiped out. She was deposed by Rajasinha I of the

Kingdom of Sitawaka The Kingdom of Sitawaka ( si, සීතාවක, ta, சீீீதாவாக்கை இராசதானி) was a kingdom located in south-central Sri Lanka. It emerged from the division of the Kingdom of Kotte following the Spoilin ...

in the same year she ascended the throne.

Queen consort

In 1594, she became the Queen Consort to

Vimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy Vimaladharmasūriya I was a king of Kandy from 1590 to 1604. His reputation was built when he successfully repulsed two major Portuguese offensives on Kandy, the Battle of Danture in 1594 and the Battle of Balana in 1602, in both of which the ...

to solidify his rule after the defeat of King Rajasinhe I three years prior.Rajiva Wijesinha:
Political Principles and Their Practice in Sri Lanka
' Finally, she married her former brother-in-law

Senarat Senarath Adahasin was king of the Kingdom of Kandy from 1604 to 1635. He is said to be the successor to king Wimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy. However first hand accounts are not available concerning what happened after the death of Vimaladharmasur ...

who succeeded to the throne following the death of King Vimaladharmasuriya in 1604, also to solidify his legitimacy as ruler. Her ascendancy was contingent on converting to Buddhism, but she secretly taught Catholicism to her subjects during her life. She had three children by King Vimaladharmasuriya - Mahastana Adahasin, Surya Mahadahasin and Santana Adahasin. She also had three children, Kumarasingha Astana, Vijayapala Astane and Deva Astane by King Senerath Bandara. Earlier she had a son, Prince Philip Jnr. from her first husband, Yamasinghe Bandara and died few weeks after birth. Mahastana Adahasin died in 1612 after six days of sickness. Her youngest son Mahastane later succeeded his father as King Rajasinhe II, known for the agreement with the Dutch to end Portuguese rule. She fell sick after her son Mahastane Adahasin died in 1612, with her illness attributed to excessive grief by

Philippus Baldaeus Philips Baelde or Father Philippus Baldaeus, (baptized on 24 October 1632, Delft – 1671, Geervliet) was a Dutch minister. He went to Jaffna during the Dutch period in Ceylon with an invading Dutch force. As the second European after Abr ...

. She died on 10 July 1613 at the age of 35.

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Kings & Rulers of Sri Lanka

Codrington's Short History of Ceylon
16th-century women rulers 16th-century monarchs in Asia House of Siri Sanga Bo Monarchs of Kandy Queens consort Queens regnant 1613 deaths Sinhalese queens People of the Kingdom of Kandy Catarina, Dona {{SriLanka-hist-stub